Yesterday marked the twentieth anniversary of the iPod, one of Apple’s flagship products since its inception. All of iPod design and production has familiar names. For example, the design was made by the team of Jony Ive, one of Apple’s most important designers, who left the company in 2019. A few hours ago it was released. a new prototype of the 1st generation of the iPod which saw the light of day on October 23, 2001. This prototype is very large and as iPod father Fadell confirmed, it was a way to keep the final design from leaking at that time.
A huge iPod as a prototype of the first generation
There have been many iPod models that we have seen with our own eyes. From iPod Classic to iPod Nano via Shuffle. A movement that caused great changes in the reproduction of music and which today has an impact on musical products and services around the world. However, the beginnings are difficult and especially for Apple when none of these products has been marketed on a large scale.
A few hours ago, the images of one of the first prototypes of the 1st generation iPod Classic. This device that Steve Jobs will present on October 23, 2001 at the top of a stage. The first. As can be seen from the pictures, the screen was tiny compared to the screen they eventually incorporated. The buttons on the side were big and didn’t reflect a good way to control playback. And the well-known wheel of the iPod has been replaced by a circular system located at the top left.
Associated article:
Fifth Generation 16GB iPod Touch No Longer Receives Official Support
This is a prototype iPod P68 / Dulcimer that we (very quickly) made before the real form factor design was ready. I didn’t want it to look like an iPod for privacy – button placement, size – there was mostly air inside – and the wheel was working (poorly) https://t.co / qeNMHMmVsc
– Tony Fadell (@tfadell) 23 October 2021
Fadell, the player’s father, posted a tweet commenting on the prototype. He assures us that it was a prototype that they made quickly and that it worked but in which there was a lot of air. This is true as you can see in the article images. The interior of the prototype is very large compared to the materials introduced for its operation. It wasn’t just another way of trying to avoid a leak of a new product that didn’t exist at the time.
