History of the iPod

Today we’re going to explore how the very first iPod was developed, how it was almost cancelled before release, and how it caused an actual explosion on Apple’s campus.

Now Apple became involved with digital music in 1999, but before we get into that, I want to point out that Apple was a much different company back then. They’d just narrowly escaped bankruptcy and were under tremendous pressure to start generating revenue for shareholders. And their biggest money maker was the Mac. In fact, they didn’t really make anything else other than Mac computers and had no experience in creating handheld devices like MP3 players. So with Apple in this extremely stressful and tight financial position, you probably wouldn't expect them to take a big risk and essential bet part the company on a new category of device. But with Steve Jobs at the helm, that’s exactly what they did.

[frncs.r]

I remember my aunt giving me an original iPod on the Christmas of ‘01 still have it till this day. Very beautifully designed product.

[prestonhall]

Wow I never realized there was so much stress involved with the original iPod's development. And to think it's the most important device Apple created. Amazing!

[terra]

Holy shit audible has been around that long?!?!

[jourphoria]

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[CREEPINGIRON]

I thought this would explain the iterations in full.

[DDbenkoDD]

Nice take on the iPod, I was expecting more of general information about the generations as they went on, as we see in most of the videos, but this take on how just the product itself came to life was definitely a lot more original and enriching. Good job.

[daisydelancy]

it’s not a history of the ipod because it doesn’t tell about every next ipod. please do another vid about all of them!

[angelog]

Fantastic video but it should be called the history of the first iPod.

[SpaceyMcSpacer]

This was Apples best product! I still have my iPod Nano 4th gen and I still use it!!! It really helped my when riding the school bus!!!

[kelly]

I got my first iPod for Christmas in ‘04, and I had no idea what is was. It literally changed my life!

[enzmondo]

I thought you’d do a timeline of all iPod products. Classic, Nano, Shuffle, and Touch. But this is very interesting.

[Taajwur]

That’s not enough, I needed more info. You only talked about the first one. I need everyone spoke about in detail.😭😭

[BloodRider]

5:01 This video is brought to you by audible

[BeesonsCars]

The iPod was by far the most popular media player. When I was younger, it was seen as cool to have an iPod. Kids would compare them and see who had more storage and who had the better model. The Nano 2G and 3G were super popular. But the iPod Touch was the most popular by far. Everyone wanted or had an “itouch”. They were incredibly common among young people and were definitely a big part of the App Store growing. During elementary and junior high about 70% of kids in my school had an iPod Touch or used to have one and had a smartphone to replace it. They were awesome devices that introduced so many to the Apple ecosystem.

[uthmanbaksh]

Not only was the iPod revolutionary tech, but it probably helped heal a nation after the tragic events of September 11th, 2001.

[mantriccaravan]

Excellently executed history! We all miss Steve he was a visionary with regards to consumer electronics and the ipod well it was a benchmark in portable music gadgetry!

[tenchimasake]

iPod to this day is still Apple's greatest achievement. There's alternatives to Macintosh, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, but among MP3 players nothing begins to compare with the perfect usability and design of the iPod, which helped launch Apple to the superstardom that made it America's first publicly-traded trillion-dollar company. I still use iPod for listening to music on the go. Additionally, as referenced in the video, iPod launched in the wake of 9/11, the Anthrax murders and the invasion of Afghanistan, the beginning of the endless "War on Terror", at a time when America's mood was dark and on-edge. iPod was an achievement that reminded everybody to keep living their everyday lives, and of what American technology can do.

[kilIstation]

I still have the first iPod and it is usable

[pokepress]

Could you do a history of the Apple (record label) vs. Apple (computer) dispute?

[DrakeShin]

Just found a FIRST gen iPod Nano this past Friday, WITH a case and it worked!