EKIP– Expert Club for Economics and Politics A Different Opinion
On October 23, 2001, Apple announced the first version of the iPod. It was a music player with a 5 GB hard drive, compatible only with Macintosh systems. Its announcement came a few months after the release of iTunes, a program that converted audio CDs into compressed audio files and organized users' music collections.
The father of the iPod is considered Tony Fadell. He was a former employee of General Magic and Phillips, who wanted to invent a better model of MP3 player. After several companies refused to finance him, Fadell was supported by Apple, where he began working as an independent entrepreneur with a team of 30 people, with the aim of developing the concept for the new MP3 player. They managed to realize the project in less than a year.
The current iPod Classic has a capacity of 160 GB, measures 103 x 61 x 10 mm and weighs just 140 g. The product line has evolved and currently consists of the iPod Classic, iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle. Since 2004, the iPod has completely dominated the market, with the company having sold 350 million units of the product in 2012.
Despite the iPod patent disputes, which only ended in a settlement in 2006, Apple's invention has won numerous awards for innovation and design. In addition to being an engineering achievement, the iPod is also a product that is often used in business circles - large companies and international organizations have made their work much easier thanks to it.
The iPod Classic and its subsequent improved versions have impacted the daily lives of people around the world and are a prime example of the enormous change in our lives that is occurring thanks to advancing technology. As Entertainment Weekly wrote in its 2009 ranking of "100 Things That Amused Us Over the Last 10 Years": "Yes, kids, there really was a time when we wandered the earth without thousands of our favorite songs conveniently tucked away in our pockets. Strange."
"I think if you do something and it works out really well, then you should go and do something else that's great, not rest on your laurels. Just think about what's next."
Steve Jobs
