One of Apple's most iconic products almost didn't exist
Remember the days of swiping in a circular direction, rather than up and down? It sure was an exciting time to be alive.
Well, shockingly, this nearly wasn’t the case - as Apple’s iPod almost didn’t exist.
Released on October 23, 2001, the iPod was the first MP3 player to fit 1,000 songs and a 10-hour battery life into a compact 6.5-ounce device.
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Since then, October 23 has marked the celebration of National iPod Day - an historic occasion for tech lovers.
Legend goes that inventor Tony Fadell came up with the idea for a portable MP3 player with an online music store - other tech giants were said to pass on his idea, meaning it could have died a death then and there.
Luckily, Apple took notice - he was hired and led a team to design the iPod, which helped the company become the behemoth it is today.
The name itself was reportedly suggested by a freelance copywriter, Vinnie Chieco, who was inspired by a phrase “Open the pod bay door, Hal!" from Stanley Kubrick's movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.
It was not the first product to look the way it did - it was influenced by the 1958 Braun T3 transistor radio, created by German designer Dieter Rams.
Shockingly, it was illegal to play your iPod louder than 100 decibels in France, and in 2002, Apple even temporarily pulled the device from store shelves in the country because it was capable of producing noise levels that exceed government regulations.
In 2022, Apple discontinued the much-loved music device - it said it would continue to sell the Touch, the last remaining generation of the iPod on sale, “while supplies last”.
And it's now considered a collectible item - on Reddit, there’s a dedicated forum to people sharing their passion for the product, with one user owning 39 editions.
In 2023, Barrons reported that a first-generation iPod, which was still in its original, sealed packaging, sold for a whopping $29,000.
The owner received it as a Christmas gift in 2001, which cost his parents $399 plus tax, placed it on his shelf, and never opened it.
When his father died, he rediscovered the iPod when he went to clean out the house where he grew up.
So, as is the case with many world-changing designs, it was a string of luck that helped the iPod come into being.