Apple expects 6.25 cm-screen TVs to become widespread

Apple hopes its new iPod will bring telly-on-the-go to a mass market. But 20 years ago portable televisions failed to capture the imagination, so what's changed? In a society constantly on the move, books, newspapers and music are a constant companion for people keen to wile away the time spent in transit. But television?

Apple hopes its new iPod, which is yet to be launched in the UK, will ignite a new enthusiasm for telly-on-the-go.

As well as having all the usual music functions, a small 2.5-inch (6.25 cm)screen will show music videos downloaded from iTunes and TV shows like Desperate Housewives, at a cost of $1.99 each.

Clive Sinclair tried and failed in the early 1980s, then Casio and Sony launched portable televisions which they hoped would revolutionise viewing but never really took off, despite an initial fad, according to BBC.

And plenty of gadgets since then have tried to persuade people that television-viewing need not be restricted to their home.

What's different with Apple is that people can now legally download content, says Tom Dunmore, editor of Stuff magazine. And while rivals like Sony's Playstation Portable focus on movies, Apple is concerned with shorter content.

"Apple realise that TV programmes and music videos are more suitable for watching on the move than films," he says. "We don't necessarily want to watch a small screen for two hours and for some it makes them nauseous."

T.E.