Gallery: iPod: 10 Breathtaking Years of Industrial Design
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The iPod, which celebrated its 10th birthday on Sunday, may not have been the first portable music player, or even the first to play digital music files. But it's the one that everyone remembers, and will go down in history as one of the most significant technology launches of the 21st century. Sure, there was the Sony Walkman. It played cassette tapes, and everyone had one, but no one fondly remembers the Walkman's industrial design. Nor was the Walkman even the first mobile music device. That distinction goes to various [portable vinyl players](http://www.victor-victrola.com/50.htm) -- yes, vinyl! -- that floated around during the pre-Walkman era. The iPod, though, was the most revolutionary portable music player of all, and vividly demonstrated Apple's authority as a consumer electronics manufacturer. When it launched, the iPod was able to benefit from the rogue music distribution of peer-to-peer file-sharing services like Napster, and that helped provide a foothold. But the iPod's real success enabler was iTunes, a fully curated platform with buy-in from the music industry. And then there was the device's industrial design. The first iPod was an object of techno-lust, and the product line's design has only become more enchanting. Available in some two dozen iterations over the years, the iPod made music accessible to everyone. In short order, there was an option for every budget, and for every application: an iPod Classic with up to 160GB of storage (that’s 40,000 songs) for true music aficionados and DJs; smaller, sporty shuffles and nanos, perfect for exercising and extreme mobility; and eventually the iPod touch for playing games and watching videos. It's a breathtaking product catalog. So let's take a look at how the iPod has evolved over the years, and where it's headed next.
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“With iPod, Apple has invented a whole new category of digital music player that lets you put your entire music collection in your pocket and listen to it wherever you go,” said Steve Jobs in the first iPod [press release](http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2001/10/23Apple-Presents-iPod.html). “With iPod, listening to music will never be the same again.” The original iPod featured five buttons on its face, located below a 160 x 128 monochrome display. Menu, play/pause, next and previous tracks encircled a scroll wheel with a selection button in the center. The scroll wheel was used to cycle through songs and adjust the volume. Later, this button functionality would be encapsulated by Apple’s signature click wheel. The original iPod weighed in at 6 ounces and could hold up to 1,000 CD-quality tracks on its 5GB hard drive. It had a battery life of 10 hours and cost $400. It was also only compatible with Macs. The iPod’s minimalist white design hinted at future Apple product stylings, like the [MacBook](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/01/apples-white-ma/), which debuted in 2006. The iPod largely maintained the same size and form factor over the years. The latest installment in what was previously simply referred to as the "iPod" line is the iPod Classic, which was unveiled in 2007. It provides 36 hours of audio playback and six hours of video, which can be viewed on its 2.5", 320 x 240 backlit display.
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The iPod mini, which was introduced in 2004, first epitomized an ethos we’ve seen Apple grow to embrace over the years: smaller is better. It measured a mere 3.6 inches in length and weighed 3.6 ounces, with a 138 x 110 resolution monochrome LCD. But the iPod mini wasn’t just revolutionary for its smaller size. It was also the first iPod to sport the iconic touch-sensitive click wheel that would dominate a number of iPod lines and become a signature feature of the iPod. The mini was announced in January 2004 and was retired in September 2005 in favor of the next generation of pint-sized iPods: the nano line.
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The iPod nano was the successor to the short-lived iPod mini. It, probably more so than any other iPod line, has gone through significant hardware transformations over the years. The nano started out as a 1.6-by-3.5-inch rectangle that weighed only 1.5 ounces — less than half the heft of the iPod Mini. Its 1.5-inch display was color, like that of the first color screen iPod Classic that was unveiled earlier in 2005. One of the nano's notable morphings was in its third generation, which came to be known as the "fat nano." The fat nano included a 2-inch QVGA display and a wider (2.75-inch), heavier (1.74-ounce) design. The current, sixth generation iPod nano is a pint-sized 1.5 by 1.6 inches and features a multitouch screen and a clip, like that found on the iPod shuffle.
