ipod

Originally unveiled by Apple supremo Steve Jobs on 23 October 2001 – with the iconic pitch of putting “1,000 songs in your pocket” – the iPod went on to sell an estimated 450 million units over a historic 21-year lifespan before being officially discontinued on 10 May 2022.

The success of the hardware (combined with the launch of the iTunes Music Store in 2003) rescued Apple financially and laid the technological foundation that subsequently allowed Apple to create the iPhone.

When the original iPod launched in late 2001 – priced at $399 USD –  it completely eclipsed existing MP3 players by marrying high-capacity storage with extreme ease of use.

It housed a 5 GB hard drive in a sleek, 6.5-ounce enclosure featuring a white plastic front and a polished stainless steel back.

The innovative ‘click wheel’ allowed users to scroll through thousands of songs effortlessly with one thumb.

Apple eventually diversified the iPod into four product families:

• iPod Classic (2001) – The heavy-duty flagship which peaked at a massive 160 GB capacity before its retirement in 2014.
• iPod Mini/Nano (2004/2005) – Incredibly thin devices which introduced colour screens and shockproof playback.
• iPod Shuffle (2005) –  A screenless, ultra-portable, clip-on player designed for fitness, which played songs in random order.
• iPod Touch (2007) – The “iPhone without the phone” brought iOS, web browsing, the App Store, and Multi-Touch to a broader audience.

Ironically, the iPod’s demise was caused by Apple itself.

When the iPhone was introduced in 2007, Steve Jobs famously pitched it as a three-in-one device – a revolutionary mobile phone, a breakthrough internet communicator, and “a widescreen iPod”.

As smartphones became ubiquitous and subscription streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music replaced downloaded MP3s, the need for a dedicated music player evaporated.

Apple systematically phased out the Classic in 2014, the Nano and Shuffle in 2017, and finally retired the 7th-generation iPod Touch in May 2022, officially bringing the iPod era to a close.