By mid 2007, you will be able to plug in your Apple iPod to the inflight entertainment system on six airlines to power and charge your iPod and view video content on your iPod on the seat back displays as big as 7 inches compared to the tiny 2 inches iPod screen.

Air France, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM and United are the first few to team up with Apple to deliver the first seamless integration between iPod and in-flight entertainment systems. Additionally, Apple is working with Panasonic Avionics Corporation to bring even more leading airlines in-flight iPod connectivity in the future. It will initially be installed on the Boeing 737, 747, 757, 767 and 777, as well as the Airbus A-380, with seat-back screens ranging from 7 inches to 23 inches.

The iPod ecosystem continues to flourish with more than 3,000 accessories made specifically for iPod that range from fashionable cases to speaker systems, and more than 70 percent of 2007-model US automobiles currently offer iPod connectivity.

iPod and iTunes are leading the digital music revolution, providing the best way to listen to music on the go, at home, in the car and now on an airplane. With nearly 70 million iPods sold, the iPod is the world’s most popular digital music and portable video player accounting for 75 percent of the digital music player market, according to the NPD Group, and the iTunes Store is the number one online music store with over 1.5 billion songs purchased and downloaded worldwide. The iTunes Store (www.itunes.com) features over 3.5 million songs, 65,000 podcasts, 20,000 audiobooks, 5,000 music videos, 250 television shows and over 100 movies from Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Films.

At the same time, the iPod faces increasing competition from other digital music players, cell phones, Global Positioning System units and other portable devices that want a cut of the action. Microsoft Corp. introduced the Zune, its first challenge to the iPod, on Tuesday. But Apple's partnership with the airlines appears to be another step in edging out its rivals.

WARNING: We advice you to be a little careful while carrying an iPod on an airplane as it can cause unwanted trouble to you and other fellow passengers as was in this case.