Apple's iconic music player, the iPod, celebrates its 25th anniversary, marking Steve Jobs' classic contribution that transformed the music industry.
On October 23, 2001, then-Apple CEO Steve Jobs officially unveiled the first-generation iPod.
This once globally popular product not only changed how people listened to music but also became a significant milestone in Apple's development history.
The first-generation iPod featured the slogan "1,000 songs in your pocket," equipped with a 5GB hard drive, a monochrome LCD screen, and a mechanical click wheel. It offered up to 10 hours of battery life and was priced at $399 (approximately 2,664 RMB).
At the time, the iPod required pairing with a Mac computer and iTunes, using a FireWire interface to transfer music and charge the device.
Apple stated that users could transfer songs from a CD in under 10 seconds and import 1,000 songs in less than 10 minutes.
Although some users initially considered the iPod overpriced and limited to Mac compatibility, continuous product iterations helped it quickly capture the market.
In 2004, Apple launched the smaller iPod mini; in 2005, the iPod shuffle and iPod nano made their debuts; and in 2007, the iPod touch was officially introduced, further expanding the product line.
The growth in sales also affirmed the iPod's market influence.
In April 2007, Apple announced that cumulative iPod sales had surpassed 100 million units. By 2011, total sales exceeded 304 million, making it one of the most representative digital music players worldwide.
However, as multifunctional devices like the iPhone became increasingly popular, the market for standalone music players continued to shrink.
Apple discontinued the iPod classic in 2014, the iPod nano and iPod shuffle in 2017, and announced the discontinuation of the final generation iPod touch in May 2022.
With this, the iPod officially exited Apple's product lineup.
