Ten Years Ago Today: iPod

Jonathan Seff’s Macworld review of the original iPod:

Apple’s iPod, a 6.5-ounce MP3 player the size of a deck of cards, is one of the most exciting products to come from Apple in years. Powered by FireWire, the iPod can hold as much as 5GB of data, providing a compelling balance of size and capacity. However, this combination of features comes at a relatively high price: $399.

Nailed it. The price and being Mac-only limited the appeal, but the kernel of not just a good idea but a great one was there from the start.

It’s hard to remember the pre-iPod Apple. How unusual, if not downright surprising, it was for Apple, the company that made Macintosh computers, to venture into the pure consumer electronics space with something like a portable music player.

★ Sunday, 23 October 2011