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2005 was the year of the iPod. We saw the introduction of the iPod nano, the first color-screen iPods and the display-less, scroll wheel-less iPod shuffle. The iPod shuffle was Apple's new entry-level iPod model. It used flash memory (512 MB or 1 GB, up to 240 songs) and was designed so users could simply set it to play and begin listening, all with a minimum of U.I. interaction. A hallmark of the shuffle, from the second generation on, was a clip on the back that allowed users to snap the teensy music player to their clothing. This improved upon the first-gen shuffle, which featured a cap that fit over its USB port, which was attached to a lanyard that could be worn around the neck — not quite as user friendly if you're bouncing around doing jumping jacks or jogging. Pictured here is the third-generation model from 2009, which came in 2GB and 4GB flavors and touted a 1.8 x 0.7 x 0.3-inch chassis. The most current fourth generation shuffle debuted in 2010 and is approximately a 1.2-inch square — only room enough for a small scroll wheel on its face.
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The iPod touch is the most recent addition to the iPod family. The iPhone debuted in January 2007, and a little over six months later, a more minimally featured doppelganger, dubbed the [iPod touch](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/reviews/2008/01/ipod_touch/), landed as well. The touch sported the same multi-touch interface as the iPhone and also ran iOS, Apple's mobile operating system. Although it has Wi-Fi connectivity, what distinguishes it from its more expensive iPhone cousin is that it lacks cellular network access, GPS and a built-in compass. When the touch debuted, Steve Jobs described it as "[training wheels](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/iphone-finally-arrives-but-its-neither-cheap-nor-g3-402835.html) for the iPhone." With almost all the same features but a more budget-friendly price tag — it recently dropped to $199 for 8GB, $299 for 32GB and $399 for 64GB — the touch is a good option for those who want iOS games and apps, but not the monthly phone bill. The touch is now in its fourth iteration. It's got a rear facing camera, which can take 960 x 720 photos and record 720p video, and a front-facing camera for Apple's video chatting service, [FaceTime](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gadgetlab/tag/facetime/). It includes an A4 processor (the same as the iPhone 4) and a gyroscope. Traditionally only available in black, earlier this month Apple announced it would be available in white as well.
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The iPod nano has sparked an accessory revolution, and now the roughly 1.5-inch square music player can be used in a variety of non-music-related functions. [Nano watches](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/02/hex-ipod-nano-watch-band-with-nike-cut-out/) have been an extremely popular application. In response, Apple even issued some recent [software updates](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/10/software-update-turns-old-ipod-nano-into-new-ipod-nano/) that let you turn the nano into a watch with 16 new clock faces. And because the nano is often a workout accessory, Apple updated the device so it tracks your walks and runs with a built-in pedometer and Nike+.
PAUL SAKUMA08apple-u2-ipod
Unfortunately, it looks like the iPod’s days are numbered. For many consumers, their newest Apple music-playing device isn’t a dedicated music player at all. Instead, they use the iPhone. iPod sales have been [steadily declining](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/07/ipod-deathbed/) since a peak of 22.7 million sales in December 2008. In Apple’s most recent earnings announcement, iPod sales [fell 27 percent](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/10/apples-earnings-miss-estimates/) from the same time period the year prior. And at the most recent [Apple event](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/10/apple-iphone-5-live-blog/), only two iPod product lines got a refresh: iPod nano and iPod Touch. The iPod shuffle and classic, which both lack the touchscreen interface that's so in vogue right now, look like they could certainly be getting the official axe any time. Apple has expressed continued dedication to the iPod, but with the iPhone 3GS’ price lowered to zilch, it's reasonable to believe that this dedication will dwindle over the years. For now, the iPod touch is still the cheapest iOS device on the market (as it doesn't require a data plan), and the nano is the music-listener-on-the-go's best option. But, sadly, as hardware gets slimmer and more people shun dedicated music players for all-in-one type devices, the iPod could go the way of the dodo bird.
