The Rise of Podcasts as Business Education Infographic

Smartphones have the power to make us smarter with a little help from podcasts. From cooking to political science, marketing to sports, podcasts are a new form of “continuing education" making it possible to “audit a class” in any subject just by listening on the go. The Rise of Podcasts as Business Education Infographic shows why podcasts are on the rise.

History of Portable Business Education

Newspapers
Radio
Books
Cassettes
CDs
iPod
Blue Tooth
Smartphone
Tablets

These modes of learning posed various challenges:

You can’t read while you’re doing other things such as exercising, cleaning or driving.
Radio isn’t on demand, so options are limited to whatever is being broadcasted/discussed when you tune it.

3 Benefits of Podcasts

You can listen on demand 24-7.
You can customize content by selecting shows, episodes and topics relevant to your interests.
They’re portable and free.

Podcasts Then and Now

Podcasts began as an outgrowth of the Apple iPod, as a tool to bring original programming to the once hugely popular MP3 device. But it was cumbersome to get the shows. Most were housed at the iTunes Music Store and you had to download the show to your computer, plug in your iPod, then transfer it.

Technologies that have improved the podcast experience

Tuneln Radio, SoundCloud, Stitcher and iHeartRadio gave podcasts an entirely new audience.
Bluetooth connections now coming standard in many cars make it possible to play audio from a smartphone directly through car speakers without having to plug in.
Wifi/broadband
Apple podcast app in 2012
Tools for broadcasting

Most popular categories for podcasts are news, politics and sports.