iPod digital media player
Manufacturer
Apple Computer IncDesigner
Jonathan IveCountry
USAYear
2001Dimensions
W: 62mm H: 102mm D: 20mmA digital media player that integrated with a desktop computer application and an internet service (iTunes), the iPod quickly became the top selling device of its kind when it was released in 2001. By 2008 Apple’s iPod classic and variations on it generated 40% of the company’s total revenue, before the launch of the iPhone and iPod touch made the iPod redundant.
While there had been previous attempts to produce digital media devices, no one had produced a simple and elegant solution to the human-player interface. The controls resolve the functions of the machine into five buttons and one scroll wheel. Its distinctive white and clear acrylic form on a stainless steel back is intuitive to hold, touch and use.
The iPod accumulated social cachet as it was avidly consumed by a new wave of digital admirers. Holding up to 1000 songs, it became as much a new software device as a physical product.
Apple brought the iPod to market swiftly (within eight months of inception). It did so while the music industry was flustered over peer-to-peer music sharing services which had sprung up in the late 1990s (Napster 1999 – 2001). With no solution to this new music distribution system – surprising considering the music industry had previously shown great savvy at adopting digital recording, mastering and product formats (CD) in the 1980s – Apple forged a deal with record companies to join their iTunes service to distribute files for iPods.
The impact of the iPod was pervasive. Third party companies made and supplied accessories and many car manufacturers installed iPod docking mechanisms as standard features. Independent stereo manufacturers began to include iPod integration slots in their machines.
