"The new slogan was "Say Hello to iPod", reminiscent of the already
familiar "Say Hello to iMac", was launched on October 23, 2001 with
the release of one of the most important products from Apple in its
history.? A few days earlier, Apple created a stir, when it invited
the press to a product announcement "is not Mac".? The product was a
hit for Apple, whose revenues might someday overshadow those of the
Mac division. Tom Hormby submitted the following editorial to
osOpinion/osViews, which analyzes the iPod's history from the day it
was first announced to the present day."
--
iPod is not based on a new concept. Companies before Apple released
hard drive based music players, but none had the charm and elegance in
the Apple implementation. Unlike the competitors, the iPod used a high
speed FireWire interface to transfer files on and off of it, and it
used a tiny hard drive, that made the device a quarter of the size of
comparable products. Besides the specifications, the iPod offered an
intuitive interface and a beautiful enclosure. Even the ear buds
defined themselves by being different and unique. Almost all audio
equipment was black, but Apple created a set of ear buds that were
glistening white. Everything in the design was there to allow the user
to have a better experience
The iPod was almost not released by Apple. The products creator, Tony
Fadell, had shopped the idea to Phillips and RealNetworks before
proposing the idea to Apple. Fadell found a welcoming environment at
Apple, who agreed almost immediately to produce and market the device.
The iPod was so small that it can slip into a shirt pocket with ease,
and with a Sony battery that lasts for ten hours on a charge. On the
inside, the device had a tiny 1.8 in. Toshiba hard drive, weighing
around fifty grams, far smaller than even notebook hard drives. Apple
didn't develop the operating system or MP3 player software. The OS was
from a company named Pixo, which was staffed by many former Apple
employees. The MP3 player was from a company named PortalPlayer. Since
the original iPod, Pixo was acquired by Sun, though not before Apple
bought the rights to the iPod's operating system.
There was only one serious flaw with the iPod, and that was the price,
The machine cost $400, making it far from accessible to many
consumers. Some lamented the lack of PC support, though Jobs promised
a PC version very soon after the launch. In fact, weeks after the
launch, third party utilities cropped up that enable iPod users to
sync with their PC.
Several limitations were present in the first version. There was no
remote control, this despite a connector designed for such a purpose.
There were no games available for it, except for the breakout game --
included as an easter egg and the device's dial was subject to
problems.
One month after the domestic launch of the iPod, the iPod was launched
in Europe and was accompanied by new peripherals. Several companies
were selling charging adapters, FM broadcasters and a plethora of
cases. By the end of 2001, Apple had already sold as many as 125,000
new iPods.
Like all Apple products, a major update was released several months
later. In March of 2002, a 10 GB version of the iPod was released.
Along with the new iPod, came a software update that included several
bug fixes, and a new equalizer...
Hardly four months later, in July, a new 20 GB version was released,
with a major price cut for the 5 and 10 GB versions. These new iPods
were also PC compatible, using MusicMatch to sync with the player.
Additionally, a new calendar and artists search feature was included
into the software that shipped on the new players. Unlike the earlier
versions, the new iPods came with a remote control attached to the ear
buds that Apple eventually released to existing iPod users as an add
on. The most obvious physical change to the newly designed iPod come
by way of its new scroll wheel. No longer would it be a physically
turning wheel. Instead, it was changed into a touch sensitive wheel
similar in function to a touch pad.
To many's surprise, Apple abruptly discontinued the iPod in France
because the device did not respect a European statute that required
that all portable music players be limited to 100 decibels. Apple
relented, and by October, iPods were back on sale in France.
Shortly before New Years, Apple announced that it would ship special
edition iPods that would feature text or graphics engraved on the
back. A customer could opt for their own design, or choose the
signature of Madonna, Tony Hawk, Beck or the NoDoubt logo on the
chrome back. The service cost $50.
The end of the year came quietly for the iPod, having sold already
700,000 units in the year of 2002. Steve Jobs then announced the
availability of the third generation iPod that were yet even smaller
and also had a different button layout than the previous version. The
new versions come in 10, 15 and 30 GB versions, allowing customers to
carry 7500 songs in their pocket.
With the new versions Apple made some changes to the high speed
connectivity. Out went the FireWire connection and in its place came a
connector that can interface with both FireWire and USB 2.0, for PC's.
Along the bottom of the iPod was a new connector that allows the
device to be connected to a dock.
The biggest update to this version of the iPod came in iTunes, not the
hardware. With the third generation iPod, Apple released their iTunes
Music Store, allowing for users to download tracks for $.99, then burn
them to a CD, play them using iTunes or sync them with their MP3
player.
All the success garnered by the iPod did not go unnoticed by the other
Apple in music. Apple Corps, the holders of the Beatles copyrights,
sued Apple for infringement on previous agreements with the launch of
the iTunes Music Store. The lawsuit was eventually settled out of
court.
After years of advertising using the traditional white backdrops,
Apple started the -- now famous -- silhouettes series of ads. In 2003,
the silhouettes would appear on Television, billboards, online ads and
in print. The campaign was very successful, and recognized by both the
Magazine Publishers of America and the Cannes film festival as the top
ads of the year.
In June of 2003, Apple shipped its millionth iPod, and by September of
the same year, it had sold 1.4 million. Apple replaced MusicMatch on
the PC with its own iTunes software thus allowing Windows PC users to
use the iTunes Music Store and sync the songs with their iPod.
