The iPod: How Apple Built a Music Empire in a Year, Then Killed It

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

The iPod got its name from a freelance copywriter, Vinnie Chieco, who saw a stark white prototype in 2001 and thought of the pod bay doors in 2001: A Space Odyssey. This episode explains how Apple went from concept to launch in under twelve months on a project code-named P68. Jon Rubinstein spotted a 1.8-inch, five gigabyte Toshiba hard drive that had no product to live in, Tony Fadell was hired as a contractor to lead the effort, PortalPlayer built the operating system, and Pixo designed the interface. Apple's real skill was orchestration.

From there the story widens to design, business, and consequences. The look borrowed from a 1958 Braun radio by Dieter Rams, the wheel from a Bang and Olufsen telephone. The iTunes Store arrived in 2003 with 99 cent songs and FairPlay copy protection that calmed terrified record labels, and by 2011 the iPod held 70 percent of the global market. The episode also covers sealed batteries, Foxconn working conditions, and Apple's choice to cannibalize its own hit with the iPhone.

The first iPod used FireWire because USB 1.1 was agonizingly slow, and its mechanical scroll wheel later became a touch-sensitive click wheel.
Microsoft's Zune, Sony's Walkman, and SanDisk's Sansa all failed against it, yet Apple's share in South Korea sat near 2 percent.
The Neistat brothers spray painted warnings on iPod ads in New York to protest batteries that could not be replaced.
Reports from 2006 onward described Foxconn workers in Shenzhen earning as little as $50 a month and pulling 15-hour shifts.
Apple discontinued the iPod Touch, the last model, in May 2022, after a run of more than 450 million units sold.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(16184)

The Art of Adult Friendship: Why Quality Matters More Than Quantity

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore how our understanding of friendship changes as we grow old...

9 Nov 18min

Summer Explained: The Science, History, and Traditions of the Warmest Season

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore summer, the season most closely associated with sunshine, ...

7 Nov 18min

Sir Patrick Stewart: From Shakespeare to Star Trek, the Life and Legacy of a Legend

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the extraordinary life of Sir Patrick Stewart, the acclaim...

7 Nov 49min

Larry David: The Genius of Social Awkwardness, Seinfeld, and Curb Your Enthusiasm

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life and career of Larry David, the comedian, writer, ...

6 Nov 38min

Why Australian Shepherds Aren't From Australia

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the history of the Australian Shepherd, an intelligent, en...

5 Nov 45min

Labrador Retriever: From Newfoundland Fishing Dogs to Modern-Day Heroes

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the remarkable history of the Labrador Retriever, one of t...

4 Nov 53min

Discovering Ireland: A Journey Through History, Culture, and the Wild Atlantic Way

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore Ireland through the philosophy of slow travel: go slower, ...

3 Nov 48min

Willie Hutch: An Overnight I'll Be There Lyric and The Mack's Soundtrack

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!William McKinley Hutchins was born in Los Angeles in December 1944 and raised in Dallas, where h...

2 Nov 21min