Ipod History – The Quickest Evolution Ever!
By Timothy Michell
The first was released only 5,5 years ago but the difference between that one and the one released earlier in 2006 is really quite astounding as you will now see.

1st Generation iPod

The 1st Generation was launched at the end of October 2001 with dimensions to rival the established competition. It stood 4inches high and less than 3inches wide with a weight of around 6ounces. This initial had a 5GB memory which could hold up to 1000 songs. It also had a high resolution screen and a revolutionary type of control system – the scroll or click wheel. However at $400 it was considered a major purchase and at this point the software needed to use the was only available on the Mac.

2nd Generation iPod

The 2nd Generation had the advantage of being compatible with PCs through a FireWire cable. There was also now software for use with Windows which opened the up to a lot more users. The actual itself changed very little. The scroll wheel became a solid fixture as apposed to a spinning wheel and there was an extra port for the attachment of a FireWire cable.

3rd Generation iPod

The spring of 2003 saw sales really take off as the 3rd Generation was launched. One of the biggest changes to this new model was the ability to link it to a PC with a USB cable; the USB port was a lot more common on PCs than the FireWire port and so many more people could successfully use an with their home computer. In addition the 3rd generation had a bigger memory (20GB) and solid function buttons below the screen.

At the same time Apple launched the iTunes Music Store around the world which provided a legal source for 1000s of songs. sales went through the roof and the brand became a household name.

4th Generation iPod

However Apple continued to release newer and more advanced models and at the end of 2003 the first of the 4th Generation iPods was launched. The mini took the in a whole new direction – small is beautiful. It was only half the size of the original and because of its compact size the face changed quite dramatically in that the function buttons were rendered obsolete and everything was controlled by the scroll wheel. It also had to have a smaller screen.

The next step was to

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