A history of the Apple iPod, iTunes & the Music Store

iTunes

What came first ... the iPod or iTunes? It was the latter. Before the iPod was released, Mac users had had the 'iLife' suite of applications on their computer including iTunes version 1.0 - which had a 'three note' icon instead of the 'double' green one which people are familiar with today.

To this day, both Windows and Mac users can install and run iTunes on their computers without having to have an iPod - you can just use it to organise your music collection on your home computer - you don't have to have an iPod to have iTunes - something which not a lot of people realise.

So iTunes was around (for the Mac only) from January 2001 - without the online store - it merely let you rip your own music/CD collection in and play them through your computer.

First Generation iPod

A chap called Tony Fadell first conceived of iPod outside of Apple, but had difficulty finding funding and so took it to Apple and demonstrated his idea to Steve Jobs. Apple hired him as an independent contractor to bring his project to the public, where he then designed the first two generations before the UK design guru Jonathan Ives took over.

The first Generation iPod was announced on the 23rd October 2001, and was a 5Gb 'scroll wheel' model, which worked with Macs only. It could up up to around 1,000 songs, and went on sale the following month.

iTunes version 2.0 is released in October 2001 - still just a Mac application at this time, and now with a blue coloured icon instead.

In the spring of 2002, third party software developers begin releasing software that will make Windows PC's work with the Mac-only iPods by fooling the iPod into thinking it is connecting to a Mac and not a PC. This worked by fooling the iPod into thinking it was looking at a Mac mounted volume/disk and not a Windows one.

As Apple were only producing iPods for Macs at this time, software was also developed for Windows PC's to allow you to manage your music collected - Ephpod and Anapod being two that are still going today.

At around the same time, a new version (but still classified as first generation) of the iPod comes out - with a 10Gb hard disk, thus capable of storing 2,000 songs. Connectivity is firewire only.

Second Generation iPod

in July 2002, Apple replaced the mechanical scroll wheel with a solid-state touch wheel and gave us larger sized models. Looking exactly the same as the first generation, the second gen ones appear in the third quarter of 2002, but with several key points:

There is now a Windows PC version (which ships with the dreadful Yahoo! MusicMatch application instead of iTunes which hasn't been written for Windows yet), and secondly they are now available in 5Gb, 10Gb and 20Gb hard disk sizes - the latter two having a touch sensitive wheel, instead of one that physically moves. There is still no USB connectivity for them - not a problem for Mac users where Firewire comes as standard, but Windows PC users had to go and buy an additional firewire expansion card to make them work.

At the same time, iTunes verion 3.0 come out (with a different coloured icon again) and it's still only available for Macs. However, people know that a Windows version of it is on its way when adverts appear for programmers to work/code a Windows version of it.



Third Generation iPod

The third generation - and some would arguable say the model which really caught the publics mainstream attention - came out in April of 2003. They look different from the first and second generation models, and have had the buttons move from the outside of the wheel to just below the display.

There are three sizes: 10Gb (2,000 songs), 15Gb (3,750 songs) and 30Gb (7,500 songs) models available.

Another major upgrade is the fact that there are no 'separate' Mac or Windows PC models - any iPod will work on either type of computer, and also USB functionality is now built in for the first time.

In September of 2003, the 20Gb model replaced the 15Gb one (holds 5,000 songs), and a 40Gb model replaced the 30Gb one - which now holds 10,000 songs.

iTunes Music Store comes online

In April of 2003, a new version of iTunes (4.0) is released along with the launch of the iTunes Store - where you could legally buy and download music. But the store is for US based customers only, the rest of the world must wait a little longer.

Eventually, in October 2003 comes iTunes version 4.1 - for the very first time it's availabe for Windows based computers as well.

iPod mini

The iPod mini is released in January 2004 - a 'cut down' smaller version which has a 4Gb disk, that can hold 1,000 songs if you use Apples new AAC encoding system instead of MP3.

It also comes in five colours - silver, pink, green, blue and gold. It's the first appearance of the 'click wheel' as well where the four buttons have been placed underneath the scroll wheel.

On the main iPod front, the 10Gb model is replaced by a 15Gb one - although great bargains can be found with some retailers selling off the old 10Gb model stock.

iTunes store in the UK

The iTunes music store is launched in the UK in June of 2004. Other European countries follow shortly after, but people complain that the price is too high in the UK when compared to other countries.

