Timeline of Apple iPod

The world is divided in two types of people: those who have heard of the iPod and those who live in a cave. To say that the iPod is an incredibly popular device is a gross understatement. Since its launch in October 2001, the iPod has sold over 220 Million units worldwide making it not only the highest selling music player, but also the highest selling gadget ever. Period. Such is the popularity of the iPod that for most people a 'portable music player = iPod', the way 'burger = McDonald's'. It has a cult following of its own and many people swear by it and for them it is the best music player in the world.

So how did the iPod attain this status? We put on our helmets and take a ride in our trusty time machine to take a look at all the iPods that ever came out of Cupertino, California. See its progress from a revolutionary music player to an iconic one.

2001

The one that started it all, the first generation iPod was launched on October 23, 2001. The first generation iPod had a design that isn't far from the current iPod classic. The original iPod had a 5 GB hard disk which could store up to 1000 songs. The iPod had the revolutionary Click Wheel, which really was a physically rotating wheel back then with the playback buttons placed around the circumference of the wheel.

The original iPod had a 160 x 128 pixel monochrome LCD display. The iPod used the Firewire interface to connect with the computer, which was much faster than the USB 1.1 interface available back then. And speaking of computer, the first generation iPod only worked with a Mac and Windows users were out of luck. The iPod was launched at a price of $399 (approx. Rs. 19,000) and was available in the distinctive white color, with matching white earbuds.