Anniversary: Mark 10 years since Apple’s first iPod

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23: It’s been 10 years since the music industry was transformed by an announcement from the late Steve Jobs: the first Apple iPod debuted. Priced at a steep $399 and able to hold 1,000 songs, that first iPod raised more than a few critics’ eyebrows: many questioned Jobs’ latest invention and wondered if the general public would grasp his concept. Yet with the simple concept of “everybody loves music,” Jobs took the leap—and did so with great success. (Read more about the release from Apple.com.)

More than 125,000 iPods were sold within two months. After 10 years, more than 320 million iPods have been sold. (Check out a graph of iPod sales and more at CNET.)

What began in 2002 as a small iTunes digital music store with 200,000 songs has now become a mammoth source of music, movies, TV shows, Apps and more.

The typical iPod today is more than just one music device—it’s a whole line of devices that include the iPod Classic, iPod Touch, iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle. That’s not to mention the iPod Apps on cell phones and tablets. (Wikipedia has details.)

Apple’s iPod sales actually have been down since the company introduced the iPhone—a phone with iPod capabilities—but the music industry has been transformed permanently. Some argue that the iPod hurt the music industry, since nearly every song or type of music is now available at the click of a mouse—and suddenly revenues sank to lower online levels per tune. Also, now, millions of digital tunes are downloaded and shared illegally. (Learn more in an article from the Chicago Tribune.)

EXPRESS YOUR MUSICAL HAPPINESS

How has the iPod affected your life? What playlists have developed? This month, ReadTheSpirit readers are contributing to a growing playlist of songs that they say help them to remember their happiness in life!

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