The Story of the iPod

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)

Wired pieces together (http://www.wired.com/news/columns/cultofmac/0,71956-0.html?tw=rss.index) the history of how the iPod came to be.

After licensing SoundJam, which was developed into iTunes, Wired reports that Apple started looking into gadget opportunities, but found that digital cameras and camcorders were pretty well designed and sold well in the marketplace. Music players at the time were a different story.

After Jon Rubenstein was shown prototype of a new 1.8" Toshiba hard drive, the pieces started to come together. As is well known, Apple looked to Pixo for the basic software, but it was Phil Schiller who suggested the use of a scroll wheel interface.

Schiller also suggested that menus should scroll faster the longer the wheel is turned, a stroke of genius that distinguishes the iPod from the agony of competing players.


The article details the contributions of other groups in Apple as well as the origin of the name, which was originally intended to be used for an internet kiosk. The iPod was introduced October 23, 2001 (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2001/10/20011023140537.shtml), almost 5 years ago, and while initial reactions were mixed (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=500), its acceptance and sales growth (http://guides.macrumors.com/Image:IPods_Sold.png) have been remarkable.

[Jovian9]

Ahh yes. I remember when these were first introduced. I had alot of "tech lust" to say the least. It took me awhile to finally get one (my wife bought it as a gift) but it has been well worth it.
I no longer have 2 or 3 huge books of cd's that I carry around from car to home to other car.
I used to listen to lots and lots of music, but I didn't listen to music as much as I do now and with as much variety.
Thanks for the iPod Apple!

[UberMac]

I still love reading those comments after the launch of the iPod...look where it is now! Interesting that Phil came up with one of the best ideas - I always think of marketeers as people who sell, not think :P :o

Uber

[MacsRgr8]

Nice to know Schiller was of significant importance as to why the iPod is so great.
I must admit I don't see Schiller as "one of those visionaires". But the scrollwheel coming form him is encouraging!

[Chimera]

Already read this through iLounge and it is very interesting, however it seems that every anniversary of the iPod we get a new summary of its creation with each being slightly different.

i.e. Haven't we been told before that Fadell meant to have come to Apple with the idea and some sort of preliminary mockup?

[thejadedmonkey]

Schiller.. I always assumed it was Woz who did the wheel.

[Xeem]

I love the link to the iPod's initial "mixed" reaction thread on these forums. It wasn't really mixed, so much as it was bashing and predictions of failure. Hilarious.

[~Shard~]

Yep, it's a great little story! I got into the whole iPod universe long before the masses, and currently my 3G is still meeting my needs. Sometimes people look at it and ask what kind of iPod it is since they assume the iPod always looked like how it currently does. :p ;)

And this also brings back great memories of the infamous Thread 500 (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=500). Ah, good times... :cool:

[Lord Blackadder]

Yeah, that original Macrumors iPod thread is a good example of why we don't make millions of dollars designing new products...some staggeringly wrong predictions there. Imagine wanting another Newton over the iPod. :eek:

[MacsRgr8]

I love the link to the iPod's initial "mixed" reaction thread on these forums. It wasn't really mixed, so much as it was bashing and predictions of failure. Hilarious.

Gotta love the rating too!!

[CTYankee]

those comments back in 2001 crack me up!

Whats really interesting is how people were crying for a PDA...look at the PDA market now. Palm and HP. Handspring, gone. Sony, gone. The Smartphone is the new PDA. Seems Apple nailed the market. A high quality portable music device, not another PDA that will fade away in 5 years. So now that smartphones are the future of PDA's, Apple plans to release one (maybe). Doing this they seem to have avoided the PDA bubble bursting, and get into a more stable market with the credibility of the iPod and the new momentum of the Mac market.

[JONNYCHO]

I had one of the first mp3 players a while back (forgot the name) but it really sucked, it only held about 8 songs and it was still the size of a ipod mini. Apple then blew that away about a year later with the original ipod. Oh yeah and the old mp3 player was $150 :(

[york2600]

I had forgotten all about SoundJam. I used in with my Rio500 (total crap). I remember being really mad when Apple nabbed it since I had paid for it. In the long run it was totally worth it though. SoundJam would never have become a 1/10th of what iTunes is now.

[bigandy]

Schiller.. I always assumed it was Woz who did the wheel.

Woz wasn't around in Apple at the time, was he?

[Zadillo]

Yeah, that original Macrumors iPod thread is a good example of why we don't make millions of dollars designing new products...some staggeringly wrong predictions there. Imagine wanting another Newton over the iPod. :eek:

Indeed. And seriously, I was and am a huge a Newton fan, and I would have probably loved to see Apple release an updated newton (or even a new PDA using some of the Newton technology), but I have to be realistic and realize that the demand for PDA's just isn't that strong... at best Apple would be facing an uphill battle in a world of Symbian, Palm OS and Windows Mobile devices, not to mention the smartphone world taking over PDA's.

Imagine where Apple would be if they'd released a new PDA instead of the iPod.

[mazola]

Imagine where Apple would be if they'd released a new PDA instead of the iPod.

Beleaguered?

[Marx55]

SoundJam had an ESSENTIAL feature that is MISSING on iTunes on the Mac: RESUME playback. This is useful to listen long playlists from head to tail.

[schatten]

*sigh*
If only I had the forethought to buy AAPL stock back when the iPod was announced.

[Doctor Q]

Great just what the world needs, another freaking MP3 player.The Reality Distiortion Field™ is starting to warp Steve's mind if he thinks for one second that this thing is gonna take off.Words that will live in infamy.

[spicyapple]

No wireless. Less space than a Nomad. Lame. :)

[mambodancer]

Hmmm, makes me wonder if the 5th anniversary of the iPod wouldn't be a great day to introduce the next generation iPod?

BTW my 1st gen iPod is still going strong:)

[Lord Blackadder]

Imagine where Apple would be if they'd released a new PDA instead of the iPod.

When the Newton MessagePad 2000 came out, I wanted one BAD. I still think they are way cool. But Apple was right to dump the Newtons and go with the iPod.

[Chris Bangle]

Hmmm, makes me wonder if the 5th anniversary of the iPod wouldn't be a great day to introduce the next generation iPod?

BTW my 1st gen iPod is still going strong:)


It would be logical to... 5 years, 6 generations, 30 years of computing experience....

[mcarnes]

The sad thing is, this kind of reaction seems to happen after every keynote.

[twoodcc]

the ipod has a remarkable story. great job apple!

[quigleybc]

Just having so many songs in my pocket has changed how I listen and think about music completely.

Same with iTunes.

Thanks Apple for changing my music listening life. :D

[lmalave]

I love the link to the iPod's initial "mixed" reaction thread on these forums. It wasn't really mixed, so much as it was bashing and predictions of failure. Hilarious.

Haha, some people had a clue though. Best post from that thread:

"Oh...my...god. I can only shake my head and smile in amazement at you people. What a bunch of doom and gloom cynic crybaby beeotches. Am i in a mac forum? I had to check about a hundred times. The ipod is sick. Do you all think it is so easy to come up with a product that simply is better than the rest? All you friggin brats want some fire breathing super virtual reality teleportation PDA that you seen captain kirk had on episode 145? sheesh...this mp3 player is a hundred times better than every mp3 player out there. period. the price is a bit high just because its a new product. they need the cash to keep you crybaby closet MS lovers happy with new products (they are in the business to make money ya know?) You all blame apple for the hype? its your own damn fault you think they are coming out with a time travel device or some ****. i dont know why i bother reading this crap sometimes. i wish we could filter out all the fools that do nothing but moan and groan about everything in front of their faces. everything...not just apple computers new products. your just bitches."

[MacsRgr8]

He had it spot on!!!

:cool:

[gugy]

Good job Phil.
The click wheel is remarkable. That's why sometimes I am a little scared of the virtual wheel that some people say will come with the true widescreen video iPod.
The physical wheel is the way to go IMHO.

I always believed on the iPod. I bought it few days after launched I still have that first generation one. I want a new one, but I am still waiting for the widescreen one. So far none of the other generations iPod were such a departure from the original one. I need a large drive that's why I never considered the Nano(very cool by the way).

