It’s official—after more than 20 years, Apple is retiring the iPod. Apple had already stopped manufacturing most versions of the MP3 player over the last few years, but as of 2022, manufacturing of the remaining models will cease as well.

Looking back on the history of the iPod, you can see how deeply impacted Apple was by the success of its music player, and how the rest of the world was as well. Let’s take a look at that history and remember the iPod—from its beginnings in 2001 to its last days in 2022.

2001–2003: The First iPod

Original 5GB iPod lying on a table
Image Credit: Blake Patterson/Flickr

The very first iPod was unveiled on October 23, 2001. The size of a deck of cards and weighing 6.5 ounces, the all-white music player had 5GB of storage. This allowed it to hold and play about 1,000 songs, a number unmatched by other MP3 players at the time.

The first iPod set the standard for the design of what was eventually known as the iPod classic line. These iPods were rectangular with square screens, and had a scroll wheel and center select button for navigating the device. The original iPod had buttons around the scroll wheel as well, rather than integrated with the wheel like later models. The additional buttons would last until 2004, with the development of the touch click wheel and the iPod mini.

Ads for iPods at this time advertised songs just as much as the iPods themselves. Songs would play as black silhouettes danced with their white iPods against brightly colored backgrounds. These ads ultimately became as iconic as the iPod, too.

By 2003, storage capacity on the iPod went as high as 40GB, happily coinciding with the release of the iTunes Store and the need for more song storage. iTunes had existed as a media player since 1999, but the iTunes Store opened on April 28, 2003. It was the only legal digital catalog for all major record labels, and it let you buy albums in MP3 form, as well as individual songs for $0.99 each.

2004–2005: The iPod Gets Smaller

iPod Mini with headphones lies on fabric surface
Image Credit: Neil Turner/Flickr

The iPod was always fairly small compared to other MP3 players in 2001. That didn’t stop Apple from making it smaller, though. The iPod mini was released on February 20, 2004, and it weighed 3.6 ounces; almost half the weight of the first iPod. Like the earliest iMac models, the iPod mini came in several colors. Its storage space was relatively small, though—just 4GB. That might have changed had the iPod nano not been more popular, leading the mini to be discontinued.

Announced on September 7, 2005, the iPod nano was 1.6 by 3.5 by 0.27 inches, and it weighed just 1.5 ounces. It came in several colors, and with 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB capacities available upon release. It would get 8GB capacity in 2006.

First generation iPod Nano with first generation iPod Shuffle
Image Credit: veroyama/Flickr

2005 also saw another small iPod announced and released—the iPod shuffle. The 0.78-ounce shuffle didn’t have a screen, and it only had 512MB or 1GB storage capacity (2GB capacity became available in 2008). The shuffle was cheaper than the nano, but it was harder to navigate. Its lack of screen left users with only the forward and back buttons to move through the internal song list.

The shuffle also couldn’t support playlists, instead allowing users to play songs in the order they were uploaded, or in a random, “shuffled” order. So users were trading the numbers of songs they could listen to for size and travel convenience. For many, it was a worthy sacrifice. The iPod being able to support media other than music would complicate that choice in the next few years, though.

2005–2006: Don’t Just Listen, Watch Your iPod

iPod Video in its box on a desk
Image Credit: Zach Petersen/Flickr

In 2004, Apple had released the iPod photo, an iPod that had an LCD screen that could hold and display photos. On October 12, 2005, Apple announced an iPod that could also play video. The iPod video had a smaller click wheel to allow more screen space. It could go as high as 60GB in capacity in its first release, while the next generation got to 80GB, with longer video playback times.

You could put your own videos on the iPod video, as well as purchasing and downloading TV episodes and movies from iTunes to put on the device. The digital purchasing of TV shows and movies seriously changed media consumption over the next few years and kept the iPod incredibly relevant for a long time. But Apple would change the game for itself yet again by releasing the iPhone, and the iPod would change with it.

2007–2008: The iPod Gets a Touchscreen

The original iPod Touch from several angles against a white background
Image Credit: Alistair Paterson/Flickr

The release of the iPhone in August 2007 came after years of breakthroughs and firsts for smartphones, but it’s arguably the smartphone that made smartphones a ubiquitous part of everyday life. The iPhone also helped create the iPod touch. The iPod touch was released in September 2007 and, like the iPhone, it boasted a large touchscreen, plus a Home button.

Like the iPhone, the iPod touch could access the internet via Wi-Fi, allowing people to stream videos and music as well as download them to the device. People could play the same games on both devices as well, and use most of the same apps on both, including messaging apps.

The main differences between the iPhone and the iPod touch were that the touch couldn’t connect to cellular data, and it didn’t have cameras like the iPhone did. The lack of these features made the iPod touch a bit cheaper than the iPhone, so it was a great option for people who wanted certain iPhone features, but who didn’t need a full smartphone.

The release of the iPod touch saw the generations of iPods based on the first iPod design get the name iPod classic instead of just iPod. It also saw generations of the iPod nano get touchscreens down the line.

2009–2013: Playing With Shapes and Features

Stack of iPods on a table
Image Credit: Drew Stephens/Flickr

Over the next few years, Apple made some shape alterations to the iPod nano, but not a lot radically changed for the iPod classic or the iPod touch.

September 2010 saw the release of the fifth generation iPod Nano, which arguably was the predecessor to the Apple Watch. This iPod was a small square with a touchscreen and a clip on the back, allowing users to clip it to themselves, or to a watch band. The screen would first show the time when tapped, allowing it to be an iPod as well as a digital timepiece.

The iPod touch also got cameras in 2010, allowing it to make FaceTime calls, like iPhones could.

A History of Apple's Success MUO Infographic

Other than this, battery life improved on most iPod models, and storage capacities went up across the board. VoiceOver was added to most iPods, and some models had voice control included in them. Some iPods could connect to FM radio bands for live music.

The iPods were fundamentally the same, though. They were digital music players, with some features on top. Perhaps this relative stagnancy indicated what was coming down the line, which was the end of the iPod.

2014–2022: The iPod’s Final Chapters

iPod Classic in dock
Image Credit: Celsim Junior/Flickr

Apple announced in 2014 that it would stop manufacturing the iPod classic. Similar announcements were made for the iPod nano and the iPod shuffle in 2017. The iPod touch was still being made, but it saw no updates between July 2015, when the sixth generation of the touch was released, and May 2019, when the seventh generation came out.

The seventh generation iPod touch would turn out to be the last iPod Apple would make. It came with an A10 processor, and had a 256GB storage option. It also had a 3.5mm headphone jack, unlike the headphone-jack-less modern iPhones. Three years later, though, in May 2022, Apple announced it would be ceasing manufacturing on the iPod touch as well. As of this writing, iPods can be purchased from Apple, but only until supplies run out.

Given that many people are wondering what to do with their old iPods instead of buying them these days, Apple’s decision to stop making iPods isn’t exactly surprising. It’s just notable that such a popular device fizzled out in such a relatively short amount of time.

The End of an Era

The iPod went from being an absolute must-have device to basically pointless in two short decades. In many ways, the iPod is responsible for the ways we tend to consume music now, and the boom of purchasing digital media. These innovations carved the path for streaming platforms, where, sadly, the iPod just couldn’t keep up. It ushered in an era it couldn’t compete in.

So while we say goodbye to the iPod knowing Apple is right to let it go, we do it knowing that if it weren’t for the iPod, so much tech we love wouldn’t exist. So thank you, iPod—we can’t imagine the world without you!