iPodpedia: The Ultimate iPod and iTunes Resource

Chapter 1The History

The Apple iPod is to the 2000s as the portable CD player was to the 1990s, the Sony Walkman was to the 1980s, and the transistor radio was to the 1960s. The iPod is a portable audio player, of course, a means of playing music while on the go; but it’s more than that. It builds on the breakthroughs of the previous technologies, and takes portable music one giant step beyond—both technologically and socially.

Previous portable audio players were revolutionary in their way, but with limitations. The transistor radio freed music from the confines of the power outlet, but it limited listeners to the restricted playlists beamed from AM radio stations. The Walkman let listeners play their own music on the go, but it limited playback ...