The iPod start life modestly , getting trotted out before the press in a small theater at Apple ’s military headquarters . These days , it ’s a major attraction , drawing hundreds of reporters to a media event last calendar month in San Francisco that featured appearances by the CEO of Disney and R&B Isaac Merrit Singer John Legend . Here ’s what happened in between to make the iPod the rock superstar it is today .
2001
October : At a press - only event at Apple ’s Cupertino , Calif. , campus , Apple unveils the iPod , a 5 GB operose - effort - based medicine player that will sell for $ 399 . “ To have your whole CD library with you at all time is a quantum leap when it come to music , ” Steve Jobs tell the imperativeness . “ you’re able to fit your whole music subroutine library in your pocket . ”
November : The iPod officially hits retail shelf on November 10 .
December : Between the iPod ’s November 10 release date and December 31 , Apple betray 125,000 iPod .
The above chart lists each major iPod introduction, including the capacity and size of the iPod at the time Apple released each generation. Many of the above models received updates—typically, increased capacity or price changes; those updates are not included for the sake of brevity.
2002
January : The first - generation iPod gets a - rating fromMacworldwinning kudos for its mellow mental ability , immobile carry-over speeds , and iTunes integrating , but getting criticise for its price as well as the lack of a grammatical case or strap .
February : Testifying before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee , Disney CEO Michael Eisner says Apple ’s “ Rip , Mix , tan ” ads promoting its digital hub construct suggest “ that [ you ] can create a larceny if you corrupt this computer . ” Steve Jobs counters in theWall Street Journal : “ If you legally acquire music , you need to have the right hand to manage it on all other gadget that you own . ”
March : Apple adds a second iPod to its offerings — a 10 GB model priced at $ 499 . In addition , Apple makes free software uncommitted for download and storing name and speech on the iPod ; the company also infix a custom - orderliness laser etching service that let user inscribe two assembly line of text with up to 27 characters per telephone circuit on the back of the iPod for $ 49 .
July : Apple roll out out a new generation of iPods , topping out at 20 GB in capacity . More important , instead of a curl wheel , the 10 GB and 20 GB models sport a touch wheel and a door for protect the iPod ’s FireWire larboard . A software program update rent the music player machinate songs by literary genre or composer in addition to title , album , or playlist . The price of the 5 GB iPod falls below $ 300 .
August : iPods become available to Windows users for the first time .
2003
Jan : During his Macworld Expo keynote , Jobs notes that Apple has sell more than 600,000 iPods in the 14 months since its launch .
April : Malus pumila introduces the iTunes Music Store ; the online euphony service debuts with more than 200,000 songs usable for download . Sung downloaded from iTunes can play on an limitless number of iPods .
Also in April , the iPod ’s user interface total a solid - state scroll wheel with four buttons — rewind , bill of fare , play / pause , and fast - forward — on top . interchange the FireWire larboard is a thin connector that let the equipment hook up to a Mac or PC with either FireWire or USB 2.0 .
September : Apple ups mental ability on the iPod line , offer up 10 GB ( $ 299 ) , 20 GB ( $ 399 ) and 40 GB ( $ 499 ) .
software program developer Dave Winer creates an RSS - with - natural enclosure feed that can be used to circularize audio content . This will eventually grow into a phenomenon that , by 2004 , becomes commonly cognise as “ podcast . ”
October : Windows users get the opportunity to fill up their iPod with 99 - penny downloads , as the iTunes Music Store drop dead cross - platform .
The iPod 2.1 package update add together the power to store interpreter recordings and digital exposure with the help of add - ons made by Belkin .
2004
January : Apple expands the iPod line with a new slimmed - down — and colourful — offering : the iPod mini . Half - an - inch thin and about the size of a business carte , the mini comes in gold , blasphemous , pink , and green anodized atomic number 13 . The 4 GB role player sells for $ 249 .
During the same tonic as the mini ’s unveiling , Apple raises the capacity on the $ 299 iPod to 15 G . Jobs herald that Apple trade 730,000 iPods between October and December , pushing total iPod sales past the 2 million mark .
HP and Apple denote that HP will betray HP - brand iPods add by Apple .
June : Apple ’s iTunes Store expands abroad , porta in the U.K. , France , and Germany . By year ’s end , Austria , Belgium , Finland , Greece , Italy , Luxembourg , The Netherlands , Portugal , Spain , and Canada will have iTunes Music Stores of their own .
July : A new generation of iPod incorporates the Click Wheel interface introduce six months earlier with the iPod miniskirt . A 20 GB model sell for $ 299 while a 40 GB iPod is usable for $ 399 .
September : HP releases its iPod offer , which are selfsame to Apple ’s 20 G and 40 GB fourth - multiplication iPods — except for the HP logotype on the back .
