If IMAC saved Apple computer, iPod made the company popular in the consumer market and lasted for an amazing 21 years From listing to shutdown, iPod lasted 7504 days. During this period, it experienced a low reputation in the initial stage, a hot sale in the mass consumer market and being forgotten by the market.
The birth of iPod
The iPod was originally designed for Mac users, even if it was only short-lived, but it has succeeded in becoming an identity symbol in some way and is everywhere at the same time.
On October 23, 2001, Steve Jobs told reporters gathered together: "we brought you here today to promise to provide a breakthrough digital device other than Mac. And that's what we're going to do.".
"We love music and it's always good to do what we like. More importantly, music is a part of everyone's life. But interestingly, there is no market leader in this new digital music revolution," jobs continued.
In the era when the iPod was not on the market, there were only CD players and flash players with limited capacity, both of which could hold about 15 songs. There is an MP3 CD format that can hold 150 songs and a hard disk that can hold 1000 songs.
"We've seen this, studied all this, and that's where we want to make a breakthrough. IMAC、iBook...... iPod。 IPod is an MP3 player with CD quality music. The coolest thing about iPod is that your entire music library can be put in your pocket.
It is reported that the name iPod was created by freelance writer Vinnie chieco. He remembered "2001: space roaming" and the sentence "open the pod bay doors, Hal.".
At the press conference, Jobs said as if the iPod was driven by a love of music, but it also came from a very practical opportunity. Jon Rubinstein of Apple showed Toshiba engineers a 5GB micro hard disk, which they actually regarded as a proof of concept.
Of course, developers did not consider facing customers, nor did they set up special projects. But when it was shown to Rubinstein, he realized its value.
With jobs' quick approval, Rubinstein bought all Toshiba's inventory to make iPods. It cost $10 million, or $15.63 million in today's currency.
This establishes the internal structure of the iPod, and the famous wheel design comes from Phil Schiller. But in the end, the rest of the hardware was designed by Tony Fa Dell, later known as the father of the iPod.
In a news report on the launch of the iPod, the New York Times quoted an analyst as saying it was good for Mac users. But for windows It makes no difference to the rest of the world.
Even so, jobs told the newspaper that Apple might not be able to meet its initial holiday needs. Moreover, he naturally predicted that the iPod would encourage customers to buy Macintoshes.
Oddly enough, the iPod has received more praise from PC Magazine. In an article entitled "not just candy", he wrote: "leave apple the coolest - we dare say the best - MP3 player in the world.".
"Its practicality and simplicity make it a prominent product, even in terms of price. Our only dissatisfaction is that although the MAC friendly iPod is now available, the rumored PC version will not appear until the spring, if any," the article wrote.
IPod rise
The first version of windows was launched in July 2002.
That Windows version officially became the second generation iPod, and then launched the third generation in 2003. The fourth generation, called iPod photo, came out in 2004, when HP briefly released a badge version.
However, if the specifications continue to improve and the storage capacity continues to increase, the iPod is always more than its technology combined.
Just like you see airpods everywhere today, at the beginning of the 21st century, you see everyone wearing famous white earplugs. Whether they use an iPod, or later an iPod mini and iPod Nano, these earplugs are the same.
I can't imagine how successful the iPod will become - and then at the peak of its success, I can't imagine it will disappear, I can't imagine a competitor.
In the end, the iPod's biggest enemy became Apple itself. First, it completely discontinued the world's best-selling music player, the iPod mini, and switched to the iPod Nano.
This is Apple's willingness to sacrifice a popular product when it believes it has another product.
Then in 2007, it really believed it had another popular product. Apple launched iPhone Or Steve Jobs called it "a widescreen iPod with touch control" in his introduction.
After the great success of the iPod, it seems that the iPhone may really replace it as the best music player. When your iPhone can do everything your iPod can do, and do a lot, it must be the end of a single-purpose music player.
However, this is not the end of the iPod.
Apple first launched its first iPod touch in September 2007, a few months after Apple first launched the iPhone. Throughout the history of the iPod, the device lasted another 15 years after the launch of the iPhone.
The first iPod touch looked a lot like Apple's original iPhone. It has a 3.5-inch display, multi touch and Wi Fi. It's essentially an iPhone for people who don't need a call function.
Since then, Apple has been iterating over the iPod touch. In 2008, a version with built-in speakers and a thinner design made its debut. This model is also the first model to use the app store.
The iPod touch lacked a camera and microphone until the release of the fourth generation version in 2010. At the same time, the 2011 model finally brought IMessage, notification and icloud. LED flash was not available until the fifth generation of products in 2012.
Given the company's busy focus on iPhones, apple watches and other devices, every change to the iPod touch brings only incremental updates. However, iPod touch is still a popular device for consumers and business customers.
The decline of iPod
Although the iPod touch is the latest available Apple music player, the last iPod Nano and iPod shuffle models were actually available until mid-2017. It's easy to forget that in the era of Apple watch and iPhone, customers can still buy iPod Nano.
The seventh generation iPod Nano, first launched in 2013, actually has a 2.5-inch touch screen with video playback and Bluetooth functions. It also has a lightning connector instead of a 30 pin connector.
The iPod Nano has an unexpected extra life, because some users tied it to their wrists, so they had the apple watch years earlier than others.
Appleinsider writer Wesley Hilliard said he liked his iPod Nano watch. "There's a computer on your wrist," he said. "It was unheard of at the time. I listened to music with wired headphones in my coat sleeve," he said.
It is conceivable that it was users like him that prompted Jony ive and others to develop Apple watch, which will be available in 2015. More likely, the apple watch is already planned, but the popularity of this unplanned watch must help.
Perhaps after the advent of the apple watch, no one actually continues to use the iPod Nano as a wristwatch, but it continues to be sold. The rudimentary screen less iPod shuffle -- released in 2010 -- has been sold for seven years. The fourth generation variant of the series is simple in design and has nothing but a click control and a headphone jack.
Although the popularity of iPods declined after streaming services such as spotify and Apple Music gained status, they lasted longer than people thought. This is mainly due to the longevity of the iPod touch - and reasons outside the consumer market.
The end of an era
The performance of the last iPod touch has obviously lagged behind. The machine is equipped with A8 chip, while A10 chip has been produced at that time. Apple calls it a good entry-level device, or a machine for children. It is not so much a machine as a machine used by enterprises, which is why it has lived so long.
It is used by thousands of businesses, restaurants and amusement parks. It's not so much a valuable iPhone as an iPod touch stuffed into a custom box with an extended battery and card reader, or a special RF reader, or any peripheral device.
Therefore, although consumers will not be able to buy them after the supply runs out, they will still exist for some time. We have found that enterprise supplies and consumer oriented supplies are different inventory warehouses.
Therefore, although the iPod brand may disappear, it will not only be the vague influence mentioned in Apple's press release this morning, but also be felt. In at least a few more years, they will still be part of daily life.