![]() Remember, this was back when record shops (selling CDs etc) were still common-place on the High Street. Sales were not bad, but there were issues holding it back, in that the iPod could only be used with Mac computers (that wasn’t changed until 2004).Īnother development that really helped the iPod was the arrival of the iTunes Store in 2003, where consumers could easily (and legally) purchase songs for just $0.99 a piece. The original iPod arrived with a 5GB hard drive that Apple said could put “1,000 songs in your pocket.” But it was in late 2001 when the first generation iPod arrived, that Apple’s fortunes well and truly changed for the better. His partnership with design guru Sir Jonathan Ive saw the introduction of colourful all-in-one iMac computers, which certainly made an impression. It should be remembered that back in the late 1990s, Apple was a company emerging from a near death experience, thanks mostly to the return of co-founder Steve Jobs. But again they didn’t really sell that well. MP3 players such as the Diamond Rio and Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox however looked promising. Other options were tried including Sony MiniDisc players, but again, these failed to achieve widespread adoption. Indeed, people had been able to listen to their own music outside the home ever since Sony launched the first Walkman back in 1979.Īnd for many years the Walkman ruled supreme, but cassette tapes had limited capacity and were not exactly known for being robust.ĬDs came along but portable CD players were frankly terrible. It had arrived in a world where people still wanted to enjoy their music whilst they were out and about. ![]() The iPod certainly cemented Apple’s return to the big time. Indeed, some credit the iPod as the device that saved Apple as a company. The iPod has been around for a long time now (16 years) and has sold more than 400 million units since its launch on 23 October 2001. “Today, we are simplifying our iPod lineup with two models of iPod touch now with double the capacity starting at just $199 and we are discontinuing the iPod shuffle and iPod nano,” Apple said in a statement. The iPod Touch (considered by many not a real iPod but rather an iPhone-lite) remains the sole standard bearer in this product category. Apple has this week quietly retired two of the three remaining iPod devices, as the popularity of smartphones and music streaming services obviates the need for a standalone music player.įrom this week, users will no longer see any mention of the iPod Nano or iPod Shuffle on Apple’s website.
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