Apple iPod: One Decade Later

Apple celebrated the iPod's 10th birthday recently. The iPod embarked upon its journey a decade ago and managed to create a heritage by leaping through generations and generations of devices. Through the years Apple devices have shed weight, been tweaked about and even surprised us by being completely unique. So a quick walk down memory lane reminds us about this iconic product, the first of the "i" generation of devices to make it out of Apple. Here's a brief history on the transformation this ‘i’ device has undergone from its launch 10 years ago.

iPod Classic (2001 - 2009):
The year was 2001, the month October, when the term iPod was coined. Some of us were in our teens and others much younger when the revolution began. It has shown a drastic transformation from the days of the 5GB hard drive, mechanical wheel and its attempt to lure people through the slogan ‘1000 songs in your pocket.’ The improved second and third generation iPod Classic's didn’t take too long to show up either - July 2002 and April 2003 respectively. In July 2004, the fourth generation iPod Classic adopted the click wheel and came with what was then considered, massive storage space of 40GB.

Where it all began...

There were even a few sepcial edition Classics that made it out like the the special U2 and Harry Potter editions that were released in 2006. The fifth generation iPod Classic appeared in October 2005 with a more polished and sophisticated look. In 2006, it received the iPod Video functionality and Apple also stopped bundling the iTunes CD which was then made available through the online Apple store. All through the years, Apple maintained the classic touch of  this device and in 2007 introduced the slimmer, glossier iPod Classic with a whopping 160GB of space. The actual iteration terming it ‘Classic’ came to be around this time. The device further evolved into a slimmer 120GB model but soon enough it re-adopted the voluminous space of 160GB in a sleeker profile.

iPod Mini (2004 - 2005):
The mid-range iPod Mini product line didn’t see the light of the day for too long and only two models made an appearance before it was completely replaced by the iPod Nano. The first generation was launched in January 2004 in five hues with of 4GB storage while its successor followed about a year later in February 2005 with 4GB and 6GB memory options. However, the Mini’s design is well depicted in a few of the Nanos that followed.

For those with shallower pockets

iPod Nano (2005 - 2011):
The Nano has also come a long way after completely replacing the iPod Mini lineup in 2005 with a 1.5-inch screen and 14 hours playback (that Apple claimed), took cues from the latter’s design scheme. The following models witnessed better anodized aluminuim casings (scratch-resistant) and a drove of color choices which kept improving and expanding. In September 2006, the second generation of this series stepped in while the same year Apple got philanthropic and dipped the device in red to form Product Red.

The Inbetweeners

The third generation Nano underwent a design makeover (not for any good unfortunately) in September 2007. Reaching the fourth generation in 2009, Apple retained the older form, in fact it got much sleeker. In 2009, the fifth generation Nano was much slimmer and came equipped with a camera along with Live Pause for FM radio, a built-in pedometer, Nike+iPod Support and a built-in speaker. The sixth generation saw a design overhaul and turned heads over its tiny Shuffle-like square form factor integrated with a 1.54-inch touchscreen. Introduced in September 2010, it promised 24 hours of music on a single charge and also bid goodbye to the click wheel and the camera. This year at Let's Talk iPhone, Apple decided to simply touch up the Nano’s UI with resizable home buttons, enhanced fitness app and sixteen new clock faces.