Michigan Lawmakers Abandon iPod Plans

A much talked-about proposal by Democratic legislators in Michigan to buy a new iPod for every public school student in the state has been dropped.

The decision was made after the controversy over the idea threatened to overshadow upcoming budget negotiations- including revelations that the lawmakers may have flown to the West Coast on Apple’s dime, the AP reported Friday.

The Democratic legislators, who will pursue a budget without including the iPod proposal, now say comments by one lawmaker last week were “misconstrued,” and the proposal was actually to “promote the use of technology generally” rather than purchase mp3 players, a legislative leader told the Detroit Free Press. However, a Detroit News editorial published Monday said that those comments consisted of a lawmaker literally holding up an iPod at a press conference and stating that “we want this in the hands of every student in the state of Michigan.”