96 MACWORLD DECEMBER 2021
PLAYLIST THE i POD AT 20Twenty years on, Apple’s pocket digital
music and media player has evolved
through multiple generations, designs,
functions, and styles, such as the Mini,
Nano, Shuffle, and Touch models, and has
inspired some of Apple’s greatest
products, including the iPhone and iPad.
Apple die-hards likely remember and
may even still own several of the many
iPod iterations. In honor of the twentieth
anniversary of the initial product launch,
let’s take a look at the timeline of the
iPod’s colorful life.
2001
October: “An iBook is really portable,”
Jobs boasted at the iPod unveiling, “but
this is ultra-portable!” At 6.5 ounces, 2.4
inches wide, 4 inches tall, and made with
stainless steel barely over 3/4-inch thick,
the first iPod ($399) was designed to be
the size of a deck of cards and hold 1,000
songs. Users navigated songs with a
mechanical scroll wheel on a monochrome
LCD display and had a 5GB hard drive that
filled up using a FireWire port.2002
March: Apple released a 10GB version of
the iPod for $499, twice as much storage for
$100 more than the original 5GB version.
July: The second-generation iPod
gained a solid-state Touch Wheel and
contained double the space. The product
was released in both 10GB ($399) and
20GB ($499) models.2003
April: The iPod got a big third-generation
makeover in 2003, with the addition of
four buttons that glowed red and a new
connector, the 30-pin dock connector.
Sensing the needs of obsessed
music lovers, the company
introduced a new 30GB model
($499), along with 10GB ($299) and
15GB ($399) choices.
September: The latest third-
generation iPod models jumped to
20GB and 40GB, replacing the
15GB and 30GB models,
respectively. Windows users got
their first taste of the iPod via
MusicMatch Jukebox, opening up
The original iPod with the Click Wheel. the iPod to a whole new audience.