IPod
From Applepedia
The title given to this article is incorrect because of MediaWiki limitations. The correct title is iPod.
Contents |
Background
Apple's iPod originated as a small hard-drive based MP3 player featuring a small LCD screen on the top half of the device, unique wheel interface with four buttons and a center button on the lower half. It revolutionized the portable media player industry and has evolved into a complete line of innovative digital media players.
History
2001
On January 9, 2001, Apple Computers, Inc announced iTunes for the Macintosh. It was an all-in-one MP3 playing application that featured a simple user interface and built-in CD ripping and burning capabilities.
A few months later on October 23, Apple announced a hard-drive based portable MP3 player. Most of the MP3 players on the market at the time were all flash-memory based. The iPod was to have 5GB of storage, which translates roughly to about 1000 songs. It worked only with Macs that had iTunes installed, and interfaced via FireWire. The iPod had a retail price of $399.
Weeks later, on November 10, the first iPod shipped.
At the end of 2001, Apple had sold 125,000 iPods.
2002
Apple announced a 10GB iPod that could hold 2000 songs on March 20, 2002 for $499. Contact list functionality was added.
On July 17, 2002 Apple announced:
- A PC version of the iPod. Since iTunes was not available for the PC then, music would be synchronized via the horrible failure known as MusicMatch Jukebox.
- 20GB version
- 10GB and 20GB version now use the touch-sensitive Scroll Wheel instead of the more damage-prone moving wheel from the previous generation.
- Prices lowered. 5GB - $299, 10GB - $399, 20GB - $499.
All iPods at this point still require FireWire.
In October of 2002, Dell, Best Buy, and Target all sold the iPod.
The most expensive iPods ever sold at this were available in December of 2002, featuring a laser-engraved signature of Madonna, Beck, or Tony Hawk for another $49. $549 total.
2003
Apple announces the third generation of the iPod on April 28, 2003. They were smaller and thinner than previous generations, due to the removal of the FireWire port from the device. It was replaced by the dock connector, and all the controls on the device were touch-sensitive. Price cuts across the board.
- 10GB/2000 songs - $299
- 15GB/3700 songs - $399
- 30GB/7500 songs - $499
All third-generation iPods worked with either Macs or PCs.
Apple also unveiled the iTunes Music Store, offering individual songs for $0.99 each, or an entire album for $9.99. A week after the launching of iTunes Music Store, over 1,000,000 songs had been sold.
On June 23, 2003, Apple sold their 1,000,000th iPod.
September 8, 2003. Apple speedbumped the iPod line and announced that it has sold over ten million songs
- 20GB/5000 songs - $399
- 40GB/10,000 songs - $499
On October 16, 2003 a version of iTunes for the PC was released. It also allowed PC users to purchase music from iTunes Music Store, something only Mac iTunes users could do before. 13 million songs sold to date.
In November, the iPod's Dirty Little Secret video appeared on the Internet, which complained about the iPod's battery life.
2004
The iPod Mini was announced on January 6th. It was a smaller version of the iPod, featured a 4GB drive, and was available in five different colors, and featured the new Click Wheel for $249. More price cuts.
HP announced at CES on January 8th that it would license the iPod from Apple instead of developing a different product.
The first iPod Minis shipped on February 17.Apple subsequently postponed the international release to July, due to a rumored hard drive shortage by Hitachi.
May 5 - Apple sells three millionth iPod.
On July 12th, iTunes Music Store sold its 100,000,000th legal song. They had a contest running, and the purchaser of the milestone song won a 17" PowerBook, a 40GB iPod, and a gift certificate for 10,000 songs from the store.
July 19th was the day the fourth generation iPod was announced. It was thinner, had up to 12 hours of battery life, featured the Click Wheel from the iPod Mini, and as always, featured price cuts.
- 20GB - $299
- 40GB - $399
The mini was released worldwide on July 24, and again, sold like motherfucking hotcakes. Japan, as predicted, went batshit insane over the mini, with some stores reportedly selling out in hours.
Apple claimed a 58% market share on digital music players in the United States on August 31.
HP shipped their iPod on September, with the gimmick that you could print custom skins.
October 26th was when the iPod Photo was debuted. It was like the fourth generation, but had a color screen that you could view pictures synced from iTunes on, as well as plug it into a TV and bore your friends with slideshows of your vacation to Montana. The U2 edition was also announced. What a crazy marketing gimmick. Take a 4th gen iPod, make it black and red, have a laser zap some shit onto the back, and add $50 to the price tag. To be fair, the extra $50 came in the form of a $50 gift certificate to download the entire U2 box set from iTunes Music Store. Six million iPods have been sold at this point.
2005
On January 11th, 2005, Steve announced the existence of the iPod Shuffle, Apple's first foray into the flash memory market which they had avoided in the past. They too, sold like hotcakes.
