Charles Darwin claimed that music originated “…in the sounds made by the half-human progenitors of man during the season of courtship” (Darwin, 1912).
Today, the iPod allows us to have over a 1000 songs in our pockets, at anytime, which has made music easily accessible. Ultimately, the iPod is a symbol of the US consumer culture marked with a need for convenience, style and quality. The iPod has a significant history of its own, unlike any other invention of its size and scope, which depicts how technology and development are different today than yesterday.
The iPod was launched in October 2001, by Apple. Unlike most traditional inventions, conceived from scratch by the effort of a single genius, the iPod was developed by a team that merged existing and new technologies.
In 2000, there was a large demand to convert music into digital forms. In order to cater to the increasing demand for digital music, Apple bought SoundJam MP Music Player and simplified SoundJam into “iTunes.” At this time, Tony Fidell approached many companies before knocking on Apple’s door with his idea to create a small MP3 player. Consequently, Tony Fiddell was hired by Apple in 2001. He was assigned a team, with thirty engineers.
At the time, the closest device to the iPod was the Nomad Jukebox which FIdell’s team was determined to upgrade. In February of 2001, Apple acquired a small Toshiba hard drive which was incorporated into the iPod for its size and storage capacity.
Apple bought its basic hardware for the from PortalPalyer and improved its capabilities. Within three months, Apple’s team had designed the most distinctive iPod feature, “the scroll wheel.” A similar scroll wheel had been used by HP in 1983, in a keyboard to scroll text. Apple advanced this concept into the small, touch- sensitive, scrolls used in iPods today.
The first iPod prototype used lithium polymer batteries from Sony, display screens derived from mobile phones, and the Toshiba hard drive. All the components had to coordinate, or interface. The interface, and design concept, was developed by Apple’s design team headed by Jonathan Ive.
Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs, supervised Fidell’s team and revised each prototype. Jobs insisted, to ensure that the iPod’s design remained undisclosed to competitors, that prototypes of the iPod should be concealed in shoe boxes for transportation. As the iPod reached completion, Jobs decided that iPod and iTunes should work in sync.
The first iPod, costing $399, was introduced to the nation five weeks after 9/11. The first iPods were only compatible with Apple’s MAC computers, and used iTunes to organize and download music. By the end of 2001 Apple had sold 125,000 iPods.
Apple’s team, continue to develop the iPod with each revision, enhancing its features with each new model.
The iPod’s astounding success and importance make it one of the most important inventions of our time. However, unlike traditional inventions that were stumbled upon by the effort of a genius in a laboratory; the iPod was planned and developed by a team. The difference in the modern version of an “invention” from the historic version, depicts how technology and science have changed. The history of the iPod denotes the advancement of technology, the importance of “catering to the consumer,” the importance of always improving for a better product. Finally the success of the iPod portrays our need for convenience and quality.
(for further information, citation and the principal article please visit: http://mason.gmu.edu/~ybhavnan/finalnarration.htm)
