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227Today, every man and his dog has a podcast %u2013 and look, perhaps some of them shouldn%u2019t, but we can%u2019t blame R%u00f8de for that.In 2005, Apple added podcasts to iTunes, making them downloadable and paving the way for major shows like%u00a0 This American Life, which debuted in 2006. By 2007, Ricky Gervais had the most popular podcast in the world with 8 million downloads, a record at the time.Peter Freedman, owner and founder of R%u00f8de, recognised the potential of this emerging industry. R%u00f8de, an Australian electronics company, was expanding its international presence with highly regarded microphones for musicians. Freedman had a hunch that podcasting would explode %u2013 and, more importantly, that it would become a medium for everyday people to create content. In 2004, R%u00f8de had introduced the world%u2019s first compact on-camera microphone, which helped foster the rise of vlogging and YouTube content creators. Developing a microphone for podcasters seemed like a natural progression.The R%u00f8de Podcaster was released in 2006 and won the Australian International Design Award the following year. It was a true pioneer, well ahead of the curve, but sales dramatically increased as podcasting became more mainstream. The Australian-designed and -manufactured unit was imitated by rival companies worldwide.Today, every man and his dog has a podcast %u2013 and look, perhaps some of them shouldn%u2019t, but we can%u2019t blame R%u00f8de for that. Throughout this book, we%u2019ve explored everyday items, designed and manufactured in Australia, that have shaped our lives. This raises the question: what are the future classics? Where is the proof that we still have ingenuity deep in our DNA? Perhaps the Podcaster is the answer.YEAR 2006DESIGNER R%u00f8de Design TeamMANUFACTURER R%u00f8de