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== History == {{see also|Timeline of Apple Inc. products}} [[File:Various iPods.jpg|thumb|Various iPod models. From left to right: iPod 5th generation in a case, iPod 4th generation, [[iPod Mini]], [[iPod Nano]], [[iPod Shuffle]]]] Portable MP3 players had existed since the mid-1990s; however, Apple found existing digital music players "big and clunky or small and useless" with user interfaces that were "unbelievably awful".<ref name="straight">{{Cite magazine |last=Kahney |first=Leander |title=Straight Dope on the IPod's Birth |language=en-US |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2006/10/straight-dope-on-the-ipods-birth/ |access-date=2023-02-05 |issn=1059-1028 |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128211255/https://www.wired.com/2006/10/straight-dope-on-the-ipods-birth/ |url-status=live }}</ref> They also identified weaknesses in existing models' attempt to negotiate the trade-off between capacity and portability: flash memory-based players held too few songs, while the hard drive based models were too big and heavy. To address these deficits, the company decided to develop its own MP3 player.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=The iPod: How Apple's legendary portable music player came to be|url=https://www.macworld.com/article/1163181/the-birth-of-the-ipod.html?page=2|access-date=|website=Macworld}}</ref> At Apple CEO [[Steve Jobs]]' direction, hardware engineering chief [[Jon Rubinstein]] recruited [[Tony Fadell]], a former employee of [[General Magic]] and [[Philips]], who had a business idea to invent a better MP3 player and build a complementary music sales store. Fadell had previously developed the [[Philips Velo]] and [[Philips Nino|Nino PDA]] before starting a company called Fuse Systems to build the new MP3 player, but [[RealNetworks]], [[Sony]] and Philips had already passed on the project.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite magazine|last=|first=|year=2004|title=Inside Look at Birth of the IPod|url=https://www.wired.com/2004/07/inside-look-at-birth-of-the-ipod/|access-date=|magazine=Wired|archive-date=February 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227003313/http://www.wired.com/2004/07/inside-look-at-birth-of-the-ipod/|url-status=live}}</ref> Rubinstein had already discovered the Toshiba hard disk drive while meeting with an Apple supplier in Japan, ultimately purchasing the rights to it for Apple. Rubinstein had also already made substantial progress on development of other key hardware elements, including the device's screen and battery.<ref>Steve Jobs by Walter Issac page 865</ref> Fadell found support for his project with Apple Computer and was hired by Apple in 2001 as an independent contractor to work on the iPod project, then code-named project P-68.<ref name="tidbits-shayer">{{cite web|last1=Shayer|first1=David|date=August 17, 2020|title=The Case of the Top Secret iPod|url=https://tidbits.com/2020/08/17/the-case-of-the-top-secret-ipod/|access-date=18 August 2020|website=TidBITS|archive-date=August 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818211349/https://tidbits.com/2020/08/17/the-case-of-the-top-secret-ipod/|url-status=live}}</ref> Because most of Apple's engineering manpower and resources were already dedicated to the iMac line, Fadell hired engineers from his startup company, Fuse, and veteran engineers from General Magic and Philips to build the core iPod development team.<ref name=":2" /> Time constraints forced Fadell to develop various components of the iPod outside Apple.<ref name=":2" /> Fadell partnered with a company called [[PortalPlayer]] to design software for the device; this work eventually took shape as the iPod OS.<ref name="tidbits-shayer" /> Within eight months, Tony Fadell's team and PortalPlayer had completed a prototype.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|year=2019|title=The Short but Interesting History of the iPod|url=https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-ipod-1992005|access-date=|website=Thoughtco|archive-date=January 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124163719/https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-ipod-1992005|url-status=live}}</ref> The power supply was then designed by [[Michael Dhuey]],<ref>{{cite news|date=September 24, 2007|title=2007 Engineer of the Year Finalist Michael Dhuey's Hardware Knowledge Helps Breathe Life Into iPod, TelePresence|publisher=Design News|url=https://www.designnews.com/article/CA6478178.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012084944/https://www.designnews.com/article/CA6478178.html|archive-date=October 12, 2007}}</ref> while the display was designed in-house by Apple design engineer [[Jonathan Ive]].<ref name="straight" /> The original iPod's physical appearance was inspired by the 1958 Braun T3 transistor radio designed by [[Dieter Rams]], while the wheel-based user interface drew on Bang & Olufsen's [[BeoCom]] 6000 telephone.