October : Apple introduces the color - CRT screen iPod photo . useable in 40 and 60 GB capacities , the machine plays medicine as well as displays photos on a 220 - by-176 - pixel resoluteness sieve . At that same launching event , Steve Jobs is conjoin by Bono and The Edge to introduce the 20 GB iPod U2 Special Edition . Featuring a inglorious case and red Click Wheel , the $ 349 iPod include a $ 50 discount on a digital box band of all U2 ’s albums as well as rare and unreleased tracks .
November : Sim Wong Hoo , chairman and CEO of MP3 instrumentalist manufacturer Creative Technology , declares “ war ” on the iPod .
December : During the holiday quarter , Apple sells more than 4.5 million iPods , a 500 percent jump from the same period in 2004 . Apple ’s total iPod sales go up past 10 million , with 8.2 million units sold in 2004 alone .
2005
January : Apple get into the flash - based medicine player business sector , introducing the iPod shamble . About the size of a stick of glue , the shambling comes in 512 MB ( $ 99 ) and 1 GB ( $ 149 ) capacity .
At Macworld Expo , Apple announces that Mercedes Benz , Nissan , Volvo , and Scion will introduce iPod adapters for their mill - installed stereos in 2005 .
February : The miniskirt becomesavailable in 4 GB and 6 GB capacity . A30 GB iPod photo put back Apple ’s 40 GB offering . price fall to $ 349 for the 30 GB model and $ 449 for the 60 GB one . On the full - size of it iPod front , Apple drops the 40 GB role model and cuts the price of the 20 GB iPod to $ 249 .
Napster launches its subscription - found Napster To Go service during the Super Bowl with an advertising blast the per - download pricing model Apple utilise for its iTunes Store .
June : TheiPod and iPod pic lines are mergedinto the iPod ( coloring material ) , ending the availability of monochrome - screen music players . The unexampled iPod is usable in 20 GB ( $ 299 ) and 60 GB ( $ 399 ) sizes . Also , Apple cut the price of the 1 GB shamble to $ 129 .
iTunes 4.9adds download and subscription reinforcement for podcasts within the iTunes Music Store , as well as feature article for managing podcasts and moving them on and off iPods .
July : Creative Technology warns its investor to expect a quarterly operating loss because of soft - than - expected sales of its MP3 player . Meanwhile , HP announces it will halt betray its brand iPods in September .
August : Creative wins a letters patent for how files on digital music players are organized thatit call cove not only its own Zen and Nomad jukebox but also iPod .
September : Despite the popularity of the iPod mini , Apple replaces the miniature player with an even smaller machine — the iPod nano . Available in glistening black or white , the nano boast a color showing and a Lady Jane Grey Click Wheel . The 2 GB and 4 GB nanos sell for $ 199 and $ 249 , severally .
At the same consequence , Apple annunciate the first iTunes - compatible cellphone speech sound , Motorola ’s Rokr . It will quickly become shadow by the nano .
October : Apple addsvideo playback capabilities to the iPod strain . The 5th - generation iPod plays TV on a 2.5 - inch , 320 - by-240 , 260,000 color TFT exhibit . It come in 30 GB ( $ 299 ) and 60 GB ( $ 399 ) sizes . To coincide with the launching of the video iPod , Apple releasesan updated variation of iTunesthat includes video playback . Disney becomes the first party to start offering television programs for sale at the iTunes Music Store , with installment from four telecasting shows priced at $ 1.99 each .
2006
Jan : During his Macworld Expo tonic , Jobs notes that Apple has sold 42 million iPods since the gadget launched in 2001 . Also , consumers have bribe 850 one thousand thousand Sung dynasty through the iTunes Music Store . Eight million videos have been sold and download since that servicing was added in the fall .
February : Apple adds a third offering to its iPod nano line — a $ 149 1 GB model . Also , the fellowship slew prices on its 512 Bachelor of Medicine and 1 GB shuffles to $ 69 and $ 99 , respectively .
May : Creative and Appletrade lawsuits , with each fellowship aver that the other has infringed upon its patent of invention .
August : Apple tally to pay Creative $ 100 millionto dissolve the legal contravention between the two ship’s company . Creative accord to begin making iPod accessory this year .
September : Apple modernise its entire iPod intersection line . Thesecond - generation shufflecomes in only one capacitance in a clip - on vitrine that ’s roughly half the size of its predecessor . Thesecond - coevals nanosare available in 2 GB , 4 GB , and 8 GB capacity — because of their new scratch - resistant shell , they come in a multifariousness of colors . And thevideo - open iPod sees some changes as well , namely a brighter screen , longer battery life , and other enhancements . The freshly renamed iTunes Store begin offer characteristic - length movie for download .
The iPod face what could be its most serious challenge yet , as Microsoft prepare its Zune media instrumentalist for a November launch .
October : The iPod line of reasoning gravel another new color , asApple unveils a scarlet 4 GB nano , as part of the Project Red initiative for raising money to combat AIDS in Africa .
Major iPod Introductions
The above chart lists each major iPod introduction , include the capacity and size of the iPod at the time Apple released each propagation . Many of the above poser receive updates — typically , increased capacity or price changes ; those updates are not included for the sake of briefness .
