The iPod at 5
It was by no means the first MP3 player on the market when it was unveiled in 2001, but the iPod quickly emerged as the most famous--and by far the most successful.
In the half decade since its unveiling, Apple Computer's iPod has grown up but not out. It has gotten smaller in size and more powerful in performance, both as a digital music player and as a force in the marketplace. Here's another look at one of the most successful and, among its competitors, envied gadgets in the history of consumer electronics.
The latest iPod stories
iPod at 5: The little gadget that could
The ubiquitous white earbuds revolutionized digital music and consumer electronics in October 2001, and Apple shows no signs of letting up.
Photos: iPod through the years
October 20, 2006
Top 5 moments in iPod history
video CNET TV to iPod: This is your life.
October 20, 2006
How the iPod changed music listening
video iPod users tell us how the device changed the way they listen to music, plus a flashback to the Walkman era.
October 18, 2006
Apple results beat the Street
Buoyed by strong Mac and iPod sales, results sail past expectations. But company's holiday outlook is less rosy than some analysts had hoped.
October 18, 2006
Red iPod supports AIDS charity
Apple and others are selling red products to support a Bono-backed fund that fights AIDS in Africa.
Photos: Nano Red
October 13, 2006
A look at new 80GB iPod
CNET editors' take The device has many incremental improvements, including a brighter screen, better battery life and appealing price.
September 19, 2006
Pros and cons of the new Nano
CNET editors' take Do the features of the 4GB iPod Nano justify its cost, and how does it compare to the 8GB SanDisk Sansa e280?
September 13, 2006
iTunes 7 for Mac
Create MP3 libraries, burn CDs and download music to your iPod with the new version of iTunes. Click here for more details about this free download for use with Mac.
September 12, 2006
iTunes 7 for Windows
Create MP3 libraries, burn CDs and download music to your iPod with the new version of iTunes. Click here for more details about this free download for use with Windows.
September 12, 2006
Latest iTunes steals the show
blog Digital audio expert and CNET senior editor James Kim took a first look at Apple's new crop of products.
September 12, 2006
iPod over the years
An iPod retrospective
CNET.com's digital-audio expert James Kim evaluates the various models.
March 28, 2006
With Nano and Rokr, Apple makes itself heard
roundup The iPod keeps getting smaller, even as it stays the big kid on the music player block. Also: iTunes in a phone.
September 10, 2005
Boom of the iPod add-ons
How can you accessorize your iPod? Marketers count the ways--and the cash.
Photos: The iPod economy
January 31, 2005
iPod goes trick-or-treating
photos Some Halloween inspiration from enthusiasts who have dressed as their favorite music player with varying degrees of artistic and technical prowess.
Oct. 28, 2005
U2 pitches for Apple
New iTunes ads airing during baseball games Tuesday will feature the advertising-shy Irish rockers.
October 12, 2004
Apple launches iTunes for Windows
Stating that "hell froze over," Apple CEO Steve Jobs expands his digital music service into the much larger market for Windows-based PCs.
October 16, 2004
iPod rivals
RealNetworks loads up SanDisk media players
Starting with Sansa e200 gadgets, Real counts on consumers wanting to take "music library" from one device to another.
Photos: SanDisk players
September 18, 2006
Microsoft unwraps Zune for holiday season
The media player will come in white, brown, and black, and lets you share a song up to three times over three days.
Photos: Pressing play on Zune
September 14, 2006
High-capacity flash players
photos They're no longer the dinky little siblings of hard-drive MP3 players. These tiny machines hold up to 8 gigs.
September 1, 2006
Has iPod's hit parade stalled?
Apple hasn't significantly updated music player this year; rivals have added capacity and more.
Photos: Going up against iPod
August 23, 2006
When it debuted in October 2001, the iPod attracted mixed reviews. Some analysts said the $399 music player, which stored 1,000 songs on its 5GB hard drive, was nicely realized but too expensive to break into the music player niche. Apple saw things differently. "We have very little doubt that every (iPod) we build, we can sell," said one exec.
Apple Computer has grown from a tiny start-up to a household name and cultural icon known as much for its music players as its computers. It's easy to forget how it fell from the top of the tech heap in the 1990s, but glossing over those years would make it difficult to describe just how remarkable Apple's current renaissance is.
A retrospective, from the first-generation iPod to the special U2 and Red editions.
It has philanthropy in mind with its latest Bono tie-in. But it hasn't forgotten the music player's hedonistic side.
Steve Jobs takes the stage to talk up entertainment offerings including new iPods, an iTV box and movie downloads.
A site devoted to the iPod held a contest asking for fans' designs for the next iPod.
These MP3 players are mounting a challenge to the iPod, which hasn't been updated for a while.
iPod users tell us how the device changed the way they listen to music, plus a flashback to the Walkman era.
The lineup gains new prices, games (think "Pac-man" and "Tetris") and a storage boost.
Steve Jobs announces that movie downloads will be available through iTunes.
