This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Grstain (talk | contribs) at 16:13, 22 December 2004 (unwikified instance of Macintosh on ==Design== section, since it was wikified before). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 16:13, 22 December 2004 by Grstain (talk | contribs) (unwikified instance of Macintosh on ==Design== section, since it was wikified before)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) The correct title of this article is iPod. It appears incorrectly here due to technical restrictions.
The iPod is a portable MP3 player designed and marketed by Apple Computer. It stores audio on a built-in hard drive, which gives it a much larger capacity than portable audio players that rely on flash memory. It can also serve as an external hard disk while connected to a computer; a user can store any kind of file on it.
Designed by Apple's Industrial Design Group under Jonathan Ive, iPods feature small size, a simple user interface designed around a central scroll wheel, and FireWire and USB 2.0 connectivity. As of October 2004, the iPod dominated digital music player sales in the United States, with over 92% of the market for hard-drive players and over 65% of the market for all types of players. Figures show that iPods have sold at a tremendous rate, faster than the Sony Walkman of the 80s and 90s, which sold an estimated 300 million units during that time.
Capabilities
The iPod can play MP3, WAV, AAC/M4A, Protected AAC, AIFF, Audible audiobook, and Apple Lossless file formats. It cannot play Windows Media Audio or RealAudio files, and Apple seems unlikely to add support for these formats, as they compete with Apple's QuickTime. iTunes does have a feature, however, that can convert WMA files to acceptable formats, unless they have copy protection.
Apple designed the iPod to work with the iTunes software that usually comes bundled with the iPod. This software enables users to manage the music libraries on their computers and on their iPods. iTunes also has an auto-sync feature which automatically ensures that these two libraries contain the same tracks.
The iPod uses ultra-thin 1.8" ATA (with a non-standard connector) hard drives made by Toshiba, or in the case of the Mini, 1" Compact Flash type hard drives made by Hitachi.
The iPod recharges its internal battery while it has a FireWire or USB connection to a computer. Users can also recharge an iPod using the included AC wall plug, which connects to the iPod via FireWire. The wall plug recharger uses the FireWire cable to transfer only electrical energy. Note that USB charging works only with post 3rd-generation models.
The first incarnation of the iPod functioned solely as a music player. Later, firmware upgrades added some PDA functions: the unit can store a copy of information from the Address Book and iCal applications on the user's Mac, and can also display notes, though users cannot edit any of this information on the iPod.
The iPod has a 32 MB flash ROM chip which contains a bootloader, a program that tells the device to load the operating system from another medium (in this case the hard drive). All iPods have 32 MB of RAM into which the iPod OS (a.k.a. firmware) loads at boot time, and which also caches music. For example, the iPod could spin the hard disc up once, and copy about 30 MB worth of upcoming songs on a playlist into ram, thus saving power by not having the drive spin up for each song. Also, the more users move their iPods during hard-drive spin-time, the higher the risk of damage to the drive. Generations 1 to 3 of the iPod used two ARM7TDMI-derived CPUs running at 90 MHz, while later models had variable speed chips with a peak of 80 MHz to save battery life.
Newer iPod accessories include a memory-card reader and a voice recording module, both manufactured by Belkin and officially licensed by Apple Computer.
The iPod originally interacted only with Macintosh computers, but on July 17 2002, Apple Computer began selling a Windows version with its internal hard drive formatted as FAT32 instead of as HFS+. A Microsoft Windows version of iTunes was released on October 16, 2003 ; previously, Windows users needed third-party software such as Musicmatch Jukebox, ephPod or XPlay to manage the music on their iPods.
The most recent generation of dockable iPods removes the Mac/Windows distinction; the iPod is shipped with its hard drive formatted for use with a Macintosh, and the user can reformat it for Windows use after purchase. An iPod with its hard drive formatted as HFS+ operates only with a Macintosh, because Windows does not recognize HFS+, but since the Macintosh can handle FAT32, an iPod formatted as FAT32 can operate with a Macintosh as well as with a PC. But HFS+ leaves slightly more space available to store data, and it lets the iPod serve as a boot disk for a Macintosh computer.
On January 8, 2004, Hewlett-Packard announced that they would license the iPod from Apple to create an HP-branded MP3 player, dubbed the HPod. The following day, Hewlett-Packard chairman and CEO Carly Fiorina unveiled the new, blue iPod-based device at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show. While a blue iPod never made it into production, the current HP model, completely identical to the Apple iPod, sells as the "Apple iPod + hp". Retailers of this model include (among others) the retail giant Wal-Mart, which includes a disclaimer explaining that it will not work with its own online music service.
The iPodLinux project has expended some effort into getting Linux to run on iPods, with some success. A SourceForge project exists for the effort , and guides exist online.
Design
Jeff Robbin headed the iPod firmware team at Apple. His team integrated the core firmware from PortalPlayer with the user interface library developed by Pixo. (The founder of Pixo had worked on the Apple Newton, a personal digital assistant formerly produced by Apple.) The Pixo libraries provide the user interface, though the iPod photo has incorporated some visual elements from Mac OS X, such as the animated "Aqua" style progress bar. It's also interesting to note that the font used on all of the iPods' user interfaces (with the exception of the mini and photo models) is "Chicago," the font used on the original Macintosh computer from 1984.
This photograph shows what an iPod looks like inside.
From left to right:
- An intact third-generation iPod.
- The front of the iPod casing (face-down). The lighter green circuit board controls the iPod (and leaves room for the battery to fit beside it), and the darker green board beneath it controls the touch-scroll wheel and the buttons. Three connectors exist: the battery connects in the lower-right corner; the hard drive connector lies to the left of the black area in the lower left; and the headphone jack, wired remote control jack, and Hold switch (all located on the top of the iPod) connect as a single plug in the top right.
- The lithium-ion battery.
- The hard drive, surrounded by a layer of soft rubber which is also beneath it to insulate it from the circuit board.
- The rear of the iPod. Wires connect the ports and switch on the top of the case to a small plug. A hole on the bottom of the case allows access to the Firewire port on the circuit board.
The unit's case snaps together, with no screws or glue involved. The plastic front of the case has clips which lock under a ridge inside the rim of the metal case back. A servicer can pry the iPod open by carefully inserting a small screwdriver to pull the metal away from the clips.
The iPod contains a small internal speaker which generates the scroll-wheel clicks and alarm-clock beep sound, but the internal speaker cannot be used for playing music.
Use
There are five buttons on an iPod: Play/Pause, Menu (which backs up one level in the menus), Previous and Next (which skip through tracks in play), and Select (the button in the center of the scroll wheel; this selects a menu or a song to play).
There is also a Hold switch on the top of the unit. Setting this switch so that red is visible will make the buttons unresponsive, so that they are not accidentally pressed. The scroll wheel also cannot be used to change the volume in Hold mode.
Holding down the iPod's Menu button for two seconds will turn off the display's backlight. Holding down the Play/Pause button for two seconds will turn the unit off.
If the iPod becomes unresponsive, the user can force it to reset. On a 3G or earlier iPod, slide the switch on the top of the unit to Hold then back the other way, then hold down the Menu and Play/Pause buttons for six to ten seconds until the Apple logo appears. On a click-wheel iPod, toggle the Hold switch as above, then hold down the Menu and Select buttons.
The iPod can be put into Firewire Disk Mode, in which it behaves like a Firewire hard drive without any of the additional iPod functionality. On a 3G or earlier iPod, reset it then hold the Previous and Next buttons until the display reads "Disk Mode". On a click-wheel iPod, hold Select and Play/Pause. Reset the unit again to return it to normal functionality.
The iPod's firmware contains a diagnostic menu. On a 3G or earlier iPod, reset it then hold Previous, Next, and Select; on a click-wheel iPod, hold Previous and Select. Release the buttons after a few seconds, and the unit will chirp and briefly show a backwards Apple logo before displaying the diagnostic menu. Navigate through the menu with the Previous and Next buttons (not the scroll wheel), and select items with the Select button. Press Play/Pause to exit a test. The functionality of the diagnostic menu has never been documented by Apple, but it is possible to make a guess as to what each menu item probably does.
Models
While all iPods are roughly the same size and have the same capabilities, the design has undergone several revisions since it was first introduced to the market. There are four distinct generations of iPods, commonly known as 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G. (These designations are unrelated to the Power Macintosh G3, G4, or other Macintosh models.)
Within any generation of iPods, various models have been available with different sizes of hard drives, at different price points. During the third and fourth generations, three sizes of iPods have been on the market at any given time, priced at $299, $399, and $499. The least expensive comes with earphones, a FireWire cable, and a wall plug to recharge the iPod's internal battery. The other two models include all that along with a belt-clip carrying case, a wired remote control, and a docking cradle.
The iPod mini is a smaller unit available in various colors and is not considered a member of one of the "generations," though it was released between the 3G and 4G models.
First generation
First announced on October 23 2001, the original iPod was available for $399 with a 5 GB hard drive. Critics panned the unit's price, but the iPod was an instant hit in the marketplace. A 10 GB version ($499) was announced in March 2002, and a 20 GB version in July (introduced at $499 with a price drop of $100 for the other two models).
The mechanical scroll wheel, the most distinctive feature of the iPod, was designed by Apple but developed by Synaptics, a firm that also developed the trackpad used by many laptops, including Apple's PowerBooks. The 1G iPod featured four buttons - Menu, Play/Pause, Back, and Forward - arranged around the circumference of the scroll wheel.
Second generation
The 2G iPods replaced the mechanical scroll wheel with a touch-sensitive, non-moving one (also made by Synaptics) which could detect the motion of the user's finger circling around it. The button in the center of the wheel and the buttons around the wheel were still mechanical. These iPods came with a wired remote control and belt-clip carrying case.
Third generation
On April 28, 2003, Steve Jobs introduced an "ultrathin" iPod series. These were slightly smaller than their predecessors, and their edges were more bevelled. Over the life of the 3G iPod series, models were available in 10 GB, 15 GB, 20 GB, 30 GB, and 40 GB sizes.
These iPods used a new kind of connector, longer and flatter than a typical Firewire plug. This allowed them to fit more easily into a docking cradle (which shipped with all but the least-expensive iPod, and was also available separately).
The 3G iPod featured touch-sensitive buttons located below the display. They would glow red for a few seconds when touched, allowing the iPod to be used more easily in the dark.
With the 3G iPods, Apple stopped shipping separate Mac and Windows versions of the unit. Instead, all iPods now shipped with their hard drives formatted for Macintosh use; on the included CD-ROM was a Windows utility which could reformat them for use with a Windows PC. These iPods also introduced the ability to be used with a USB2 connection (the USB adapter cable was sold separately).
When purchased through the online Apple Store, the iPod featured custom engraving: two lines of text could be laser-engraved on the back (for an additional charge).
iPod mini
In January 2004, Apple introduced a smaller variation, the iPod mini. With 4 GB of storage and a price of $249 USD (which was only $50 below the 15 GB iPod), it was panned by critics for being too expensive; but once again it was overwhelmingly popular, and Apple Stores had difficulty keeping them in stock.
The iPod mini moves the buttons to the scroll wheel itself. Pressing an edge of the wheel clicks it like a button; hence Apple refers to the new wheel as a "click wheel". Distinctively, the iPod mini is available in "five trend-setting colors: silver, gold, green, pink or blue, all shiny."
Fourth generation
In July 2004, the fourth generation of iPod was released. In a new publicity route, Steve Jobs announced it by being the subject of a Newsweek magazine cover.
The most obvious difference between the 4G iPod and its predecessors is the introduction of the click wheel design from the iPod mini. The 4G iPod is slightly smaller, and it introduces the ability to charge the battery over a USB connection. It also offered larger capacities at the same price points; the 20 GB unit cost $299 USD and the 40 GB unit cost $399 USD.
Apple claims that updated software in the new iPod allows it to use the battery more efficiently and increase battery life to 12 hours, and minor changes such as the addition of a "Shuffle Songs" item on the top-level menu make it more convenient for users. There have been complaints from users of earlier iPods that the software improvements should be made available for previous models as well, but so far Apple has not addressed this.
The fourth generation iPod comes bundled with cables to connect it to FireWire and USB ports.
iPod photo and U2 Special Edition
On October 28, 2004, Apple released the iPod photo in 40 GB and 60 GB sizes with color displays and the ability to store and show photographs. Less than a month later it renamed the device as the "iPod photo", with the second word not capitalized. The 40GB version is priced at $499 and the 60GB version costs $599.
On the same day, the iPod Special Edition U2 was also released. It is black on the front with a red click wheel (the colors of U2's upcoming album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb) and features the signatures of U2 band members engraved on the back, but otherwise is identical to the 20GB 4G iPods. (It costs $349, which is $50 more than an 4G iPod.) It comes with an iTunes Music Store coupon redeemable for $50 off the price of "The Complete U2," a "digital boxed set" featuring 400 tracks of U2 music.
Future
If the U2 Special Edition iPod is successful, it is likely that additional custom iPods will be made available in the future, with new colors and new laser-engraved designs.
Various credible sources in the Apple computing world and in the financial sector have reported rumors of the development of a flash drive-based iPod. Such a unit would have a smaller capacity than current hard drive-based iPods, but might have a much lower price.
Persistent rumors, encouraged by the release of the iPod photo with its color display, suggest that Apple will someday introduce an iPod with video-playing capability. However at the October 26 2004 event in San Jose, California where Apple introduced the iPod photo, Jobs noted the flaws of competitors' video-supporting devices, including size, weight, and that "No one has any video content to put on them."
Battery life
Apple designed the iPod with an internal lithium ion battery that users cannot easily access. Like most lithium-ion batteries, the iPod battery lasts roughly 500 full recharge cycles. In other words, the battery will continue to have a useful life through the equivalent of five hundred complete discharges and recharges; through time and use, the life of the battery will generally decrease until eventually it does not hold a charge for very long. Apple has published guidelines on its web site for maximizing the life of an iPod battery.
In late November 2003, film-makers and Apple enthusiasts The Neistat Brothers produced a short movie, downloadable online, which expressed anger because the battery on their early-model iPod had failed after eighteen months and because the iPod became usable. The movie depicted the Brothers vandalizing Apple ads in the New York City area with graffiti proclaiming that "iPod's unreplaceable battery lasts only 18 months."
Shortly before this, Apple Computer had introduced a battery replacement scheme (US$99) for out-of-warranty iPods , and offered users the option to extend the warranty of their iPods (US$59). In addition, other companies are offering battery replacements for as little as US$50, or users can purchase a battery (at ipodbattery.com, for example) for around US$30 and replace it themselves.
iTunes Music Store
No portable music player other than the iPod can play the protected AAC (.m4p) files sold on Apple's iTunes Music Store. Some see this restriction as a way to increase the sale of iPods, and Steve Jobs has said as much: "We would like to break even make a little bit of money but it's not a money maker." It is possible to circumvent the restriction by burning protected files to an audio CD and then re-importing them as unprotected files; this is tedious, however. Another way to circumvent the copy protection is with a third-party software program named Hymn or with Apple's own Compressor software, included with Final Cut Pro.
Third-party accessories
- Third-party software tools supporting iPod include:
- Griffin Technology makes several iPod accessories, including the iTrip, iBeam, iTalk, PodPod, and Earjam.
- naviPod by TEN Technology is a 5-button infrared remote control for the Apple iPod.
- The inMotion Speakers by Altec Lansing act as a charging station as well as a dock while turning the iPod into a speaker system.
- BMW sells an accessory which allows drivers of late-model BMW vehicles to control their iPod through the built-in steering wheel controls. The iPod attaches to a cable harness in the car's glovebox.
- A wide variety of other third-party products also exists and more appear every day, from voice recorders through games and other iPod-based software to various connection devices and adapters
iPod Sales
iPod currently dominates the MP3 player market, frequently topping best-seller lists . Apple reported in Q4 of 2003 earnings of $106M U.S., its highest revenue for Q4 revenue in 9 years. Commentators have speculated that revenue for the Apple iPod could hit $1B U.S. in sales at the end of 2004. HP, in contract with Apple for the sale of a HP-branded iPod, has reported sales as 'going extremely well', but did not release figures. Apple has acknowledged HP-iPods making 6% of Q4 sales.
Key personnel
See also
External links
- iPod page on Apple.com
- iPod mini page on Apple.com
- iPod Your BMW, the site for the BMW iPod adapter
- Wired News: Inside Look at Birth of the iPod - July 21, 2004
- iPodLinux: A successful port of linux to the iPod
- Podcast Directory