[OdduWon]

Haha, some people had a clue though. Best post from that thread:

"Oh...my...god. I can only shake my head and smile in amazement at you people. What a bunch of doom and gloom cynic crybaby beeotches. Am i in a mac forum? I had to check about a hundred times. The ipod is sick. Do you all think it is so easy to come up with a product that simply is better than the rest? All you friggin brats want some fire breathing super virtual reality teleportation PDA that you seen captain kirk had on episode 145? sheesh...this mp3 player is a hundred times better than every mp3 player out there. period. the price is a bit high just because its a new product. they need the cash to keep you crybaby closet MS lovers happy with new products (they are in the business to make money ya know?) You all blame apple for the hype? its your own damn fault you think they are coming out with a time travel device or some ****. i dont know why i bother reading this crap sometimes. i wish we could filter out all the fools that do nothing but moan and groan about everything in front of their faces. everything...not just apple computers new products. your just bitches."
true it is better than the rest. but my complaint is that i am to fast for my pod. if i pick a song hit center and scroll to 20 sec in it takes like 15 sec to start. this sux, i needed music when i hit the button not 15 sec later. we love our snappy new macs , so why not have the seed of ilife be snappy too? ipod is at a point where it's on top and are just waiting fore someone to challenge it so apple (ipod div) have something to do. like when you play teken tag and just wait fot the opponent to strike, then you grab ther punch and break their arm and wait for them to do it again :D

[lmalave]

those comments back in 2001 crack me up!

Whats really interesting is how people were crying for a PDA...look at the PDA market now. Palm and HP. Handspring, gone. Sony, gone. The Smartphone is the new PDA. Seems Apple nailed the market. A high quality portable music device, not another PDA that will fade away in 5 years. So now that smartphones are the future of PDA's, Apple plans to release one (maybe). Doing this they seem to have avoided the PDA bubble bursting, and get into a more stable market with the credibility of the iPod and the new momentum of the Mac market.

And even now I don't think PDA-type features will be key to the success of the iPhone. I think the iPhone will succeed or fail based on:

1) it provides as good a music playing experience as the iPod (except maybe 1/2 the battery life of the iPod or less)
2) it provides a good phone experience (not just good reception and call volume, but should also be good at sending/reading text messages since that's really a "core" mobile phone feature now).

If apple can nail the above two, I think they have a winner. The latest rumor is that apple will actually come out with *2* iPhones: a slim phone which will probably focus just on the 2 core competencies I list above, plus a "PDA" phone with integrated keyboard, which I assume will also include great iCal/Address Book integration and good email and web browser software.

Missing from the equation is how good a camera the iPhone will have. Since Apple already has experience integrating the tiny iSight cameras into the MacBooks, I predict Apple will do a pretty good job with that. Hopefully the "slim" phone will include at least 1.3 megapixel camera, and the 3 megapixel rumor probably appliest to the larger iPhone. It would be great if the larger phone includes a real flash (not just bright, annoying LED) the way the Sidekick does. If Apple comes out with both of those phones, it will be a tough call which one to buy.

[lmalave]

Good job Phil.
The click wheel is remarkable. That's why sometimes I am a little scared of the virtual wheel that some people say will come with the true widescreen video iPod.
The physical wheel is the way to go IMHO.

I always believed on the iPod. I bought it few days after launched I still have that first generation one. I want a new one, but I am still waiting for the widescreen one. So far none of the other generations iPod were such a departure from the original one. I need a large drive that's why I never considered the Nano(very cool by the way).

If you have a first generation then that is only 5 GB, whereas the newest nanos are already up to 8 GB. So why have you never considered a nano, again? :)

[Ja Di ksw]

...

If your biggest complaint about the iPod is the time it takes to change songs, the iPod is doing quite well. While cutting down on the time it takes to start up or scroll to a different point within a song would be an improvement, I would argue that there are more important things for the iPod division at Apple to focus on.

Oh, and are you thinking of DOA over Tekken Tag? DOA is more about counters than Tekken Tag.

[sushi]

Yep, it's a great little story! I got into the whole iPod universe long before the masses, and currently my 3G is still meeting my needs. Sometimes people look at it and ask what kind of iPod it is since they assume the iPod always looked like how it currently does. :p ;)
I love my 1G 10GB version with real wheel and buttons.