Coincidentally, MusicMatch had started its own music store during the
same time, and was cutting into Apple's potential sales. Despite
Microsoft announcements about its coming music store and player, Apple
remained the number one seller in the market, with a 50% - 70% market
share.With the release of the iTunes Music Store, Apple also released
its 40 GB version of the iPod.
Despite all the success Apple was experiencing, some customers noticed
that the battery of their original iPod was not delivering the
promised run times. Apple responded by replacing the battery of
affected iPods for $99 that were out of warranty and replaced the
battery for free for customer's whose iPods had batteries that expired
within the warranty period.
Apple was preparing to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Macintosh
at the end of 2003. Rumors at the time suggested that Apple would
release special versions of the iPod to celebrate. At that time,
Toshiba had announced that it had released an even smaller version of
their already-small hard drive. The new drive was only 1 inch wide,
and had a 4 GB capacity.
As a result of the announcement, a flurry of rumors of a miniature
iPod surfaced. Journalists determined that it would probably cost
around $70 to manufacture a player around the new drive, inspiring
hope in many analysts and fans that Apple would be able to take on the
low end flash based player market, which still constituted a third of
all players sold.
Steve Jobs waited until the last fifteen minutes of his Keynote to
mention the iPod. Apple now controlled a third of the entire MP3
player market, with almost 2 million units sold. He also announced
that Apple would replace the low end 10 GB iPod with a 15 GB version
with no price increase.
After those announcements, Jobs announced that there would be a new
member of the iPod family. The analysts were proven correct in their
speculation of a new, smaller player to compete with flash based
players. The new player -- the iPod mini -- was to be outfitted with a
new 4 GB hard drive, in stark contrast to the hundreds of megabytes
offered by flash based players of comparable prices.
Apple redesigned the scrolling wheel to take up less space, and
repositioned the play controls around the wheel. The iPod mini was
available in five colors and the ear buds were also redesigned to
reduce background noise in loud environments.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Macintosh debut, Apple redid
the classic 1984 ad to give the hammer wielding woman an iPod.
In the days following the announcement, Apple informed the press that
it had used a Hitachi drive, not the expected Toshiba. Apple also
updated the software from 1.3 to 2.1 on all available devices.
Rumors are as essential to Mac users as oxygen is to fish, a few days
later, the New York Times publishes an article speculating about a
video version of the iPod, based on an ad posted several weeks before
by Apple for an engineer experienced in video for the iPod team. Steve
Jobs refused to comment, stating simply that there is little demand
for portable video, thus squelching rumors about the video player and
an iPhone at the same time.
A new partnership was announced on January 8. Apple and HP would join
forces to co-market the iPod and iTunes Music Store. HP would include
iTunes on all of its PC's as the default music player and store,
ignoring the Windows Media Player software. Apple was also to create a
HP branded iPod that HP could sell with its systems. The deal came to
fruition with the year 2004. HP stuck to the traditional white clad
iPod despite showing a blue version of the iPod at the announcement.
The analysts who were skeptical of the iPod's success years before
loved the iPod, and predicted Apple dominance in the market for years
to come. Apple was selling many millions of iPods, and its market
share was rising dramatically. The iPod brand was a solid and
attractive one, with many celebrities toting the stylish devices
around with them. Perhaps, the most unique use of an iPod was the
replacement of audio tour guides in the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo and
Chenonceau with iPods loaded with special audio tracks. In fact, even
BMW jumped on board, including a special iPod interface on all of its
new cars, allowing the iPod to play through the speakers and be
controlled through the stereo. The iPod was a phenomenon.
Steve Jobs would later appear on the cover of Newsweek announcing the
release of the 4th generation iPod. The new iPods now had the same
scroll wheel as the iPod mini, and would be even smaller than the
previous version. The new models debuted with a hundred dollar price
cut across the board, and a new version of the iPod software. The
update included primarily interface tweaks and a few new applets.
The new HP+iPod is based on the 4th generation iPod, and was released
in September of 2004.
A few days later, RealNetwork disturbed the iPod's peaceful world by
announcing that it's new software and music store would be fully
compatible with the iPod. RealNetworks did not approach Apple about
using their software. Instead, the company reverse engineered the
system used to sync copy protected music to the device. Real calls its
new system "Harmony". Apple promised that Apple would sue to remove
the feature from Real's software. Many in the industry observed that
the threat was strangely reminiscent of Microsoft.
iPod photo, the next blip on the radar, appeared several months later,
in November. The new player featured a color screen capable of playing
music and slideshows of photographs. Apple also released a U2 special
edition of their iPod, in all black with a red scroll wheel. The U2
version was bundled with a discount off a digital boxed set of music
from the group. To celebrate the launch, the group did its very first
advertisement. Apple did not have to pay U2 for their endorsements --
U2 figured the iPod was enough recognition.
The iPod product line has remained relatively static through the past
four years. On each revision, Apple would refine the interface, add a
larger capacity hard drive, slim down the device and add new features.
This was until the launch of the iPod shuffle. The shuffle is Apple's
first flash-based MP3 player, and the only flash player that can play
encoded AAC files. Unlike other models, the shuffle does not have a
FireWire port. Instead, it relies on USB 2.0. It also has no click
wheel or LCD display. The device is decidedly low end, starting at
$99.
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