Apple iPod Buyers Guide

Which iPod suits you?

The iPod has come a long way since Apple introduced the original 5GB model more than in 2001. Apple doubled the iPod's capacity a year later and added the signature solid-state scrollwheel. In 2003, the capacity had increased to as much as 40GB. And 2004 saw the introduction of several new iPods, including the Mini, the iPod Photo, and the black U2 iPod. Early 2005 witnessed the splashy arrival of the flash-based USB key Shuffle, the 30GB iPod Photo, and the updated Mini, which added a 6GB version to the series as well as improved battery life. Then came the 20GB photo-friendly iPod (Apple dropped "Photo" from the name of this and the 60GB versions) and the colorised iPod U2 Special Edition.

Late in late 2005, the dynasty continued with the arrival of the flash-based iPod wunderkind, the 1GB, 2GB and 4GB Nano in black or white. It meant the end of the line for the iPod Mini. Meanwhile the superthin 5G iPod (30GB and 60GB sizes, white or black) lost some weight but gained a bigger screen and an appetite for video. In 2006, Apple released a new metallic Nano, changed the Shuffle into a fashionable belt clip, and introduced the U2 Special Edition iPod (5G).

Now in late 2007, the latest crop of iPods has landed with bunch of further tweaks. There are more subdued colours on Shuffle and Nano lines, with the third-gen Nano now completely re-profiled (it's wider and shorter than before) so that it can play back video. Apple has also increased the capacity of the hard drive-based iPod -- now dubbed the Classic -- to a capacious 160GB. The iPod interface has undergone its biggest change in years, with the Nano and the Classic offering split-screen browsing with front-and-centre album art. And there's now a new hero model, the iPod Touch, which is basically a thinner, phone-less iPhone. The Touch offers all the multimedia capabilities of an iPhone -- WiFi browsing included -- you just can't make calls from it. And as icing on the cake, the Touch supports over-the-air purchasing of iTunes tracks.

What came first ... the iPod or iTunes? It was the latter. Before the iPod was released, Mac users had had the 'iLife' suite of applications on their computer including iTunes version 1.0 - which had a 'three note' icon instead of the 'double' green one which people are familiar with today.

To this day, both Windows and Mac users can install and run iTunes on their computers without having to have an iPod - you can just use it to organise your music collection on your home computer - you don't have to have an iPod to have iTunes - something which not a lot of people realise.

So iTunes was around (for the Mac only) from January 2001 - without the online store - it merely let you rip your own music/CD collection in and play them through your computer.

A chap called Tony Fadell first conceived of iPod outside of Apple, but had difficulty finding funding and so took it to Apple and demonstrated his idea to Steve Jobs. Apple hired him as an independent contractor to bring his project to the public, where he then designed the first two generations before the UK design guru Jonathan Ives took over.