| The iPod is a brand of portable media players | | | | reference design (based on 2 ARM cores) with |
| designed and marketed by Apple Computer and | | | | rudimentary software running on a commercial |
| launched in 2001. Devices in the iPod range are | | | | microkernel embedded operating system. PortalPlayer |
| primarily music players, designed around a central scroll | | | | had previously been working on an IBM-branded MP3 |
| wheel (although the iPod shuffle has buttons only). The | | | | player with Bluetooth headphones. Apple contracted |
| full-sized model stores media on an internal hard drive, | | | | another company, Pixo, to create and refine the user |
| while the smaller iPod nano and iPod shuffle use flash | | | | interface, under the direct supervision of Steve Jobs. |
| memory. Like many digital audio players, iPods can also | | | | Once established, Apple continued to refine the |
| serve as external data storage devices. Apple chose | | | | software's look-and-feel. Starting with the iPod mini, the |
| to focus its development on the iPod's simple user | | | | Chicago font (once used on early Macintosh |
| interface and its ease of use, rather than on technical | | | | computers) was replaced with Espy Sans, which was |
| capability. | | | | originally used in eWorld and Copland. The most recent |
| As of October 2005, the lineup consists of the | | | | iPods switched fonts again to Myriad — |
| video-capable 5th generation iPod; the smaller iPod | | | | Apple's new corporate font. The iPods with color |
| nano; and the display-less iPod shuffle. These models | | | | displays have adopted some Mac OS X themes like |
| were updated in September 2006. | | | | Aqua progress bars and brushed metal in the FM |
| The bundled software used for transferring music is | | | | tuner and lock interfaces. |
| called iTunes. As a jukebox application, iTunes stores a | | | | The iPods with displays use high quality anti-aliased |
| comprehensive library of music on the user's computer | | | | graphics and text, with sliding animations. These iPods |
| and can play, burn, and rip music from a CD. It can also | | | | have five buttons and newer generations have the |
| sync photos and videos. | | | | buttons integrated into the scroll wheel, an innovation |
| The iPod is currently the world's best-selling digital audio | | | | which gives an uncluttered, minimalistic interface. The |
| player and its worldwide mainstream adoption makes it | | | | buttons are: |
| one of the most popular consumer brands. Some of | | | | Menu — to traverse backwards through the |
| Apple's design choices and proprietary actions have, | | | | menus, and toggle the backlight on older iPods |
| however, led to criticism and legal battles. | | | | Center — to select a menu item |
| the iPod came from Apple's digital hub strategy, as the | | | | Play / Pause — this doubles as an off switch |
| company began creating software for the growing | | | | when held |
| market of digital devices being purchased by | | | | Fast Forward / Skip Forward |
| consumers. While digital cameras, camcorders and | | | | Fast Reverse / Skip Backwards |
| organizers had well-established mainstream markets, | | | | The other operations such as scrolling through menu |
| the company found digital music players lacking in user | | | | items and controlling the volume are handled by the |
| interface design and decided to develop its own. "iPod" | | | | scroll wheel in a rotational manner. A Hold switch on |
| was a name that Apple registered for Internet kiosks, | | | | the top of the unit prevents accidental button presses. |
| but never put it to use | | | | The iPod shuffle has five buttons that function |
| Apple's hardware engineering chief Jon Rubinstein | | | | differently to the larger models. It has a Play / Pause |
| assembled a team of engineers to design it, along with | | | | button in the center, surrounded by four buttons: |
| engineers Anthony Fadell and Stan Ng. They built the | | | | Volume Up / Down and Skip Forward / Backwards. |
| product in less than a year, and it was unveiled on 23 | | | | Newer iPods automatically pause playback when the |
| October 2001. CEO Steve Jobs announced it as a | | | | headphones are unplugged from the headphone jack, |
| Mac-compatible product with a 5 GB hard drive that | | | | but playback does not resume when the headphones |
| put "1000 songs in your pocket." | | | | are re-inserted. An iPod that has crashed or frozen |
| Uncharacteristically, Apple did not develop the iPod's | | | | can be reset by switching 'Hold' on then off, then |
| software in-house. Instead, Apple used a Design Chain | | | | holding Menu and Center (Menu and Play on the 3G |
| and contracted with PortalPlayer, who already had a | | | | iPod) for 6 seconds. |