Five-year development of Apple iPod - Mp4 Converter

Apple CEO, Steve Jobs introduced the first Apple iPod player with the tagline: "1,000 songs in your pocket". It was a 5GB hard disk based portable music player (MP3 Audio player). Apple iPod player was not the first hard disk based MP3 audio player, but it was the first to be in a compact form. It was first using 1.8? hard drive as opposed to 2.5? and 3.5? hard drives. Unlike any other models, the Apple iPod player utilizes FireWire connectivity for fast data transfer. It is also tighly integrated into Apple iTunes, the experience only Mac users could have at that time.

Shortly after the release of Apple iPod player, other manufacturers started releasing compact hard drive based MP3 audio players. None of them could compete with the function and the style of iPod player. There were two things that made iPod stood out:

The iConic white color on its faceplate and the earbuds
The ScrollWheel

The original 5GB iPod player(the iPod classic) was priced at $399, a seemingly shocking sticker price. Apple only sold 125,000 units of iPod within the first two months of its introduction. Apple then released a 10GB model which was retailed for $499 a few months after.

The second generations (2G) iPod player came in 10GB and 20GB. The appearance of the first and second generations (2G) of iPod player were almost identical. In response to the few wear and tear problems with the scrollwheel, Apple replaced it with a circular touchpad. The 2G iPod player also sports a cover on its firewire port. Apple also rolled out Windows-formatted iPod after the release of 2G iPod player.

The third generations (3G) iPod player came in larger capacities. Throughout its life span, 3G iPod player came in 10, 15, 20, 30, and 40 GB capacities. The iPod was redesigned eliminating all mechanical buttons. The 3G iPod player featured circular touchpad, with four touch sensitive buttons above the touchpad and one in its center. In addition to that, Apple replaced the FireWire port with a USB2.0/FireWire combo port. Apple released iTunes for Windows in 2003 with full iPod support.

The fourth generations (4G) iPod player came in 20, 30, 40, and 60 GB capacities. Once again, the Apple iPod player was redesigned. thistime, all the touch sensitive buttons and the circular touchwheel were replaced with a circular and mechanical touchpad, and a mechanical center button. It's called the ClickWheel. The 4G iPod player resembles more like the original iPod than the 3G iPod player. Apple also released iPod with color screen and dub it as iPod photo.

The fifth generations (5G) iPod player came in even larger capacities. it came in 30, 60, and 80GB capacities. It also has bigger screen and capable of playing videos. The 5G iPod player lost its ability to sync over FireWire. The 5G iPod player syncs only through USB 2.0, but it will still charge through FireWire.

There are also different incarnations of Apple iPod player. They are:

iPod mini - 2GB, 4GB, and 6GB (2 generations)
iPod shuffle - 512MB and 1GB (first generation)
iPod shuffle - 1GB (second generation - current in 2006)
iPod nano - 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB (first generation)
iPod nano - 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB (second generation - current in 2006) which resemble smaller and thinner iPod mini

Overall, Apple has sold over 67,000,000 iPod players so far. With all the rumors and speculations of its next generations, the Apple iPod player will certainly be in the spotlight times and again.