Apple celebrates 25 years of the iPod

Apple marks the 25th anniversary of the iPod, the device that fundamentally reshaped the company's trajectory and the music industry. Launched in 2001 by Steve Jobs, the original MP3 player featured a 5 GB hard drive capable of holding approximately 1,000 songs, a significant advancement over existing portable players that suffered from poor usability and limited storage.

Tony Faddell, one of the creators of the iPod, noted that the device's success laid the essential groundwork for the iPhone and the modern iteration of Apple. The iPod's introduction helped revitalize a music industry struggling with online piracy and paved the way for various iterations, including the iPod mini, nano, shuffle, and the touch model, before the product line was discontinued in 2022.