A history of the Apple iPod, iTunes & the Music Store iTunes
To this day, both Windows and Mac users can install and run iTunes on their computers without having to have an iPod - you can just use it to organise your music collection on your home computer - you don't have to have an iPod to have iTunes - something which not a lot of people realise. So iTunes was around (for the Mac only) from January 2001 - without the online store - it merely let you rip your own music/CD collection in and play them through your computer. First Generation iPod
The first Generation iPod was announced on the 23rd October 2001, and was a 5Gb 'scroll wheel' model, which worked with Macs only. It could up up to around 1,000 songs, and went on sale the following month.
In the spring of 2002, third party software developers begin releasing software that will make Windows PC's work with the Mac-only iPods by fooling the iPod into thinking it is connecting to a Mac and not a PC. This worked by fooling the iPod into thinking it was looking at a Mac mounted volume/disk and not a Windows one. As Apple were only producing iPods for Macs at this time, software was also developed for Windows PC's to allow you to manage your music collected - Ephpod and Anapod being two that are still going today. At around the same time, a new version (but still classified as first generation) of the iPod comes out - with a 10Gb hard disk, thus capable of storing 2,000 songs. Connectivity is firewire only. Second Generation iPod in July 2002, Apple replaced the mechanical scroll wheel with a solid-state touch wheel and gave us larger sized models. Looking exactly the same as the first generation, the second gen ones appear in the third quarter of 2002, but with several key points: There is now a Windows PC version (which ships with the dreadful Yahoo! MusicMatch application instead of iTunes which hasn't been written for Windows yet), and secondly they are now available in 5Gb, 10Gb and 20Gb hard disk sizes - the latter two having a touch sensitive wheel, instead of one that physically moves. There is still no USB connectivity for them - not a problem for Mac users where Firewire comes as standard, but Windows PC users had to go and buy an additional firewire expansion card to make them work.
The third generation - and some would arguable say the model which really caught the publics mainstream attention - came out in April of 2003. They look different from the first and second generation models, and have had the buttons move from the outside of the wheel to just below the display. There are three sizes: 10Gb (2,000 songs), 15Gb (3,750 songs) and 30Gb (7,500 songs) models available. Another major upgrade is the fact that there are no 'separate' Mac or Windows PC models - any iPod will work on either type of computer, and also USB functionality is now built in for the first time. In September of 2003, the 20Gb model replaced the 15Gb one (holds 5,000 songs), and a 40Gb model replaced the 30Gb one - which now holds 10,000 songs.
In April of 2003, a new version of iTunes (4.0) is released along with the launch of the iTunes Store - where you could legally buy and download music. But the store is for US based customers only, the rest of the world must wait a little longer. Eventually, in October 2003 comes iTunes version 4.1 - for the very first time it's availabe for Windows based computers as well. iPod mini
It also comes in five colours - silver, pink, green, blue and gold. It's the first appearance of the 'click wheel' as well where the four buttons have been placed underneath the scroll wheel. On the main iPod front, the 10Gb model is replaced by a 15Gb one - although great bargains can be found with some retailers selling off the old 10Gb model stock. iTunes store in the UK The iTunes music store is launched in the UK in June of 2004. Other European countries follow shortly after, but people complain that the price is too high in the UK when compared to other countries.
Just three weeks after I got my third generation model, Apple announce the new fourth generation ones, which now had an improved battery life, a click-wheel like the iPod mini, and they lower the price significantly as well! There are 20Gb and 40Gb models. They go on sale in September of 2004.
At the same time, a limited edition black & red colour "U2 iPod" is released, in 20Gb only, it comes with the bands signatures engraved on the back of the iPod, along with a voucher that enables you to buy the entire back catalogue of U2's music from the iTunes music store.
In January 2005, Apple release the iPod Shuffle - the first iPod with no screen and no hard disk, as it's flash memory based. It's tiny as is ideal for joggers and other sports people who want random music on the go. It's also one of the cheapest priced ipods yet. It comes in 512Mb and 1Gb sizes. iPod mini (Second generation) and iPod Photo revised Come February 2005, the iPod mini gets a makeover : It's now available in 6Gb models (as well as 4Gb), it gets an increased battery life (almost doubled), and the price is dropped making it excellent value for money. The Gold coloured iPod is dropped though as it is the one which sells the least. In the iPod photo range the 40Gb is discontinued, and instead replaced by a smaller 30Gb model - but at a much cheaper price, and it's thinner too The regular 'fourth generation' iPod (non-colour/photo) was then available in just the 20Gb size. All iPods in colour At the end of June 2005, the main iPod range was reduced two just two models - the 20Gb and 60Gb versions which were both in colour. They dropped the 'photo' branding as the non-colour/photo model was withdrawn meaning that all iPods now came in colour and could display photos. The U2 iPod - still proving to be surprisingly popular was also now available in colour. The price was also dropped again. iTunes 4.9 was released at the same time, bringing with it Podcasting capabilities. iPod-mini at this time is still black and white though.
In September 2005, Apple announced the iPod Nano - which replaced the iPod mini. A flash disk-based player that came in 4Gb and 6Gb models, and also now in TWO colours - black as well as white, these incredibly small and tiny players were snapped up immediately as they were so popular. They also had colour screens, a bit of a sore point for Apple as they then had to admit that there was a fault with some of them becoming badly scratched and broken shortly after. That small problem aside (in a minority of cases) it was easily the most 'sexy' iPod yet that proved extremely popular. iTunes 5 also came out at the same time with a new polished look, the ability to nest playlists within folders and a few more refinements.
Just when everyone thought that the Nano was the big thing that Apple would have out for the christmas 2005 market, just four weeks later they brought us something even newer and better in September 2005 - The iPod Video! This replaces the iPod Photo, and U2 model, and came in 30Gb and 60Gb, and it was even thinner then before. There is now a 2.5 inch wide 320x240 pixel screen that lets you watch video as well. iTunes 6.0 was brought out to allow you to download music video, short films, and (in the US only at first) certain TV programmes. New Nanos, Shuffle and Video updated
They also redesigned the iPod nano, including a new 8Gb model. And had them in five refined colours - Silver, Purple, Black, Green and Blue. For a short while a 1Gb model of the older style nano was available too at a very cheap price.
The release of iTunes 7.0 was a major step forward as the iTunes Music Store was renamed just 'iTunes Store' as you could now download music, TV shows and movies (and games!) for your iPod Video. It also incorporated updating the firmware on the iPod to within iTunes - you no longer have to download a seperate program to reset it, or keep it up to date.
In May 2007 a new version of iTunes was release (7.2) to enable new content on the music store - DRM free music! For an increased price, some music is now availabe to buy without the '5 machine' restriction, plus - it comes encodes at the higher bit-rate of 256kbs instead of the 'regular' 128 AAC. It costs more to buy these tracks though.
After much hype (Apple had announced it as far back as January) a brand new product was launch by Apple on June 29th 2007 in the USA - the iPhone. Launch dates for other countries around the rest of the world would be a couple of months later. It's a phone, a video player and an an iPod all in one - with an intelligent touch screen interface, but comes at a quite a price - $499 for the 4Gb model, or $599 for the 8GB model. iTunes 7.3 was also launched to support the iPhone too. iPod Touch, iPod Classic, Video comes to Nano On September 5th 2007, Apple announced iPod upgrades in time for the seasonal market. They added a Product (RED) to the Shuffle Market.
There is the iPod Classic - the standard iPod as you know and love it now available in 80Gb and 160Gb models (Hard disk), in two colours - black and silver. Gone is the white plastic. And there is the new iPod Touch range - essentially like an iPhone but without the phone part. This uses flash memory and is only available in 8Gb and 16Gm sizes. Off the back of this - Apple also reduce $200 dollars of the price of an iPhone - a move which angers early adopters of that product, so as a good will gesture, Apple give a $100 rebate to anyone who bought the iPhone at a higher price.