It is now been retired to my collector bin :D

A new iPod Nano 8GB is used in its place. :)

[OdduWon]

If your biggest complaint about the iPod is the time it takes to change songs, the iPod is doing quite well. While cutting down on the time it takes to start up or scroll to a different point within a song would be an improvement, I would argue that there are more important things for the iPod division at Apple to focus on.

Oh, and are you thinking of DOA over Tekken Tag? DOA is more about counters than Tekken Tag.

(edit) ooohh, original post go missing? kinda got deleted? some how maybe fell of a bridge? did it burn up in a PB G5 fire?fly away on an italk?transform into dots?huh? dots?

[alec]

God, what a great program. Didn't hog a lot of resources and easy to use! And, it could use dual processors back in the day.

[spicyapple]

I have the 2G 20GB iPod. The interface is really slow. You click on Genres (or any category) and it takes the iPod 2-3 seconds to go to the next menu item. This is especially true after syncing. iPod development in the early days seemed to be on the seats of their pants as they no doubt had to juggle the technical hurdles of providing reasonable performance / battery life / size / cost of manufacture.

[sushi]

those comments back in 2001 crack me up!
Yep. So much negativity back then.

Comments along the lines:
- Cost too much
- HD too small
- Only works with Macs
- FW only

And the proverbial, why would anybody want to carry that much music around with them.

So many friends told me that it was going to fail and take Apple with it.

Glad they were wrong and that Apple has continued to aggressively improve the iPod line.

[Flowbee]

The iPod made my music collection manageable again. When I bought my first one in 2002, I owned 400+ CDs. The trouble with having so many is that I could only carry a few at any given time, which meant that I would listen to the same CDs over and over while ignoring the rest of my collection. Having all my music with me on my iPod reacquainted me with music I hadn't listened to for years. It definitely rekindled my love affair with music.

[balamw]

Woz wasn't around in Apple at the time, was he?
In recent interviews for his book iWoz, Woz has repeatedly said that he remains on the paryoll and is still (officially) an employee, though he doesn't spend much time there if any. In fact he was already only peripheral to the Mac project in the early 80s.

Next week would be a great time to celebrate 30 years of Apple and 5 years of iPod. Though MWSF isn't that far away...

B

[prady16]

Interesting story.....but as it said, it is again just speculation (maybe partly true). Gotta wait for Steve's autobiography to know the true story! Or does his autobiography already exist?

[~Shard~]

I love my 1G 10GB version with real wheel and buttons.

It is now been retired to my collector bin :D

Who knows, maybe it will be worth something someday as a collector's item! :D :cool:

[gugy]

If you have a first generation then that is only 5 GB, whereas the newest nanos are already up to 8 GB. So why have you never considered a nano, again? :)


I have over 50gig of music. The Nano would not be enough. I like the 80 gig video ipod, but as for the ipod itself it's not a huge departure from the original one. I don't care of video that much yet. That's why I look forward to the widescreen.

Don't get me wrong I love the Nano. But since my original works just fine, I never had a compelling reason to update yet. I hope that changes with the widescreen.

[spicyapple]

I have over 50gig of music. The Nano would not be enough. I like the 80 gig video ipod...
Carrying your entire music collection with you is highly overrated. The only time it might be useful is if you got stuck on a deserted island, but had power. :)

[Deej]

I read the article which I found really interesting. I must admit that I was indifferent when the original iPod was launched, but that was before I'd converted completely to Apple and saw the error of my ways :D

I must admit that I *hated* iTunes to begin with too, but I couldn't be without it now!

[sushi]

The iPod made my music collection manageable again. When I bought my first one in 2002, I owned 400+ CDs. The trouble with having so many is that I could only carry a few at any given time, which meant that I would listen to the same CDs over and over while ignoring the rest of my collection. Having all my music with me on my iPod reacquainted me with music I hadn't listened to for years. It definitely rekindled my love affair with music.
I here ya. I was in a similar situation. I had a ton of CDs and no way to really manage them.

