Evolution of the iPod
The first iPod was released on October 23, 2001. It only worked on Mac computers, came with a mechanical scroll wheel, and it required a Firewire cable to sync songs or charge. The original model was 5GB for $399; a 10GB model was released in March 2002.
The second generation – finally Windows-compatible – was released on July 17, 2002. It came in 10G and 20G models, had a touch-sensitive wheel and more features.
The third generation – released on April 28, 2003 – included a complete redesign: everything touch-sensitive, a doc connector, Windows USB connectivity, even a slimmed-down frame.
The fourth generation was released July 19, 2004. Apple updated with two new models that had color screens and the ability to view photos. They released Harry Potter and U2 editions of this generation.
The fifth generation, the first video iPod, was released on October 12, 2005. This was also the first iPod available in black.
The sixth and final generation – the iPod “Classic” – was released on September 5, 2007. On the same day Apple announced the iPod Touch, its new touchscreen line of iPods.
The Revolutionary iPhone
The iPhone was released on June 29, 2007. Despite its imperfections – too expensive, inability to record video, run Flash or Java, or search email – it finally unlocked the carriers’ stranglehold on the smartphone industry, forcing it to become user-focused. Apple released the updated iPhone 3G on July 11, 2008 and the 3GS on June 19, 2009.
In February 2008 Apple released a developer’s kit so anyone could write applications for the iPhone; this opened up a whole new market with its App Store. It also forced other carriers to open their networks to new devices. Eventually, every application will work on any device over any network…all because of the iPhone.
