Apple is officially discontinuing the iPod Classic, signaling the end of an era in music consumption and consumer music habits.
So there's no better time to take a look back at the history of the iPod, the device that forever changed how people enjoy music.
2001: "Your entire music library fits in your pocket." - Steve Jobs
The iPod was born out of a digital hub strategy design by Steve Jobs, who recognized that slowly but surely everything was going digital. With the computer at the center of it all, users were plugging in camcorders, cameras and, of course, MP3 players. Steve Jobs requested engineers create software that could edit photos, movies and manage music. In doing this, however, they discovered a lack of good MP3 players.
Jobs then asked his top hardware engineer at the time, Jon Rubinstein, to create an MP3 player that would beat the rest. Rubinstein, however, concluded after a few weeks that the technology was simply not there yet.
It was around this time that Rubinstein made a visit to Toshiba at which the company showed him a prototype of a new 1.8-inch hard drive. This was the key for the iPod.
Steve Jobs unveiled the iPod on Oct. 23, 2001. With a whopping 5 GB of storage and the ability to store 1,000 songs, the $399 device, while the subject of skepticism initially, eventually became a huge success.
2004: The iPod goes mini
While the second and third generations of iPod were relatively similar to the first, in 2004 the iPod was given a facelift.
The iPod Mini featured a new and improved click wheel, which had control buttons built in to it. The device was as sleek as ever, and of course was an instant success.
This year also saw the 100 millionth song downloaded on iTunes, with the buyer getting a congratulatory call from Steve Jobs himself.
2005: "Every day I'm Shufflin'"
The year 2005 saw the release of three new iPods. The first was the iPod shuffle, the smallest iPod ever. The iPod Shuffle removed the display, which was unnecessary because, as the name suggests, songs were always on shuffle.
The iPod Mini also got rebranded as the iPod Nano, which featured a more streamlined design and multiple color options.
Last but not least, the "iPod with video," which would later simply be called the iPod Video, was released. This featured 30 GB and 60 GB options and the ability to play a wide variety of video formats.
2007: "Magic Touch"
While the iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle and iPod Video underwent a few changes, the main attraction to the iPod lineup in 2007 was the introduction of the iPod Touch and the iPod Classic.
The iPod Touch offered users a similar experience to the newly introduced iPhone, without the phone portion. The iPod Touch is one of three iPod models that are still sold today, along with the iPod Nano and the iPod Shuffle.
The iPod Classic also saw a 2007 release, offering a much more "classic" iPod design while maintaining a streamlined and modern look.
2014: The iPod Retires
This year the Apple iPod Classic was taken out of its misery, signaling the end of an era. The iPod Classic maintained the classic iPod look and its removal from the lineup suggests a shift toward looking forward. The iPod line in general consists of the iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano and iPod Touch, each model receiving minor upgrades every few years. Only time will tell what is in store next.
