IGN’s History of the iPod
March 17, 2010 – There’s no question that Apple’s iPod is the dominant force in the mp3 player market. Like Nintendo was for videogames in the late ’80s, the word “iPod” is synonymous with mp3 player for the average American. with numerous models and countless revisions over the past nine years, the iPod shows no signs of loosening its grip on the market just yet.
In this retrospective feature, we attempt to make sense of all the iPods and place them in a concise timeline. From the original iPod in 2001 to the debut of new models like the iPod Mini and iPod Nano to the most recent releases last fall, we break down the history of the iPod from start to finish. looking back, it’s amazing to see how much the mp3 player industry has progressed in such a short time.
iPod 1st Gen
Release Date: 10/23/2001
Storage: 5 & 10 GB
Battery Life: 10 hours
Notable Features: Mechanical scroll wheel, FireWire connection, Mac only
In 2001, the mp3 player market was still in its infancy. Most users were making do with large, clunky devices that offered a mere 32 or 64 megabytes of storage. Apple debuted the iPod as one of the first devices to offer a full-fledged hard drive for storage. though no more pocket friendly than other devices of the time, the iPod did allow users to store large chunks of their music collections at once. the familiar scroll wheel controls were present, though unlike most later models the scroll wheel was mechanical rather than tactile. the iPod originally offered 5 gigabytes of storage, and a 10 GB model was added later.
Surprising though it may seem today, the first iPod was not Windows-compatible and operated only via FireWire cable. Apple updated its fledgling iTunes software to support both Mac OSX and the iPod with version 2.1.
iPod 2nd Gen
Release Date: 7/17/2002
Storage: 10 & 20 GB
Battery Life: 10 hours
Notable Features: Tactile scroll wheel, limited Windows compatibility
The iPod was revised less than a year after its original release with several noteworthy improvements. First and foremost, the mechanical scroll wheel was replaced by a tactile wheel. also added was limited support for Windows. Windows users could purchase the iPod with a 4-pin to 6-pin FireWire adapter. instead of iTunes, the iPod synced to Windows PCs via Musicmatch Jukebox.
Several other cosmetic and internal upgrades were made. the maximum storage was doubled to 20 gigabytes. the body of the iPod took on a slightly smoother and more rounded appearance, and Apple made small but important modifications to the FireWire port and the hold switch.
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Tags: break down, countless revisions, infancy, nintendo, signs
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