Digital Recordings

Since the iPod's debut in 2001, Apple Computer Inc. has worked feverishly to keep its iconic portable media player two beats ahead of the competition. Last week's introduction of the iPod Hi-Fi home stereo was the latest in a rapid succession of updates and add-ons designed to maintain Apple's dominance in digital music. So far the strategy has worked. In January, iPods accounted for 78% of the portable music players sold in the United States, according to market research firm NPD Group.

For little iPods that dream big, Apple Computer last week introduced a speaker system designed to pump out enough sound from the hand-held music player to fill a room. The iPod Hi-Fi system, which costs $349, does just that. And that's just about the only favorable thing I can say about this product -- maybe the weakest offering from Apple since the woeful Cube computer of 2000.

Peter Hubert keeps a mirror on his desk so he can see people walking up behind him, even if he can't hear them. Headphones clamped on, MP3 player plugged in, the 28-year-old draftsman has fashioned a virtual office using invisible walls of sound. Listening to heavy-metal rock doesn't distract him from the precise computer-based drawings he creates for Bigelow Homes in Aurora, Ill. To the contrary, "it puts my head somewhere else so I can concentrate on what I'm doing," he said.

Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., the No. 2 U.S. pay-radio service, reached an agreement with EMI Group resolving concerns over a portable music player that lets users record and organize songs from digital radio. EMI Music North America and Sirius "resolved the issues" over Sirius' S50 portable player, Adam Grossberg, a spokesman for London-based EMI, said in an e-mail without providing details of the agreement.

Sound engineer Kevin Glendinning knows earphones. And in his line of work, which mostly involves mixing sound for onstage performers such as Justin Timberlake and No Doubt, he has little use for the standard types that come with portable music players. "I couldn't do what I do with those ear buds that come with the iPod," said Glendinning, who was on his way to Paris for a series of Timberlake gigs.

MP3 players and Apple iPods, those electronic darlings that are transforming the way we listen to music, are finding some travel-related uses beyond merely giving airplane passengers a personalized concert at 500 mph. The gadgets have given rise to the podcast, a sort of news and information show starring whoever has the time and desire to use this alternative media for the spoken word. When Apple launched a podcast directory on iTunes (www.apple.

"Please go away, let me sleep, for the love of God!" It's not only a classic Chris Farley line from "Tommy Boy," but it's also the latest wave in cellphone ring tones. Once limited to song samples and hip-hop clips, mobile phone ringers increasingly are featuring memorable movie quotes, including dialogue from titles as varied as "Napoleon Dynamite," "Office Space," "Without a Paddle" and "Meet the Fockers."

Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" has not only been a hit on the radio but also in cyberspace, where it's poised to become the first song to register 1 million legal downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The No Doubt singer will be recognized for that numerical milestone with a certification that will be presented to her when she performs Oct. 21 at the Hollywood Bowl, her manager said. As of Wednesday, "Hollaback Girl," from Stefani's debut solo album, "Love. Angel. Music.

Apple Computer Inc. will delay global sales of its new iPod mini digital music player until July because of stronger-than-expected U.S. demand. Tight supplies of the hard drive, which is at the core of the player, forced Apple to delay increasing manufacturing until July. U.S. demand has surpassed supply through June, according to Apple.