This post is pretty far from done. This is just a smattering of facts right now. Why are you even reading this?

When Apple released the original iPod in November of 2001, it was the largest capacity portable mp3 player to hit the market. It was not the first, the cheapest, or lightest. Unlike most of its competitors . . .

“Jobs admits iTunes loses money.” –USA Today, article about Magnatunes by Kevin Maney, January 20, 2004

Article about harddrives in iPods: http://nytimes.com/2005/03/05/business/worldbusiness/05copycat.html?8hpib

Aesthetic changes to the various iPods:
initially sharp edges
3G+ rounded corners

There have been four generations of Apple’s iPod, commonly referred to as 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G. There are also two smaller variants: the iPod Mini and the iPod Shuffle.

Originally, the (1G) iPod came in one size: 5 GB for $399.

5, 10, and 20 GB and sold for $299, $399, and $499 respectively.

New in 2G:
touch-sensitive scroll wheel

Apple press release Apple Unveils New �Mini� Retail Store Design, October 14, 2004

Interesting quote from press release:
“During the first three years of Apple�s retail strategy, Apple has successfully located 84 retail stores in the United States and today over half of the US population lives within 15 minutes of an Apple retail store.”

Best Buy, Target, Bose, Circuit City deals?

Related links:
Leander Kahney Inside Look at Birth of the IPod, Wired, July 21, 2004: Article about former PortalPlayer senior manager, Ben Knauss

Includes interesting quote:
“‘There was no discussion of (digital rights management),’ Knauss said. ‘Their belief was DRM would hurt sales when they rolled out the music store. They specifically wanted no DRM in the original iPod.’”

Jeremy Horwitz and Dennis Lloyd Instant Expert: A Brief History of iPod, Ipodlounge, November, 2004

Rob Walker The Guts of a New Machine, New York Times Magazine, November 30, 2003 ($$ req’d)
Probably illegal copy of Walker’s article

Interesting quote from Walker article:
“Apple was not ahead of the curve in recognizing the power of music in digital form . . . various portable digital music players were already on the market before the iPod was even an idea.”

Companies involved in making the iPod:
PortalPlayer (processor)
Pixo (made OS for 1G)
Toshiba (hard drive) (Also Hitachi, GS Magic Stor (mini))

Designer:
Jonathan Ive, according to USA Today

Amy Scott of Marketplace on National Public Radio, 050211,
claims that The Sharper Image only keeps 11% of the revenue from its iPod sales.