The iPod is now 20 and we want to remind you once more of the evolutionary stages this device went through after Steve Jobs originally advertised it with the slogan “1,000 songs in your pocket”. Later, the iPod stored significantly more songs.
The iPod has an interesting history. When Jon Rubinstein showed Steve Jobs the 1.8 inch hard drive in 2001 and presented the idea of a portable music player, he got the green light. The iPod initially only had a 5 GB hard drive and a movable scroll wheel and display for control purposes.
In 2002 the second model with a 10 GB hard drive came onto the market. In the summer of that year, the second generation was presented, which was available with 10 and 20 GB hard drives. For the first time, there was a remote control in the headphone cable. The scroll wheel no longer turned mechanically, but was touch-sensitive. For the first time there was a Mac and a Windows function.
In 2003 the 3rd generation appeared with a further developed design, a dock connector and a USB port. In addition, the iPod no longer ran for 10, but only for 8 hours. The capacities were 20 and 40 GB.
In 2004 the iPod mini appeared with Touchweel and in several colors. In the same year, the fourth generation of the normal iPod appeared with a runtime of 12 hours. After that, the iPod photo was announced, which featured a color screen and ran for 15 hours. Slide shows could be played on the display, which, however, drastically reduced the running time.
In 2005, the display-less iPod shuffle came with 512 MB and 1 GB of storage space – and the hard drive was a thing of the past. In return, the devices ran for 18 hours, but the playback strategy was a bit confused. Either a set order was played or the playback was random.
In addition, the iPod mini appeared with 4 or 6 GB and a battery life of 18 hours. The iPod received a color screen memory of 20 and 60 GByte. At the end of the year, the iPod nano appeared with 2 and 4 GB flash memory. The new, fifth iPod generation could play videos and was available with 30 and 60 GB.
In 2006, the second generation of the iPod nano appeared and the look of the iPod shuffle was redesigned. The classic iPod was given a 30 and an 80 GB hard drive. In addition, a special version of the iPod nano with a shoe clip was presented and step counting was implemented.
In 2007, a new iPod shuffle and an iPod nano with video playback function appeared alongside the iPhone. The previous iPod was renamed iPod Classic and equipped with 80 and 160 GB. The iPod touch also appeared this year with a similar size to the iPhone, but with a significantly lower price and a flatter case.
In 2008 the iPod touch got a storage capacity of 32 GB. The fourth generation iPod nano and the second generation iPod touch were also presented. The iPod classic was only sold with 120 GB.
In 2009, Apple introduced the third generation iPod shuffle, which could be controlled via the headphone remote control. In 2010, a new iPod nano and fourth-generation iPod touch came out with cameras on the front and back. Facetime could also be used in this way. The iPod shuffle was introduced in a flatter case.
In 2010 the iPod nano 6G appeared with a new user interface and new sports functions. In 2012, a new iPod touch with a larger display was released, while the iPod nano received a larger display. IPod classic was discontinued in 2014, and iPod shuffle and iPod nano were discontinued in 2017.
Apple continues to sell the last remaining iPod. It’s the iPod touch.
Tell your story
The iPod is 20 years old – did you have one? Tell from your memories!