R&D ---- Apple Ipod Story
Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it.
On October 23, 2001, Steve Jobs announced that “listening to music will never be the same again,” and for once the hype wasn’t far short of the mark. Apple may not have invented the digital music player but it did turn the MP3 player into a fashion icon and build a legitimate digital music industry around it. It also set standards for product design and ushered in an era of glossy, strokable technology.
THE STORY SO FAR
October 23, 2001: The iPod is born. Steve Jobs says that “Apple has invented a whole new category of digital music player that lets you put your entire music collection in your pocket and listen to it wherever you go.” The first model holds 5Gb of music – about 1,000 songs – and costs £349 in the UK.
March 21, 2002: Apple announces a 10Gb model.
July 17, 2002: The first Windows-compatible iPods are released, allowing PC users to dispense with third-party software that linked the player with their computers. The iPod is now available in 5Gb, 10Gb and 20Gb versions.
April 28, 2003: The third-generation iPod arrives, replacing mechanical buttons arranged around the scroll wheel with touch-operated controls. The player now comes with a cradle for recharging the battery and transferring music, of which it can now hold 30Gb. At the same time, Apple launches its iTunes music store in the US.
September, 8 2003: An updated model range includes a 40Gb model for £399.
January 7, 2004: The iPod mini makes its garish appearance in five metallic colours. The 4Gb hard drive holds about 1,000 songs and sells for £199 in the UK.
June 15, 2004: iTunes arrives in the UK, France and Germany.
July 19, 2004: The fourth incarnation of the iPod incorporates the ‘click wheel’ from the iPod mini, simplifying navigation and consolidating all of the controls into a single console. Apple also makes its first significant price cut, selling the 20Gb model at £219 and the 40Gb model at £299.
October 26, 2004: Apple unveils the iPod photo, which has a colour screen and space for up to 25,000 digital photos. “Having both your entire photo and music collections with you wherever you go is the next big thing,” Steve Jobs says at the launch. January 11, 2005: Seeking to supply the demand for smaller, cheaper music players, Apple introduces the iPod shuffle. The device uses Flash memory instead of a hard drive and is available in two models, 512Mb and 1Gb, which cost £69 and £99 in the UK.
February 23, 2005: The second-generation iPod mini begins its seven-month production run, which is brought to an end by…
September 7, 2005: The debut of the iPod nano. Available in a glossy black finish as well as the traditional white, the nano is slimmer than a pencil and costs £139 for the 2Gb model and £179 for the 4Gb model.
October 12, 2005: The fifth generation of the iPod accommodates video for the first time and, like the nano, is available in black or white. The larger model has a capacity of 60Gb and a price of £299.
September 12, 2006: The iPod shuffle is reinvented as what Apple claims is the world’s smallest digital music player. The 1Gb shuffle measures 4cm by 2.5cm and costs £55. Apple also launches a revamped nano and freshens up the core iPod offering. Changes include a brighter screen, more memory and lower prices, putting an 80Gb model on sale at £259. The price has since come down to £239.
April 9, 2007: Apple sells its 100 millionth iPod.