Do you remember when artists used to measure their success in terms of record sales? Some of us old geezers do. Now it’s all about the number of downloads.
Apple arguably kickstarted the digital music revolution in 2001 with the release of the first iPod. Since then, the portable music player has seen numerous incarnations and catapulted to itself into the hands and households of millions of users around the world.
Back in ’01, the notion of viewing this article on an iPod would have seemed ridiculous. However, it’s a safe bet that some of you are doing just that right as we speak—err, write. So, taking a step back, how did we get here?
Evolution
The iPod started out as a 5GB device that put 1,000 songs in your pocket. 1,000 songs? Holy cow! Just how many CDs is that?
The first generation iPod was only available for Mac users, thus seeing limited adoption as most people were still running Windows on their PCs. It had a mechanical scroll wheel as opposed to the touch-sensitive wheel released on the second and subsequent generations. The fourth generation model introduced photo viewing capabilities and a color screen.
In 2004, the technology was colorfully brought down to size with the introduction of the iPod mini. Replaced by the iPod nano, and complimented by the iPod shuffle the following year, the iPod line began to diversify. The fifth generation included video playback and the sixth took battery life to a whole new level—three times that of the original.
The latest (and last?) incarnation was the 160GB iPod classic, released in 2009 and capable of holding 40,000 songs and 200 hours of video!
The Store
Although digital music may have at first seemed like the decimation of certain recording artists’ careers, paid digital music services like iTunes may have very well saved them.
Prior to the iTunes Music Store, millions of consumers were enjoying their music free-of-charge on Napster and similar services, further hindering the floundering sales of CDs.
Now, thanks to Apple, profits are going directly back to the record companies and artists themselves—Apple only keeps $0.22 of the average $0.99 iTunes song. The ability to download select songs quickly and affordably was the shot of adrenaline the record industry needed. C
ombined with the fact that iTunes offered up a very user-friendly interface and an intuitive way to manage and playback music has made it the go to source for music lovers everywhere. Lucrative for all parties involved, the store has expanded to include movies and television shows.
The Future
Will the iPod soon be a thing of the past? With the advent of the iPod touch, iPhone and iPad, the iPod seems to be getting lost in the shuffle (no pun intended).
These days, it isn’t enough to have all of your music in your pocket unless you can have your videos, photos, email, texts and apps too. Sales of the once beloved iPod are are sign of the times, and have been in decline for awhile. Apple hasn’t updated the iPod classic in some time either—since 2009.
Is a revolutionary re-imagining of the iPod in the works, or is Apple phasing it out—shifting its focus to iOS? Only time will tell.