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Thoughts on Podcasts, the great untapped digital resource

 

Podcast management on the iPhone and iPad have not exactly been easy for the past oh... 4 YEARS! Apple pushes out release after release of their very elegant iOS software with one tiny problem, no podcast management or subscription access on ANY iOS device.

Why is this such a big deal? Podcasts are one of the, let me repeat, THE greatest forms of free information and entertainment available. There is so much good content for learning that is available through the iTunes Podcast section. For whatever topic you are into, be it tech news, entertainment, food, gardening, photography, video games, there are tons of podcasts on each of these subjects. Want to learn how to use Photoshop?, just watch a bunch of FREE podcasts from leading professionals in the field and learn the fundemental tools to one of the most complicated programs out there. Then return later to learn the techniques to become a creative proffesional. 

I personally learned Photoshop years ago by reading books and taking a few college courses. But it was in large part watching podcasts from industry professionals that taught me how to take the tools and create the art and graphics I always wanted to create. The same can be said for any topic or program or profession that you are interested in. The tools to help are just a click away. 

Apple tried to remedy this partially with the iOS 4.3 update in March 2011 that allows users to stream their entire iTunes collection from their home computer to an iOS device. However you have to be on the same wi-fi network for this to be achieved. 

We have been forced to use iTunes to manage podcasts and use a very fragmented way to get podcasts, forcing us to stream them from the iTunes store or find another method to watch our favorite podcasts on iPhones and iPads. 

Finally there is a new universal app for iPhone, iPod, and iPad called Downcast. It has recently been updated to be fully compatible with the iPad and now offers us the solution that Apple refuses to implement (so far) into iOS. See the full video below for features and thoughts.