Fourth Generation iPod

Just three weeks after I got my third generation model, Apple announce the new fourth generation ones, which now had an improved battery life, a click-wheel like the iPod mini, and they lower the price significantly as well! There are 20Gb and 40Gb models. They go on sale in September of 2004.

iPod Photo / U2 iPod

I'm still confused as to whether these should be known as fifth generation iPods or not, but the iPod photo is announced/released in October 2004. It has a colour screen, improved battery life again, a different screen font, and (hence the name) the ability to store and display photos. It comes in 40Gb and 60Gb capacities at quite a price.

At the same time, a limited edition black & red colour "U2 iPod" is released, in 20Gb only, it comes with the bands signatures engraved on the back of the iPod, along with a voucher that enables you to buy the entire back catalogue of U2's music from the iTunes music store.

iPod Shuffle

In January 2005, Apple release the iPod Shuffle - the first iPod with no screen and no hard disk, as it's flash memory based. It's tiny as is ideal for joggers and other sports people who want random music on the go. It's also one of the cheapest priced ipods yet. It comes in 512Mb and 1Gb sizes.

iPod mini (Second generation) and iPod Photo revised

Come February 2005, the iPod mini gets a makeover : It's now available in 6Gb models (as well as 4Gb), it gets an increased battery life (almost doubled), and the price is dropped making it excellent value for money. The Gold coloured iPod is dropped though as it is the one which sells the least.

In the iPod photo range the 40Gb is discontinued, and instead replaced by a smaller 30Gb model - but at a much cheaper price, and it's thinner too

The regular 'fourth generation' iPod (non-colour/photo) was then available in just the 20Gb size.

All iPods in colour

At the end of June 2005, the main iPod range was reduced two just two models - the 20Gb and 60Gb versions which were both in colour. They dropped the 'photo' branding as the non-colour/photo model was withdrawn meaning that all iPods now came in colour and could display photos. The U2 iPod - still proving to be surprisingly popular was also now available in colour.

The price was also dropped again. iTunes 4.9 was released at the same time, bringing with it Podcasting capabilities. iPod-mini at this time is still black and white though.

iPod Nano

In September 2005, Apple announced the iPod Nano - which replaced the iPod mini. A flash disk-based player that came in 4Gb and 6Gb models, and also now in TWO colours - black as well as white, these incredibly small and tiny players were snapped up immediately as they were so popular. They also had colour screens, a bit of a sore point for Apple as they then had to admit that there was a fault with some of them becoming badly scratched and broken shortly after.

That small problem aside (in a minority of cases) it was easily the most 'sexy' iPod yet that proved extremely popular.

iTunes 5 also came out at the same time with a new polished look, the ability to nest playlists within folders and a few more refinements.

iPod Video

Just when everyone thought that the Nano was the big thing that Apple would have out for the christmas 2005 market, just four weeks later they brought us something even newer and better in September 2005 - The iPod Video!

This replaces the iPod Photo, and U2 model, and came in 30Gb and 60Gb, and it was even thinner then before.

There is now a 2.5 inch wide 320x240 pixel screen that lets you watch video as well. iTunes 6.0 was brought out to allow you to download music video, short films, and (in the US only at first) certain TV programmes.

New Nanos, Shuffle and Video updated

In September 2006, Apple brought out the new shaped iPod shuffle - now smaller than ever and available in 1Gb.

They also redesigned the iPod nano, including a new 8Gb model. And had them in five refined colours - Silver, Purple, Black, Green and Blue. For a short while a 1Gb model of the older style nano was available too at a very cheap price.

The iPod Video was refined - and became available in 30Gb and 80Gb sizes (the biggest so far) - it included several refinements on the software of the iPod, including a new 'search' function that you could not get through firmware upgrades on existing iPods.

The release of iTunes 7.0 was a major step forward as the iTunes Music Store was renamed just 'iTunes Store' as you could now download music, TV shows and movies (and games!) for your iPod Video. It also incorporated updating the firmware on the iPod to within iTunes - you no longer have to download a seperate program to reset it, or keep it up to date.

In October 2006, a limited edition Red coloured nano was brought out with $10 of the purchase price going towards AIDS charities - as part of the Product Red range.

In January 2007, Apple announced the launch of the iPhone. A combination of phone and music player. In my mind it's a phone with an 8Gb iPod added in on the side, and not a 'proper' iPod. It DOES though however have a screen that is almost as big as the footprint of the unit, and is all controlled by touching the screen - no physical buttons. It wil be launched first in the USA in the Spring, and then Europe and the rest of the world to follow later, due to sorting out the contract side of the phone networks.

Personally, I'm still waiting for the 'proper' 6th generation iPod, which should have the wide-touch screen like the phone, but with a 80Gb hard disk, and no phone!

In February 2007, the Shuffle was made availale in five colours - silver/grey, purple, green, blue and orange. People suggest that you can now colour coordinate with your outfit and use them as tie-clips!