When Did the iPod Come Out?

The Apple iPod was not the world's first personal digital audio player, but it has become the industry standard device. The iPod has evolved through many different generations and spin-offs--the iPod Mini, Nano and Touch, for example--but the original iPod lives on as the iPod Classic. A color screen and video playback are now key features of the iPod that were not available in its original form.

History

Apple released the first generation iPod on October 23, 2001.

Features

When originally released, the iPod featured a 5 GB hard drive, was incompatible with Windows, and cost $399. A color screen was not available until the iPod Photo was introduced on October 26, 2004.

Name

The name "iPod" was created by a copywriter named Vinnie Chieco.

Marketing

At the iPod unveiling, Apple CEO Steve Jobs summed up the device as "a thousand songs in your pocket."

Fun Fact

The first MP3 player--Saehan Information Systems' MPMan F10--predated the iPod by about three years.