Tony Fadell Reflects on Creating the iPod Ahead of Device’s 20th Anniversary

One day ahead of the 20th anniversary of Steve Jobs unveiling the original iPod on October 23, 2001, Apple’s former senior vice president of the iPod team Tony Fadell has reflected on his role in creating the device in an interview with CNET‘s Roger Cheng.

2001 ipod
Fadell said that Apple was on a mission to launch the iPod before Christmas 2001. Impressively, he said that he “really got started” with developing the device in May 2001, just five months before it was introduced by Jobs. “It was nonstop, seven days a week,” he said.

When Jobs unveiled the iPod at a small press event at its former Infinite Loop headquarters, the device was not fully finished, according to Fadell. Nevertheless, he said Jobs handed out this early version of the device to the media in attendance, along with a collection of 20 CDs containing the music that had been pre-loaded onto the device.

Fadell added that by 2005, Apple was starting to look into the cell phone market. As he has shared in previous interviews over the years, Fadell said his team toyed with prototypes of a full-screen iPod with a virtual click wheel, adding that the Mac team had separately designed a “massive capacitive touchscreen the size of a pingpong table.” Apple ultimately launched the iPhone with a multi-touch display in 2007.

The full interview is a worthwhile read over at CNET for those interested in the days leading up to the original iPod’s launch two decades ago.

Related Stories

YouTube Discontinuing 3rd-Generation Apple TV App, AirPlay Still Available

YouTube is planning to stop supporting its YouTube app on the third-generation Apple TV models, where YouTube has long been available as a channel option.
A 9to5Mac reader received a message about the upcoming app discontinuation, which is set to take place in March.Starting early March, the YouTube app will no longer be available on Apple TV (3rd generation). You can still watch YouTube on…

YouTube Premium Subscribers Can Now Use iOS Picture-in-Picture: Here’s How

Google has rolled out picture-in-picture support as an “experimental” feature for YouTube premium subscribers, allowing them to watch video in a small window when the app is closed.
If you’re a premium YouTube subscriber looking to try out picture-in-picture, follow these steps: Launch a web browser and sign into your YouTube account at YouTube.com.
Navigate to www.youtube.com/new.
Scroll…

Apple Makes OS X Lion and Mountain Lion Free to Download

Apple recently dropped the $19.99 fee for OS X Lion and Mountain Lion, making the older Mac updates free to download, reports Macworld.
Apple has kept OS X 10.7 Lion and OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion available for customers who have machines limited to the older software, but until recently, Apple was charging $19.99 to get download codes for the updates.
As of last week, these updates no…

Gurman: Apple Planning Multiple Events for the Fall, M1X MacBook Pros to be Available by November

Apple is planning to hold multiple events this fall, which will collectively include the launch of new iPhones, Apple Watches, updated AirPods, revamped iPad mini, and the redesigned MacBook Pros, according to respected Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman. In his latest weekly Power On newsletter, Gurman says that much like last year, Apple will hold multiple events this coming fall, with the…

Persistent Kids Finding Loopholes in Apple’s Screen Time Limits

Apple is currently engaged in a cat-and-mouse game with persistent kids looking to circumvent Screen Time restrictions, but the company has been receiving some criticism for not moving quickly enough to lock down some of the loopholes, reports The Washington Post.
A few of the loopholes and ways for parents to shut them down are documented on the site Protect Young Eyes, while these and…

Unwrap a New Apple Device? Stock Up on Extra Certified Lightning Cables for as Little as $6

If you unwrapped an Apple product today it likely came with one of the company’s first-party Lightning cables, but having an extra on hand is always a good idea, so you can place it in other rooms in your house, in your car, or in a bag when you travel.
For that reason, now’s a good time to shop for third-party Lightning cables that are cheaper than Apple’s own accessory, but still Made For…

Apple Acknowledges Personal Hotspot Issues Affecting Some iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 Users

In an internal document distributed to Apple Authorized Service Providers this week, obtained by MacRumors, Apple has acknowledged that some iOS 13 or iPadOS 13 users may experience issues with Personal Hotspot.
Apple has told Authorized Service Providers to expect customers who are unable to connect to a Personal Hotspot or experience frequent disconnection from one. Customers may also…

macOS Monterey Beta 3: Apple Redesigns Safari Tab Interface Following Complaints

In the third developer beta of macOS Monterey, which came out this morning, Apple has overhauled the design of Safari, making the tab bar more similar to the current tab bar in macOS Big Sur.
The prior Safari design did away with the dedicated URL and search interface, instead allowing any individual tab to be used for navigation input. Tabs were also all arranged at the top of the display…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *