The first edition of Apple's iPod was released October 23, 2001. This first generation iPod, released in 2002, features Bob Marley on the cover of the box.
iPod special edition featuring Bob Marley
- Description (Brief)
- This is a limited edition, first generation iPod featuring the work of Jamaican musician Robert N. “Bob” Marley (1945-1981). The package shows a picture of Marley in concert, and the recorder comes pre-loaded with an assortment of his music. He was one of only five artists whose work was featured in Apple’s "Think Different" sales campaign, the others being Jimi Hendrix, Billy Holiday, Alanis Morrisette, and Miles Davis.
- Thomas Edison’s 1876 invention of a machine that could talk—the phonograph—astounded people. He then helped create the recording industry that supported the new invention. During the century since that time many types of physical media were used to record and sell music. Wax cylinders, vinyl discs, plastic tapes and compact discs all enjoyed market success, while other media failed for various reasons. But all shared one fundamental property: they were physically tangible. That made them subject to loss, damage, wear, and obsolescence. Only a few of the later forms were portable. That situation changed in the 1990s with the invention of digital recording and players like Apple’s iPod.
- Digital audio recording converts sound to a series of ones and zeros stored as files on computer memory chips. They can be reconverted to sound, potentially with perfect accuracy, or fidelity. Many digital formats—including MP3 files used by the iPod and other portable players—sample sound waves and compress data files, resulting in some loss of fidelity. Earbuds limit the audio spectrum listeners can hear, especially bass notes. But digital formats address many of the shortcomings of physical media, especially weight and portability. Ever-smaller players with ever-larger capacities, made it possible to listen anytime—even all day. User-created playlists became valued expressions of individual identity.
- Though not the first digital recording device, Apple coupled the iPod with their iTunes online store. iTunes—which licensed and paid royalty fees for the music it sold—made purchasing so easy that it helped eliminate illegal file sharing. This first generation iPod contains a small hard-drive with 5 gigabytes of memory that could hold 1,000 songs in 2002. The object includes the original box, manuals, ear buds, clip-on remote control, and various connecting cords.
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
- maker
- Apple Computer, Inc.
- date made
- 2002
- Measurements
- ipod: 4 in x 2 in x 3/4 in; 10.16 cm x 5.08 cm x 1.905 cm
- box: 6 1/2 in x 6 in x 6 in; 16.51 cm x 15.24 cm x 15.24 cm
- Object Name
- digital audio player
Apple iPod