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Sorrel|first=Charlie|title=Gallery of Gadgets Which Inspired Modern Day Tech|url=https://www.wired.com/2011/05/gallery-of-gadgets-which-inspired-modern-day-tech/|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|access-date=May 1, 2014|date=May 13, 2011|archive-date=May 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502002232/http://www.wired.com/2011/05/gallery-of-gadgets-which-inspired-modern-day-tech/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Carr|first=Austin|title=Apple's Inspiration For The iPod? Bang & Olufsen, Not Braun|url=https://www.fastcodesign.com/3016910/apples-inspiration-for-the-ipod-bang-olufsen-not-dieter-rams|magazine=[[Fast Company (magazine)|Fast Company]]|access-date=May 1, 2014|date=November 6, 2013|archive-date=May 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512131656/http://www.fastcodesign.com/3016910/apples-inspiration-for-the-ipod-bang-olufsen-not-dieter-rams|url-status=live}}</ref> Apple CEO Steve Jobs set an exacting standard for the device's physical design; one anecdote relates an occasion on which Jobs dropped a prototype into an aquarium in front of engineers to demonstrate from bubbles leaving its housing that the current design contained unused internal space.<ref>{{cite web |title=Here's Why Steve Jobs Dropped The First iPod Prototype Into An Aquarium To Prove A Point |url=https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/Heres-Why-Steve-Jobs-Dropped-The-First-iPod-Prototype-Into-An-Aquarium-To-Prove-A-Point/articleshow/45194583.cms |website=Business Insider |access-date=31 December 2021 |date=18 November 2014 |archive-date=December 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231223020/https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/Heres-Why-Steve-Jobs-Dropped-The-First-iPod-Prototype-Into-An-Aquarium-To-Prove-A-Point/articleshow/45194583.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> Apple contracted another company, named [[Pixo]],<ref name="tidbits-shayer" /> to help design and implement the user interface (as well as Unicode, memory management, and event processing<ref name="tidbits-shayer" />) under Jobs' direct supervision.<ref name="straight" /> The name ''iPod'' was proposed by Vinnie Chieco, a freelance copywriter, who (with others) was contracted by Apple to determine how to introduce the new player to the public. After Chieco saw a prototype, he was reminded of the phrase "Open the pod bay doors, [[HAL 9000|Hal]]" from the classic sci-fi film ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'', referring to the white [[EVA Pod]]s of the [[Discovery One]] spaceship.<ref>[https://www.thisdayinquotes.com/2011/04/open-pod-bay-doors-hal.html “Open the pod bay doors, HAL.”] – Thisdayinquotes.com, April 2, 2017.</ref> Chieco's proposal drew an analogy between the relationship of the spaceship to the smaller independent pods and that of a personal computer to its companion music player.<ref name="straight" /> The product (which ''Fortune'' called "Apple's 21st-Century [[Walkman]]"<ref name="icon_steve_jobs">Simon, William L.; Young, Jeffrey S. (2005). ''iCon: Steve Jobs, The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business.'' New York: John Wiley & Sons, p. 343. {{ISBN|0-471-72083-6}}</ref>) was developed in less than one year and unveiled on October 23, 2001.<ref name="Guglielmo">{{cite news |last1=Guglielmo |first1=Connie |title=What it was like to watch Steve Jobs introduce the iPod 20 years ago |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/what-it-was-like-to-watch-steve-jobs-introduce-the-ipod-20-years-ago/ |access-date=23 October 2021 |work=CNET |date=23 October 2021 |archive-date=October 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023201413/https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/what-it-was-like-to-watch-steve-jobs-introduce-the-ipod-20-years-ago/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Jobs announced it as a Mac-compatible product with a 5 GB hard drive that put "1,000 songs in your pocket."<ref>{{cite web|title=A History of the iPod: 2000 to 2004|url=https://lowendmac.com/orchard/05/origin-of-the-ipod.html|access-date=August 15, 2011|publisher=Lowendmac.com|archive-date=August 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828041345/http://lowendmac.com/orchard/05/origin-of-the-ipod.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 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 [[United States Patent and Trademark Office|U.S. Patent and Trademark Office]] (USPTO) in July 2000 for [[Internet kiosk]]s. The first iPod kiosks had been demonstrated to the public in New Jersey in March 1998, and commercial use began in January 2000, but the venture had apparently been discontinued by 2001. The trademark was registered by the USPTO (or TSPMO) in November 2003, and Grasso assigned it to Apple Computer, Inc. in 2005.<ref>Serial No. 78018061, Registration No. 2781793, records of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. InPub, LLC, filed an "IPOD" trademark on June 1, 1999, for "computer software and hardware." The trademark was abandoned May 18, 2000, without commercial use.</ref> Separately, the earliest recorded use in commerce of an "iPod" trademark was in 1991 by Chrysalis Corp. of Sturgis, Michigan, styled "''i''POD", for office furniture.