My solution was to make custom CDs with my favorite music. However, many times they would work in my car but not my friends or my home stereo. It was frustrating. Plus there still was no real flexibility. You basically had to play your CD then switch to another so you still ended up carrying a large number of CDs.

Now, everything is managed with iTunes and I can easily DL what I want to my iPod. It is so easy to pick any song, playlist, etc. Love it! :D

[gugy]

Carrying your entire music collection with you is highly overrated. The only time it might be useful is if you got stuck on a deserted island, but had power. :)

I agreed, but I do want to use it to carry work files, videos for my work and music and download photos from my digital camera on the road, etc.
Yes, it is a lot of things and that will fill that drive in no time.
But the basically thing I look into it is a large screen. I think that would be really nice. I hope it comes soon.

[sushi]

Who knows, maybe it will be worth something someday as a collector's item! :D :cool:
I wish! :D

[displaced]

Carrying your entire music collection with you is highly overrated. The only time it might be useful is if you got stuck on a deserted island, but had power. :)

Can't disagree more :)

I love the fact that the moment any of my tunes gets lodged in my head, I'm just a few spins and clicks away from hearing it. I might spend a few dozy minutes on my morning bus ride into work slapping together an on-the-go playlist that'll set me up for the day, nailing my mood perfectly. When I travel, there's no need to try to cherry-pick CDs based on what I think I might feel like listening to. It's all just there.

You'll have to pry my iPod from my cold, dead hands! :D

[gloss]

Words that will live in infamy.

That's brilliant. How many of those folks are still around, that we may remind them?

[sushi]

That's brilliant. How many of those folks are still around, that we may remind them?
Really!

And today we still hear some who say that Apple has no innovation in regards to the iPod -- That the iPod will die soon.

[nagromme]

Thread 500 forever lives in my bookmarks. It has taken its place in history. Google for:

thread 500

:D

I really wanted to like it. Really. But do the math:

20GB hard drive: $199 from APS tech.

MP3 player: $50 from Best Buy.

You save $150 plus get an extra 15 Gig of storage!

[p0intblank]

I've been an iPod user since the 3G days and I love it. I now have a 3G 30 GB model and a 5G 60 GB. I plan to get the long-rumored widescreen iPod as soon as it comes out. Oh and I may also get an iPod shuffle just for kicks. :)

Oh and that thread still makes me laugh... it goes to show you how people jump to conclusions too quickly. The same thing is kind of happening with the "iTV" so I can't wait to see how that turns out.

By the way, how can this story POSSIBLY be rated Negative? How? Please tell me.

[HiRez]

They had the industry lead in PDAs with the Newton and again in digital cameras with the QuickTake 100. But instead of developing these products further, they let the technology languish and eventually die. Fortunately with the iPod they started by improving on the existing products and they stuck with it, but it's such a shame about the other two, there are many billions of dollars in missed opportunity for Apple there.

[gugy]

Oh and that thread still makes me laugh... it goes to show you how people jump to conclusions too quickly. The same thing is kind of happening with the "iTV" so I can't wait to see how that turns out.


good point.
I think iTV will be the next super successful Apple product.

[iJaz]

What a lovely fairy tale the iPod story is! :)
And I have been reading the "thread 500" many times, makes me laugh every time! :D

[~Shard~]

Thread 500 forever lives in my bookmarks. It has taken its place in history.

Already quoted it in my initial post a couple pages back, but it never hurts to reinforce... ;) :)

[Mainyehc]

Thread 500 forever lives in my bookmarks. It has taken its place in history.

Hey, someone here in the forums has a Wikipedia account? There should be an article about it... :p A Mac Guides article wouldn't hurt, either! :cool:

[081440]

*sigh*
If only I had the forethought to buy AAPL stock back when the iPod was announced.


Don't we all think that!!!!

[Cougarcat]

"The model was Palm's HotSync software."

Oh my. If this is true we are very lucky iTunes integration works so well. Palm's software is some of the worst I've ever used.

[G5Unit]

1st gen still going strong! Wow, when I bought it back in 5th grade (2002) NOBODY even had heard the term "iPod" before.