June 2008, and Apple announce a newer version of the iPhone - 'iPhone 2' essentially. It now connects to 3G networks for faster browsing when not connected to Wi-Fi, has GPS built in and a few other software refinements. The body of the phone has been curved slightly (refined) and - most important for a lot of people - the price has been halved to just $199 in the USA. They went on sale on July 11
Complete timeline of the iPod, iPod Photo, iPod Video and iPod Classic
Complete timeline of the iPod Touch
Complete timeline of the iPod mini and iPod Nano
Complete timeline of the iPod Shuffle
Complete timeline of the iPhone
Complete timeline of the iTunes releases
What docks can be used with what iPods
All 'big' iPods are 2.4 inches across, but they have different depths depending on their disk size. 'Third generation' (Four separate buttons, first to have dock connectors) The, 10Gb, 15Gb and 20Gb models were very thin at just 0.62 inches The 30Gb model was thicker, at 0.73 inches deep. 'Fourth generation' (Click wheel) The 4th generation 'click wheel' 20GB iPods are 0.57 inches deep, the 40Gb models are 0.69 inches deep. 'Fifth generation' (iPod Photo) The 30Gb iPod Photo is 0.63 inches deep. You can put this into a third generation dock (0.62 inches). It's not designed/meant to, but it does work! The 40Gb and 60Gb iPod Photo is 0.75 inches deep. The word on the street is that you can squeeze an iPod photo (0.75 inches) into a dock meant for a 30Gb third generation (0.73 inches), and it will work, but you do have to squeeze it in - it's tight - and you could potentially break the dock. Just for the record, second generation iPods were either 0.78 or 0.84 deep (depending on which model) but had no dock - they connected with a regular f6-pin firewire connector. :: iPod Page
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What
came first ... the iPod or iTunes? It was the latter. Before the iPod
was released, Mac users had had the 'iLife' suite of applications on their
computer including iTunes version 1.0 - which had a 'three note' icon
instead of the 'double' green one which people are familiar with today.
A
chap called 
iTunes
version 2.0 is released in October 2001 - still just
a Mac application at this time, and now with a blue coloured icon instead.
At
the same time, iTunes verion 3.0 come out (with a different coloured icon
again) and it's still only available for Macs. However, people
know that a Windows version of it is on its way when adverts appear for
programmers to work/code a Windows version of it.
Third
Generation iPod
iTunes
Music Store comes online
The
iPod mini is released in January 2004 - a 'cut down'
smaller version which has a 4Gb disk, that can hold 1,000 songs if you
use Apples new AAC encoding system instead of MP3.
Fourth
Generation iPod
iPod
Photo / U2 iPod
I'm
still confused as to whether these should be known as fifth generation
iPods or not, but the iPod photo is announced/released in October
2004. It has a colour screen, improved battery life again, a
different screen font, and (hence the name) the ability to store
and display photos. It comes in 40Gb and 60Gb capacities at quite a price.
iPod
Shuffle
iPod
Nano
iPod
Video
In
September 2006, Apple brought out the new shaped iPod
shuffle - now smaller than ever and available in 1Gb.
The
iPod Video was refined - and became available in 30Gb and 80Gb sizes (the
biggest so far) - it included several refinements on the software
of the iPod, including a new 'search' function that you could not get
through firmware upgrades on existing iPods.
In
October 2006, a limited edition Red coloured
nano was brought out with $10 of the purchase price going towards AIDS
charities - as part of the 
In
February 2007, the Shuffle was made availale in five
colours - silver/grey, purple, green, blue and orange. People suggest
that you can now colour coordinate with your outfit and use them as tie-clips!
Introduction
of the iPhone
A
brand new Nano was launched - now capable of playing video on a larger
screen - it is shorter and fatter in design. The five colours that the
larger 8Gb model comes in (4Gb model is silver only) are new,
and have a shiny metallic look to them.
The
biggest news though is that the main iPod now branches out into two seperate
product lines.
In late
January 2008, Apple brought out the Macbook Air - the world's thinnest
laptop which featured a 64Gb Solid State Flash drive - sparking rumours
that upgraded iPhone's and iPods Touch's would follow - and on February
5th - new models indeed were release. The iPhone was now available in
16Gb, and the iPod Touch now in 32Gb. Great news if you waited, but if
you got a new iPod Classic or smaller size Touch for Christmas - how annoyed
would you be! Oh, and a 'Pretty in Pink' new coloured Nano came out too.
Since
Apple stopped supplying 'docks' automatically with iPods, I've often wondered
if you can upgrade an iPod from one model to next, but still use your
dock from your previous one.