History of the iPod

Released in October 2001, from Apple's digital hub strategy, when the company began creating software for the growing market of digital devices being purchased by consumers.

Original iPod (1st generation)

The original Apple iPod (Scroll Wheel) came with a body of white Lucite and chrome. It broke new ground in the portable MP3 player market by combining a small hard drive, a unique "Scroll Wheel" controller for easy one handed operation, a simple, easy-to-use operating system designed for mobile devices, and slick Mac software, iTunes that made it easy to manage one's music collection between the Mac and the iPod.

The original iPod features a 5 GB hard drive, capable of holding 1000 songs in 160-Kbps MP3 format (or 2000 on the 10 GB drive), a high output amplifier (60-mW), a FireWire port, and a standard 3.5-mm headphone jack in an ultrasleek "iBook white" and stainless steel case with a 2-inch white backlit LCD display. A 10 GB option became available after March 21, 2002.

2nd and 3rd Generation iPod's - Introducing the touch wheel

The Apple iPod (Second Generation - Touch Wheel) models are similar to the original iPod, but include larger capacity hard drives, replace the "scroll wheel" (that physically turned) with a "touch sensitive scroll wheel" said to be more durable, add a cover to the Firewire port, have a hold switch encased in "clear" plastic rather than white, and include a wired remote control, thinner Firewire cable, and a carrying case.

The third generation iPod featured a 15 GB, 20 GB, or 40 GB hard drive capable of supporting "up to" 3700, 5000, or 10,000 songs, respectively and a 2-inch (diagonal) [monochrome] LCD display with blue-white LED backlight" housed in a case with an "iBook white" front and a stainless steel back. The 3rd generation iPod made several hardware improvements compared to the earlier models, including a thinner, lighter, and slightly more rounded enclosure, a "dock" for quick-and-easy connection to a computer and audio out for connection to a stereo or powered speakers. The now backlit solid-state buttons were moved from around the touch wheel to above the wheel, which some users liked and others hated.

The iPod Mini

Two years later Apple released the iPod Mini, approximately one-third the size of the original iPod and encased in a variety of shiny metallic colors. It was announced on January 6, 2004, and released on February 20 of the same year; a second-generation version was announced on February 23, 2005.

The iPod Shuffle

The smallest member of the iPod family, the Shuffle, reduced the size down to that of a package of stick gum and looked very much like the original. All iPod's came with distinctive white headphones.