Apple’s first iPod is celebrating its 23rd birthday, and I thought it was high time to take a closer look at a piece of tech that served as a sign of things to come. There is quite a bit of internal politicking and history that led up to Apple releasing its first truly successful non-computer device. So, rather than waffle about, let’s dive right into the history of this intriguing device.
The First iPod
Launching originally in 2001, the very first iPod from computing pioneers Apple was something of a mystery on the market. At the time, MP3 players were inexpensive, meant more as portable alternatives to Discman and the failing Minidisc.
Apple’s iPod launched at a retail price of $399, extremely expensive for its time, and quite an expenditure still. However, it had a killer feature set to consider. You had a small screen that read off all the metadata of your songs, an innovative and intuitive user interface, and 5 GB of internal storage.
There was a catch, however, it was for Macs only. Macs were still very much a luxury item, and you needed a Firewire cable to even sync your files to your newly purchased iPod. The seeds of success were being sown.
iPod for Windows
A year later, in 2002, iPod for Windows launched. This portable music player took away the need for Macs to sync your files and allow for the use of the far more prevalent Windows operating system to sync your files. Internal storage got upped, increasing from 5 GB to 20 GB.
Pricing remained quite expensive, but it proved to be a smash success. Keep in mind this is coming off the heels of decades of failed entries into the market. The Apple Newton was innovative for its time, but was far too early to market to make a splash.
However, in the early 2000s, MP3s were all the rage. This was the era of Napster and Limewire. People were clamoring for a better alternative to the likes of a portable CD player to take their music on the go. Spotify and Pandora were nowhere to be found.
Continued Success
The intervening years saw the iPod continue to absorb the market share of MP3 players. It got to the point where portable music players began trying to ape the feature set and user experience of the iPod. Apple took note of this with subsequent models and other devices began integrating the iPod experience into its overall functionality.
By 2007, the first iPhone was launched heralding a shift in the technological paradigm. The iPod Classic remained on the market, but users were seeking out devices like the incoming iPod Touch. The iPod Touch was something of a phenom on its own, remaining on the market in multiple iterations until 2021.
Conclusion
The first iPod is something that pulled Apple’s fat out of the fryer. You can argue its success and its derivative devices like the iPhone are what have led to Apple’s current cultural footprint. Sure, it’s a mark of a luxury item, but they were second to none when it came to the user experience.
While the iPod is long gone now, it has left a lasting impact on the technological landscape.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©marleyPug/Shutterstock.com.