
Introduction
Apple first introduced the iPod back in 2001, and since then this single versatile device has grown into an entire family of digital music and video players. The original iPod was the "first generation" model. Subsequent versions have been referred to as "second generation" (2G), "third generation" (3G), and so on.
The iPod is a line of portable media players designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The first line was released on October 23, 2001, about 8½ months after iTunes (Macintosh version) was released. Its most recent redesigns were announced on September 12, 2012. There are four current versions of the iPod: the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle, the compact iPod Nano, the touchscreen iPod Touch, and the hard drive-based iPod Classic.
Like other digital music players, iPods can serve as external data storage devices. Storage capacity varies by model, ranging from 2 GB for the iPod Shuffle to 160 GB for the iPod Classic. The devices are controlled by the Samsung ARM and the Apple A5 CPUs.
Apple's iTunes software (and other software) can be used to transfer music, photos, videos, games, contact information, e-mail settings, Web bookmarks, and calendars, to the devices supporting these features from computers using certain versions of Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows operating systems.
The Apple iPod line has been upgraded many times, and each significant revision is called a "generation". Only the most recent generation and refurbished units of previous generations of the iPod line are available from Apple for each model (classic, nano, shuffle, touch). Each new generation usually has more features and refinements while typically being physically smaller and lighter than its predecessor, while usually (but not always) retaining the older model's price tag. Notable changes include the touch-sensitive click wheel replacing the mechanical scroll wheel, use of color displays, and flash memory replacing hard disks.
History

Though the iPod was released in 2001, its price and Mac-only compatibility caused sales to be relatively slow until 2004. The iPod line came from Apple's "digital hub" category, when the company began creating software for the growing market of personal digital devices. Digital cameras, camcorders and organizers had well-established mainstream markets, but the company found existing digital music players "big and clunky or small and useless" with user interfaces that were "unbelievably awful," so Apple decided to develop its own. As ordered by CEO Steve Jobs, Apple's hardware engineering chief Jon Rubinstein assembled a team of engineers to design the iPod line, including hardware engineers Tony Fadell and Michael Dhuey, and design engineer Sir Jonathan Ive. Rubinstein had already discovered the Toshiba disk drive when meeting with an Apple supplier in Japan, and purchased the rights to it for Apple, and had also already worked out how the screen, battery, and other key elements would work. The product ("the Walkman of the twenty-first century") was developed in less than one year and unveiled on October 23, 2001. Jobs announced it as a Mac-compatible product with a 5 GB hard drive that put "1,000 songs in your pocket.
Apple did not develop the iPod software entirely in-house, instead using PortalPlayer's reference platform based on two ARM cores. The platform had rudimentary software running on a commercial microkernel embedded operating system. PortalPlayer had previously been working on an IBM-branded MP3 player with Bluetooth headphones. Apple contracted another company, Pixo, to help design and implement the user interface under the direct supervision of Steve Jobs. As development progressed, Apple continued to refine the software's look and feel. Starting with the iPod Mini, the Chicago font was replaced with Espy Sans. Later iPods switched fonts again to Podium Sans a font similar to Apple's corporate font, Myriad. iPods with color displays then adopted some Mac OS X themes like Aqua progress bars, and brushed metal meant to evoke a combination lock. In 2007, Apple modified the iPod interface again with the introduction of the sixth-generation iPod Classic and third-generation iPod Nano by changing the font to Helvetica and, in most cases, splitting the screen in half by displaying the menus on the left and album artwork, photos, or videos on the right (whichever was appropriate for the selected item).
In 2006 Apple presented a special edition for iPod 5G of Irish rock band U2. Like its predecessor, this iPod has engraved the signatures of the four members of the band on its back, but this one was the first time the company changed the colour of the metal (not silver but black). This iPod was only available with 30GB of storage capacity. This special edition adds an exclusive video with 30 minutes of interviews and performance by U2.
In September 2007, during a lawsuit with patent holding company Burst.com, Apple drew attention to a patent for a similar device that was developed in 1979. Kane Kramer applied for a UK patent for his design of a "plastic music box" in 1981, which he called the IXI. He was unable to secure funding to renew the US$ 120,000 worldwide patent, so it lapsed and Kramer never profited from his idea.
The name iPod was proposed by Vinnie Chieco, a freelance copywriter, who (with others) was called by Apple to figure out how to introduce the new player to the public. After Chieco saw a prototype, he thought of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey and the phrase "Open the pod bay door, Hal!", which refers to the white EVA Pods of the Discovery One spaceship. Chieco saw an analogy to the relationship between the spaceship and the smaller independent pods in the relationship between a personal computer and the music player. Apple researched the trademark and found that it was already in use. Joseph N. Grasso of New Jersey had originally listed an "iPod" trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in July 2000 for Internet kiosks. The first iPod kiosks had been demonstrated to the public in New Jersey in March 1998, and commercial use began in January 2000, but had apparently been discontinued by 2001. The trademark was registered by the USPTO in November 2003, and Grasso assigned it to Apple Computer, Inc. in 2005.
