10 years ago Apple introduced a revolutionary MP3 player-the iPod. It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years and yet in some respects, hard to believe it’s ONLY been 10 years. The iPod saved Apple from near irrelevance, as well as set an industry standard for others to try to best, or at least jump into a perpetual catch-up game. In fact, the iPod prompted Apple to change its name from “Apple Computer, Inc.” to just “Apple Inc.” It has been a decade of evolution for the iPod, starting with the original and morphing into the latest iPod Touch. It has permeated all aspects of our society and can be seen attached to joggers, workers commuting on the train, airplane passengers and in many homes attached to speaker systems.
The first iPod was introduced October 23, 2001. It only supported the Mac computers as well as AAC, MP3 and WAV audio files. It was powered by a dual-core 90MHz ARM-based PortalPlayer processor and 5GB 4200RPM Toshiba HDD. By 2003, it had a 40 GB storage.
The iPod Mini was introduced in January 2004. It was first to have Apple’s Click-Wheel, and sold for $249. The Mini never did take off, as it only offered 4GB of storage and you could get the $15GB iPod for $299, only $50 more. Other than the size, the Mini fell short of capturing the market.
In July 2004 Apple introduced the Apple iPod Photo ($499-$599), which had improved battery life and a color screen. It supported the common image formats. By June 2005, Apple decided to merge the iPod Photo and iPod “Classic” lines.
The first iPod Shuffle emerged in January 2005, followed by the 2nd generation in September 2006. Pricing was originally set at $99-$149. It had no display and only 512MB or 1GB of storage. The 2nd generation came out a year later with double the storage capacity and a belt clip. The iPod Nano was introduced a short time later with only 4GB storage and a 14-hour battery life. Its 2nd generation gave us a new version which offered a scratch-resistant anodized aluminum casing, more color choices, a brighter display, double the storage size and a huge boost in battery life from 14 to 24 hours.
Today’s iPod Touch is 4th generation. It offers 8, 32, or 64GB storage, and represents Apple’s finest offering to date with a high-res “Retina” display, Apple’s A4 SoC, as well as front and rear cameras for FaceTime and video recording. With all the new Smartphones, especially the iPhone, sales for the iPod have dropped considerably. After all, why buy an iPod when you can have everything, including a phone, in the iPhone?
Do you own an iPod? Which iPod? Do you still use it or are you favoring your iPhone? If you have an iPod or an iPhone, you can pick up an Emergency Portable Charger for when the power goes out, or you are hiking or camping where there is no electricity.
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