Things were quiet for a bit until January 23rd, when the both the Mini and Photo recieved bumps and cuts. The 4GB Mini was dropped to $199, a 6GB Mini added for $249, and the hideous gold Mini was removed. The 40GB Photo was nuked, and replaced with a 30GB for $349, and the 60GB was dropped to $449.
As of April 14, 2005, iTMS has sold over 350 million songs.
On June 28, Apple mixed it up again with their revisions to the regular, non-mini and non-shuffle iPod. They dropped the 30GB, priced the 20GB at $300, and the 60GB at $400. A color screen was added to the 20GB model, turning it into an iPod Photo. Podcasting support was also added across the board (except for the Shuffle) by means of a firmware update.
On July 17, 2005, the 500,000,000th song was sold on the iTMS to Amy Greer, of Lafayette, IN. The song in question was "Mississippi Girl" by Faith Hill. Amy won 10 iPods, a 10,000-song gift card for iTMS, and four Coldplay tickets, complete with backstage passes.
September 7, 2005 saw the release of the new iPod Mini replacement, the iPod Nano. The tiny device is Apple's second flash-based player. Also unveiled was the Motorola ROKR, a cellphone that has a slimmed-down version of iTunes on it and synchronizes with Macs or PCs. iTunes 5 was also released.
On December 10, 2005, Apple released the current version of hard-drive-based iPods with video capability. The iPods are distinguished by a larger color screen and smaller form factor. They are available in 30 and 60 GB models.
2006
September 12: Upgrades everywhere. The Shuffle has been made incredibly tiny, the Nano now is aluminum and comes in colors, a-la the Mini, is thinner, and can have up to 8 gigs of music stuffed onto it. Battery is rated for 24 hours. The standard iPod has a 60% brighter screen, a new search feature, can handle the shiny new VGA-resolution movies from iTMS, better battery life, and now comes in a standard 30GB model, and a huge 80GB model. 30GB: $249 (same as a 8GB Nano), 80GB: $349.
iPod Generations
- 11/10/2001: IPod Generation 1 (iPod with scroll wheel)
- 17/7/2002: IPod Generation 2 (iPod with touch wheel)
- 28/4/2003: IPod Generation 3 (iPod with dock connector)
- 6/1/2004: iPod Mini
- 8/9/2004: IPod Generation 4 (iPod with click wheel)
- 26/10/2004: iPod Photo
- 26/10/2004: iPod U2 Edition
- 11/1/2005: iPod Shuffle
- 28/6/2005: iPod Generation 4 (G4 iPod with color screen)
- HP iPod
- 7/9/2005: iPod Nano (iPod Mini replacement)
- 12/10/2005 iPod Generation 5 (iPod with video functionality)
- 09/12/2006 iPod Shuffle 2.0, iPod Nano 2.0, iPod 2.5
Tips and Tricks
Random iPod Knowledge
- Hold down menu to turn on the backlight.
- To reset a click wheel (4G) iPod if it freezes, hold down the center button and the menu button.
- Hold down play/pause to turn off the unit.
- If your iPod is frozen at the Apple logo, you can enter diagnostic mode by holding Rewind and the center button for several seconds on click-wheel iPods, or Rewind and Fast-Forward on older iPods.
- On most iPods (except the Photo and Nano), you can mount them in disk mode, and then do "touch /Volumes/your_ipod_name/iPod_Control/Device/_show_voltage" in a terminal window to have the voltage display be a number from 0-500 instead of the battery icon. To undo this, do "rm /Volumes/your_ipod_name/iPod_Control/Device/_show_voltage" in a terminal.
Smart playlists and iPods
If you think the On-the-go playlists of the iPods are too limited, and you don't use star ratings, you can set up smart playlists for 1, 2, 3 and 4 stars, and then you can simply star-rate the songs on the iPod. This means that not only can you adds songs to a "playlist" while it's playing without hunting it down in the menus, you can actually remove a single song.
Proper Care
It's a good idea to buy a case or skin to prevent your iPod from scratches and make dropping it a little less horrible. Iskins, PodSleevz, Decal Girl etc. provide good protection. (someone add some more links here)
Broken iPods
iPods, like most other mass-produced electricky things with all sorts of moving parts, can and do break. Your options are, by and large, based on the warranty you have for it. Apple's website for iPod support is quite good. So good, in fact, you shouldn't ever have to start a broken iPod thread.
Sad iPod/Folder icon
You may have some luck restoring your iPod. Otherwise:
Under warranty or AppleCare
You're in luck! If you have an Apple Store nearby, you can take it there and should walk out with a working iPod or a replacement.
Out of warranty, or I didn't get AppleCare
You can get a battery replacement for $59, even if you're out of warranty. The brave can replace the battery themselves for what might be cheaper (check Google). If you're having hard drive issues (clicking, etc.) you may have some luck by hitting it against a desk, although you may do this at your own risk. DIY hard drive replacement is possible, but not for the faint of heart.