The earliest recorded use in commerce of an "iPod" trademark was in 1991 by Chrysalis Corp. of Sturgis, Michigan, styled "iPOD".
iPod Generation

iPod | Generation | Designation | Key Features | Memory Capacity | When available on the market |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | First | iPod | iPhone (1st generation); iPod Touch (1st generation) | 5GB 10GB | October 2001 - March, 2003 |
![]() | Second | 2G iPod | Touch-sensitive Navigation wheel, Expanded memory | 10GB 20GB | June, 2002 - March, 2003 |
![]() | Third | Docking iPod | 30-pin dock connector, Navigation buttons Expanded memory | 10GB 15GB 20GB 30GB 40GB | June, 2002 - March, 2003 |
![]() | Third | 3G iPod | Click wheel navigation) | 20GB 40GB | April, 2003 - June, 2004 |
![]() | Fourth | iPod photo | Image display, Expanded memory | 30GB 40GB 60GB | October, 2004 - June, 2005 |
![]() | Fourth | iPod photo | Color screen, Displays photos | 20GB 60GB | June, 2005 - September, 2005 |
![]() | Fifth | 5G iPod | Plays videos, Larger screen, Expanded memory, Available in black or white | 30GB 60GB 80GB | October, 2005 - September, 2007 |
![]() | Sixth | iPod classic | Expanded memory, aluminum casing, Available in black or silver | 80GB 120GB 160GB | September 2007 - present |
iPod mini | Generation | Designation | Key Features | Memory Capacity | When available on the market |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | First | iPod mini | Available in silver, gold, green, blue, pink | 4GB | January, 2004 - February, 2005 |
![]() | Second | 2G iPod | Expanded memory Available in silver, gold, pink, green, blue | 4GB 8GB | February, 2005 - August, 2006 |
iPod nano | Generation | Designation | Key Features | Memory Capacity | When available on the market |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | First | iPod nano | Available in black or white | 1GB 2GB 4GB | September 2005 - September 2006 |
![]() | Second | 2G iPod nano | Aluminum finish, Available in blue, pink, silver, green, black | 2GB 4GB 8GB | September 2006 - September 2007 |
![]() | Third | 3G iPod nano | Plays videos, 4GB available in silver, 8GB available in silver, black, light blue, light green | 4GB 8GB | September 2007 - September 2008 |
![]() | Fourth | 4G iPod nano | Curved screen, FM tuner, Available in silver, black, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, pink | 8GB 16GB | September 2008 - September 2009 |
![]() | Fifth | 5G iPod nano | Expanded screensize, FM radio, with Live Pause Camera, Available in silver, black, purple, blue, green, orange, pink | 8GB 16GB | September 2009 - September 2010 |
![]() | Sixth | 6G iPod nano | Smaller form, No video playback, No speakers, No camera, Voice command | 8GB 16GB | September 2010 - September 2012 |
![]() | Seventh | 7G iPod nano | Larger screen, Video playback, Bluetooth, FM Radio, redesigned EarPod heaphones, redesigned Lightning connector | 16GB | September 2012 - present |
iPod shuffle | Generation | Designation | Key Features | Memory Capacity | When available on the market |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | First | iPod shuffle | Flash memory | 512MB 1GB | January 2005 - September 2006 |
![]() | Second | 2G iPod shuffle | Smaller form, Expanded memory, Aluminum casing, Available in silver, green, pink, orange, blue | 1GB 2GB | January 2006 - March, 2009 |
![]() | Third | 3G iPod shuffle | Taller form, No navigation wheel, Available in sliver, black, blue, green, pink | 2GB 4GB | March 2009 - September 2010 |
![]() | Fourth | 4G iPod shuffle | Smaller form, Navigation wheel, VoiceOver command, Available in black, silver, purple, red, yellow, green, blue | 2GB | September 2010 - present |
iPod touch | Generation | Designation | Key Features | Memory Capacity | When available on the market |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | First | iPod touch | Multi-touch screen, Wi-Fi capability | 8GB 16GB 32GB | September 2007 - September 2008 |
![]() | Second | 2G iPod touch | Chrome back, Built-in speaker | 8GB 16GB 32GB 64GB | September 2008 - September 2009 |
![]() | Third | 3G iPod touch | Voice Control, in-line remote earbuds | 32GB 64GB | September 2009 - September 2010 |
![]() | Fourth | 4G iPod touch | Front and back cameras, FaceTime, Retina display screen, Available in black or white | 8GB 16GB 32GB 64GB | September 2010 - September 2012 |
![]() | Fifth | 5G iPod touch | Siri voice command, 3 speakers (front, right, and bottom), Aluminum and glass casing, redesigned EarPod headphones, redesigned Lightning connector Available in black, white, blue, pink, yellow | 16GB 32GB 64GB | September 2012 - present |