Apple Introduced the First iPod 10 Years Ago Today

Steve Jobs introduced the world to the very first iPod 10 years ago today, effectively changing the way we listen to music as well as vastly altering the music industry.

While the iPod was not the first MP3 player, it was the first to catch on among the masses, the first version of the device offering space for 1,000 songs and 10 hours of battery life in a gadget that could fit in your pocket. And a decade later, the term "MP3 player" has nearly been replaced with the word "iPod." 

"If ever there was a product that catalyzed Apple's reason for being, it's this," Apple's late co-founder said shortly after the iPod was released. 

To date, Apple has sold more than 300 million iPods, the Telegraph noted. But the gadget had a slower start when it was first released. At $399, it was expensive. The Business Insider dug up a New York Times article from the day the iPod launched that said "it's a nice feature for Macintosh users, but to the rest of the Windows world, it doesn't make any difference."

It wasn't until 2002, when Apple launched the iTunes Store and a Windows-compatible version of iTunes, that it started to come together, the Telegraph said. By June 2003, Apple had sold one million iPods. Just six months later, sales had reached two million, and by the end of 2004, Apple had sold 10 million iPods. 

Sales of the iPod have slowed, however, as people are increasingly carrying their music on their smartphones. In the fourth quarter of 2010, iPod sales accounted for just 8 percent of Apple's total revenue. As iPhone sales are exploding (Apple sold four million units of the iPhone 4S in its first weekend), Apple could be winding down the iPod. Before Apple's iPhone 4S event, there was evidence circulating that Apple would kill the iPod Classic. Although the device didn't get an update as it usually does in the fall, the iPod won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

http://techcrunch.com