New Nanos come three ways--a 2GB in silver only; a 4GB in silver, blue, pink and green; and a 8GB in black only.
In the half decade since its unveiling, Apple Computer's iPod has grown up but not out. It has gotten smaller in size and more powerful in performance, both as a digital music player and as a force in the marketplace. Here's another look at one of the most successful and, among its competitors, envied gadgets in the history of consumer electronics.
The latest iPod stories
iPod at 5: The little gadget that could
The ubiquitous white earbuds revolutionized digital music and consumer electronics in October 2001, and Apple shows no signs of letting up.
Photos: iPod through the years
October 20, 2006
Top 5 moments in iPod history
video CNET TV to iPod: This is your life.
October 20, 2006
How the iPod changed music listening
video iPod users tell us how the device changed the way they listen to music, plus a flashback to the Walkman era.
October 18, 2006
Apple results beat the Street
Buoyed by strong Mac and iPod sales, results sail past expectations. But company's holiday outlook is less rosy than some analysts had hoped.
October 18, 2006
Red iPod supports AIDS charity
Apple and others are selling red products to support a Bono-backed fund that fights AIDS in Africa.
Photos: Nano Red
October 13, 2006
A look at new 80GB iPod
CNET editors' take The device has many incremental improvements, including a brighter screen, better battery life and appealing price.
September 19, 2006
Pros and cons of the new Nano
CNET editors' take Do the features of the 4GB iPod Nano justify its cost, and how does it compare to the 8GB SanDisk Sansa e280?
September 13, 2006
iTunes 7 for Mac
Create MP3 libraries, burn CDs and download music to your iPod with the new version of iTunes. Click here for more details about this free download for use with Mac.
September 12, 2006
iTunes 7 for Windows
Create MP3 libraries, burn CDs and download music to your iPod with the new version of iTunes. Click here for more details about this free download for use with Windows.
September 12, 2006
Latest iTunes steals the show
blog Digital audio expert and CNET senior editor James Kim took a first look at Apple's new crop of products.
September 12, 2006
iPod over the years
An iPod retrospective
CNET.com's digital-audio expert James Kim evaluates the various models.
March 28, 2006
With Nano and Rokr, Apple makes itself heard
roundup The iPod keeps getting smaller, even as it stays the big kid on the music player block. Also: iTunes in a phone.
September 10, 2005
Boom of the iPod add-ons
How can you accessorize your iPod? Marketers count the ways--and the cash.
Photos: The iPod economy
January 31, 2005
iPod goes trick-or-treating
photos Some Halloween inspiration from enthusiasts who have dressed as their favorite music player with varying degrees of artistic and technical prowess.
Oct. 28, 2005
U2 pitches for Apple
New iTunes ads airing during baseball games Tuesday will feature the advertising-shy Irish rockers.
October 12, 2004
Apple launches iTunes for Windows
Stating that "hell froze over," Apple CEO Steve Jobs expands his digital music service into the much larger market for Windows-based PCs.
October 16, 2004
iPod rivals
RealNetworks loads up SanDisk media players
Starting with Sansa e200 gadgets, Real counts on consumers wanting to take "music library" from one device to another.
Photos: SanDisk players
September 18, 2006
Microsoft unwraps Zune for holiday season
The media player will come in white, brown, and black, and lets you share a song up to three times over three days.
Photos: Pressing play on Zune
September 14, 2006
High-capacity flash players
photos They're no longer the dinky little siblings of hard-drive MP3 players. These tiny machines hold up to 8 gigs.
September 1, 2006
Has iPod's hit parade stalled?
Apple hasn't significantly updated music player this year; rivals have added capacity and more.
Photos: Going up against iPod
August 23, 2006
When it debuted in October 2001, the iPod attracted mixed reviews. Some analysts said the $399 music player, which stored 1,000 songs on its 5GB hard drive, was nicely realized but too expensive to break into the music player niche. Apple saw things differently. "We have very little doubt that every (iPod) we build, we can sell," said one exec.
Apple Computer has grown from a tiny start-up to a household name and cultural icon known as much for its music players as its computers. It's easy to forget how it fell from the top of the tech heap in the 1990s, but glossing over those years would make it difficult to describe just how remarkable Apple's current renaissance is.
A retrospective, from the first-generation iPod to the special U2 and Red editions.
It has philanthropy in mind with its latest Bono tie-in. But it hasn't forgotten the music player's hedonistic side.
Steve Jobs takes the stage to talk up entertainment offerings including new iPods, an iTV box and movie downloads.
A site devoted to the iPod held a contest asking for fans' designs for the next iPod.
These MP3 players are mounting a challenge to the iPod, which hasn't been updated for a while.
iPod users tell us how the device changed the way they listen to music, plus a flashback to the Walkman era.
The lineup gains new prices, games (think "Pac-man" and "Tetris") and a storage boost.
Steve Jobs announces that movie downloads will be available through iTunes.
New Nanos come three ways--a 2GB in silver only; a 4GB in silver, blue, pink and green; and a 8GB in black only.