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ipod by Chrysalis Incorporated|url=https://www.trademarkia.com/ipod-74132201.html|access-date=December 20, 2011|publisher=Trademarkia|archive-date=January 30, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130061439/http://www.trademarkia.com/ipod-74132201.html|url-status=live}}</ref> As development of the iPod progressed, Apple continued to refine the software's look and feel, rewriting much of the code. Starting with the [[iPod Mini]], the [[Chicago (typeface)|Chicago]] font was replaced with [[Espy Sans]]. Later iPods switched fonts again to [[Podium Sans]]—a font similar to Apple's corporate font, [[Myriad (typeface)|Myriad]]. Color display iPods then adopted some [[macOS|Mac OS X]] themes like Aqua progress bars, and a [[Brushed Metal (interface)|brushed metal]] appearance in the [[lock screen|screen lock]] interface. On January 8, 2004, [[Hewlett-Packard]] (HP) announced that they would sell [[iPod+HP|HP-branded iPods]] under a license agreement from Apple. Several new retail channels were used—including [[Walmart]]—and these iPods eventually made up 5% of all iPod sales. In July 2005, HP stopped selling iPods due to unfavorable terms and conditions imposed by Apple.<ref>[https://www.appleinsider.com/articles/05/07/29/hp_to_stop_selling_apples_ipods.html HP to stop selling Apple's iPods] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210325042550/https://appleinsider.com/articles/05/07/29/hp_to_stop_selling_apples_ipods.html |date=March 25, 2021 }}, ''[[Apple rumors community|AppleInsider]]'', July 29, 2005. Retrieved on August 6, 2007.</ref> In 2006, Apple partnered with Irish rock band [[U2]] to present a special edition of the [[#Models and features|5th-generation iPod]]. Like its predecessor, this iPod has the signatures of the four members of the band engraved on its back, but this one was the first time the company changed the color of the stainless steel back from a silver chrome to black. This iPod was only available with 30 GB of storage capacity. The special edition entitled purchasers to an exclusive video with 33 minutes of interviews and performance by U2, downloadable from the iTunes Store.<ref>{{cite web|date=June 6, 2006|title=Apple Introduces the New U2 iPod|url=https://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/06/06Apple-Introduces-the-New-U2-iPod.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140118175159/https://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/06/06Apple-Introduces-the-New-U2-iPod.html|archive-date=January 18, 2014|access-date=January 18, 2014|publisher=Apple, Inc.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/apple-computer-ipod-u2-special-edition-with-video/ |title=Apple Computer iPod U2 Special Edition (with video) |publisher=iLounge Article |date=June 9, 2006 |access-date=January 18, 2014 |archive-date=February 1, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201130222/http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/apple-computer-ipod-u2-special-edition-with-video/ |url-status=live }}</ref> 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, displaying the menus on the left and album artwork, photos, or videos on the right. In mid-2015, several new color schemes for all of the current iPod models were spotted in the iTunes 12.2 update. Belgian website Belgium iPhone originally found the images after plugging in an iPod for the first time, and subsequent photos were discovered by Pierre Dandumont before being leaked.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://9to5mac.com/2015/07/01/itunes-12-2-updates-indicates-gold-ipod-nano-new-ipod-touch-shuffle-colors/|title=iTunes 12.2 update indicates new gold, dark blue, dark pink iPod nano, touch + shuffle colors|work=9TO5Mac|date=July 1, 2015|access-date=July 4, 2015|archive-date=July 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703231223/http://9to5mac.com/2015/07/01/itunes-12-2-updates-indicates-gold-ipod-nano-new-ipod-touch-shuffle-colors/?|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Colleau|first=Alexandre|date=July 1, 2015|title=Exclu: iTunes 12.2 révèle les futurs iPod|trans-title=Excluded: iTunes 12.2 reveals future iPods|url=https://belgium-iphone.lesoir.be/2015/07/01/exclu-les-nouveaux-ipod-brievement-apercus-dans-itunes-12-2-photo/|access-date=July 4, 2015|work=Belgium iPhone|language=fr|archive-date=July 28, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728040254/https://belgium-iphone.lesoir.be/iphone/exclu-les-nouveaux-ipod-brievement-apercus-dans-itunes-12-2-photo|url-status=live}}</ref> On July 27, 2017, Apple removed the iPod Nano and Shuffle from its stores, marking the end of Apple's production of standalone music players.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/story/goodbye-ipod-and-thanks-for-all-the-tunes/|title=Goodbye iPod, and Thanks for All the Tunes|magazine=WIRED|access-date=August 1, 2017|language=en-US|archive-date=July 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729214505/https://www.wired.com/story/goodbye-ipod-and-thanks-for-all-the-tunes/|url-status=live}}</ref> On May 10, 2022, Apple discontinued the iPod Touch, the last remaining product in the iPod line.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=The music lives on |url=https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/05/the-music-lives-on/ |access-date=2022-05-10 |website=Apple Newsroom |language=en-US |archive-date=July 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230711015353/https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/05/the-music-lives-on/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[iOS 15]] was the last iOS release the 7th generation iPod touch received, as future versions from [[iOS 16]] onward no longer support the device.
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