Apple iPod History: A look back

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iPod First Generation - 2001

The Apple iPod is truly an icon of our lifetime, even someone who isn't a fan of Apple can't deny that before the iPod, portable music was still mostly listened to on a Sony Walkman.

Its arrival in 2001 heralded the death of the portable CD player and the birth of MP3's. With the arrival of the new iPod Touch and as we approach the iPod 10th anniversary, we salute the Apple PMP great

The Apple iPod was brought to life in the form of a large, cumbersome white box that had a pixel-filled screen and a click-wheel.

Since then its classic design has remained, while other members of the iPod family were born, some being successes, some not so much, either way, they always sold.

From scroll wheels, to filming video on your Nano, the Apple media player has had its fair share of looks, with the iPod Touch and iPod Nano fine examples of the design evolution.

iPod First Generation - 2001

Apple first cast its spell in 2001 when they released its first hard drive digital music player: the iPod 1G.

With its 5GB capacity and monochrome display, Apple's first iPod was revolutionary. Despite its purpose being to allow Mac users to transport their music library on a daily basis, these little beauties were bought in their thousands by non-Mac users, even though they sold for a mighty price.

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iPod Second Generation - 2002

The following year Apple released the iPod 2G, an almost identical replica of the 1G, the few differences being it came with a 10GB or 20GB capacity and the mechanical wheel of the iPod 1G had been replaced by a touch-sensitive wheel.

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iPod Third Generation - 2003

The iPod 3G was Apple's first complete redesign of the previous model. This device boasted an all-touch interface, dock connector, slimmer case and up to 40GB capacity, yet on the downside its audio battery life was 2 hours shorter than both previous models.

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iPod Fourth Generation - 2004

The iPod 4G benefited from the development of the iPod mini, from which it gained a swanky click wheel. Apple made up for the low battery life of the 3G by boosting this one up by 4 hour and redesigned the hold switch as well.

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iPod Mini First Generation - 2004

The iPod Mini 1G had a mere 4G capacity and an 8-hour battery life much to the dismay of eager buyers, but its click wheel controls, body colour selection and its size made up for what it lacked in memory and stamina.

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iPod Nano First Generation - 2005

The iPod Nano was developed as a replacement for the short-lived 'mini' model. Buyers of this model had a narrow choice between a black and a white body for their iPod which incorporated flash memory and a colour screen for picture viewing.

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Apple iPod Fifth Generation

The iPod 5G was the first classic iPod to be available in alternatively coloured non-special edition. This model featured a larger QVGA screen and a smaller click wheel and was the first iPod Classic model to incorporate video playback.

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iPod Mini Second Generation - 2005

Apple's second iPod Mini had a slightly larger capacity (6GB) and an extra ten hours battery life. The iPod Mini 2G's body was more aesthetic pleasing than its predecessors as the click wheel lettering matched its body colour.

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