What Year Was the iPod Invented?
iPods have become almost as common as the cell phone. The device was unveiled to the public in October 2001, but its invention and fabrication took form less than a year before--some suggest it was February--a surprisingly short time frame for such a revolutionary product. But who invented the device?
Other People Are Reading
-
Identification
-
The invention of the iPod is mostly attributed to Tony Fadell, an independent contractor hired by Apple based on an overall business idea, which included a device that would eventually become the iPod and a music service that would inevitably become iTunes.
Considerations
-
Until recently, Apple had given sole credit of the invention of the iPod to Fadell, but that recognition has now shifted slightly. In 2007, Apple acknowledged Kane Kramer's work on a device similar to its music player. Kramer discovered a method in 1979 of playing music through a small device referred to as a "plastic music box" similar to the iPod. He called it the IXI, but could never raise the capital to bring it into production, and his patent expired in 1988, leaving the field open for what would become the MP3 industry.
-
Features
-
Another person who shares in the credit is Michael Dhuey, who teamed with Fadell and took the lead on the project. Steve Jobs is credited with the look, feel and overall design of the device.
Size
-
The first official iPos had a 5GB hard drive that could store right around 1,000 songs, a small fraction of the capacity of the current generation. The 5GB model would soon lead to a 10 GB system. The second generation would come in the summer of 2002, with both a 10GB and 20GB model. In 2003, we experienced the first real redesign of the device with the third generation of the classic iPod. It came in a variety of sizes--10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 GB.
Time Frame
-
In January 2004, the iPod Mini hit the market. It was soon followed by the iPod Shuffle and the iPod Nano (the official replacement of the Mini) in 2005. The iPod Touch was unveiled in 2007. Plus, it was this period in which the inception of true video capability was included.
Significance
-
So-called knockoffs included the Zune, Fuze and Archo.
Theories/Speculation
-
In the first two years of its inception, the iPod had some trouble getting off the ground. This is believed to be mostly due to the fact that the device was only compatible with Macs. To make the product more sellable, it was updated to work on both Macs and PCs.
-