[cxny]

iTunes is the single greatest consumer program ever written and iPods merely complete the story. But don't forget without iTunes iPods would be external HD's and not much more. Thanks Apple - I've enjoyed 1G, 3G and currently 5G iPods plus a 600% return on my $1000 investment in AAPL in 2001 to pay for all my toys!

[OdduWon]

ipod cinema
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j248/jonathaniliff/ipodcinema.jpg

[sushi]

ipod cinema
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j248/jonathaniliff/ipodcinema.jpg
Dreaming are we? :)

A combo tablet, PDA, iPod...interesting.

[OdduWon]

yeah, and it would dock with a lapboard to make a mac pad nano :D

[gugy]

I like this mock up better.
It was posted on appleinsider.
It's more in touch with reality, if that exists.:D

[bretm]

ipod cinema
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j248/jonathaniliff/ipodcinema.jpg

We already have that product. It's called the iMac. Actually it has a few extra features like a DVD burner built right in.

But no stylus. And it has to be plugged in. But other than that it's pretty close.

[Multimedia]

This must be the week to look back on these past 5 years to see how much has changed how fast. In this article, iPod: TV's Odyssey (http://tvweek.com/page.cms?pageId=328), Disney's Anne Sweeney tells how the iPod Disney TV Shows for sale deal came about and its impact on the television broadcasting business. :)

It's hard to believe the Video iPod is only 1 year old isn't it?

And some even think the Video iPod isn't even shipping YET! :eek:

[nagromme]

Already quoted it in my initial post a couple pages back, but it never hurts to reinforce... ;) :)
But not that it comes up that way in Google :) I find that amusing.

[nagromme]

We already have that product. It's called the iMac. Actually it has a few extra features like a DVD burner built right in.

But no stylus. And it has to be plugged in. But other than that it's pretty close.
And the iMac is actually pocketable, too. It may take a special pocket, but it can be done :p

[~Shard~]

But not that it comes up that way in Google :) I find that amusing.

Haha - yes, quite true! :D

[twoodcc]

ipod cinema
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j248/jonathaniliff/ipodcinema.jpg


i like this picture. but too bad i doubt something like this will ever happen anytime soon though. but it would be cool if it did

[OdduWon]

what does everyone think about the new chapter? wondows virus' shipped on a video ipod? :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

[slicecom]

HAHAHA!!! That iPod thread where everyone was bashing it and saying it wouldnt sell is hillarious! I want to hear what some of those people have to say now!

[minnesotamacman]

In case no one has seen it, Steve Levy has a great article in Newseek about the iPod, and a new book, The Perfect Thing. Just ordered my copy of the book Sunday. It looks good, and is highly recommended. By the author of course.

[minnesotamacman]

ipod cinema
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j248/jonathaniliff/ipodcinema.jpg

I had to wipe my keyboard off I am drooling so much. If this came out, I would have to tie my wallet shut to prevent myself from buying one within 2 minutes of the Apple store coming back online.

[needthephone]

I expect this has been posted before but just found Steve Jobs 2001 ipod announcement.

How right he was...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIdjdAWbdeU

[minnesotamacman]

I expect this has been posted before but just found Steve Jobs 2001 ipod announcement.

How right he was...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIdjdAWbdeU


Just watched this... Amazing how the iPod has changed so much in 5 years alone. I have a 80GB iPod right now. Wow, from 1,000 songs in my pocket to over 25,000 songs... and video... and pictures... and calendar... and contacts.

I still think something is coming Monday.

[tooskinneejs]

It is hilarious to read the inital comments from people after the iPod was introduced. It actually helped save the company and revolutionized the way we purchase music (with support from iTunes). We would be dealing with a very different Apple had they not developed the iPod.

My favorite comments were those that called it the next Newton! :D

[amin]

You're all a bunch of loony bitches

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We live in the YEAR 2001... not 6000 years from now when ridiculously awsome technology will exist. No other mp3 player has a harddrive like this... 5gigs... **** yeah. A rio of the same size offers 64megs. Jesum Crow, get over your moping.. .this is revolutionary.... plus it's just the beggining. This device litterally bests anything on the market by about 100x

traveler was ahead of his/her time. That 2001 thread was something else!