Has it really only been
five and a half years since the first iPod rolled off the assembly line and into the initially-skeptical arms of music-loving consumers worldwide? Well since that time we've seen an entire
ecosystem of third-party and DIY accessories sprout up around Apple's ubiquitous little jukebox -- from
the pretty handy to the
just plain weird -- along with endless
humorous anecdotes, an infinite number of
knockoffs, serious
political,
legal, and
environmental movements, and of course, an
almost daily barrage of wild rumors the likes of which the world has never known. So it's with mixed emotion that we welcome the 100 millionth iPod into the world (enough for almost every man, woman, and child in Mexico): on the one hand, it gives us warm fuzzies to see perennial underdog Apple come out on top for a change, but we also hope that the company employs its leadership position responsibly, such as being a little less quick to sic the lawyers on anyone who dares
use the "Pod" name in vain. And as for the next 100 million iPods? Is
PC-less downloading just over the horizon? When will we finally see the move to
an all flash lineup? Will Apple finally take the leap and merge its prize pig with -- gasp! -- a cellular telephone? As always, only time -- and Uncle Steve -- will tell.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Andrew Paul Baisden @ Apr 9th 2007 12:16PM
congrats apple you led the way in digitital distribution with music let you lead in movies too. ;)
carlos @ Apr 9th 2007 12:16PM
The 2005 iPod is labeled incorrectly. It sasys iPod color (2005) It should be iPod Video.
Matt @ Apr 9th 2007 12:21PM
No, there was an iPod color model before the iPod Video.
Matt @ Apr 9th 2007 12:21PM
That's 49,900 iPods every day since October 23, 2001, the day they were introduced. That's ridiculous. Conrats, Apple.
carlos @ Apr 9th 2007 12:46PM
There are 2 generations of the iPod Video. First gen topped out at 60 gigs. The 2nd gen iPod Video tops at 80 gigs with the a higher res screen. That's not on the chart.
Gordy @ Apr 9th 2007 12:25PM
Labels are correct...and there's no product named 'iPod Video', yet. The '05 4G iPod Color came before the '05 5G iPod with video.
1G, 4G, and 5G here. I've owned more iPods than walkmans.
Who Knew @ Apr 10th 2007 11:30AM
Gordy,
IMO, the Ipod shuffle should say 2G at the end...
Cheers
carlos @ Apr 9th 2007 2:11PM
I took a count and I've had 4 iPods.
iPod
iPod 3G
iPod Photo
iPod Color/w Video (Whatever the name should be)
I plan on buying the iPhone and a wide screen iPod whenever it comes out.
Mrmean @ Apr 9th 2007 12:33PM
good job Apple!
Revrant2394 @ Apr 9th 2007 12:37PM
Can't say I cared when the PS2 hit it, can't say I care now that the iPod hit it.
Where's that "Ten Trillionth Toothpick" article anyway?
Mrfreezie @ Apr 9th 2007 12:40PM
Engadget has put a negative spin on almost everything, recently..
Jman @ Apr 9th 2007 12:45PM
"Will Apple finally take the leap and merge its prize pig with -- gasp! -- a cellular telephone? As always, only time -- and Uncle Steve -- will tell."
Wait a sec, aren't they already doing that and calling it the iPhone?
TorontoGuy @ Apr 9th 2007 12:45PM
I wonder how many of the 100 Mil are individual users and not just poor suckers 'upgrading' to the latest model or color case? Of course a sizable percentage would not be new sales at all but people replacing defective units after they found they were locked into Apple's proprietary system.
To paraphrase P.T. Barnum..."There's an iPod user born every minute."
MrWhite @ Apr 9th 2007 12:59PM
TorontoGuy
To paraphrase P.T. Barnum..."There's an iPod user born every minute."
Actually, P.T. Barnum, never said those words. History Channel rocks!
JT @ Apr 9th 2007 1:05PM
I can move my music to any other, player if I want, but there is not anything better, or even anything that work as good as the iPod on Mac or PC for that matter. If you dont want DRM Music, dont buy it. Buy CDs
nathanb131 @ Apr 9th 2007 6:17PM
Of course he never said those exact words. That's what 'paraphrase' means. TorontoGuy, I completely agree. I shy away from Sony and Apple specifically because they try to lock you in with propietary products.
plaidpjs @ Apr 9th 2007 3:23PM
Okay, already.... let's try something new because the idea that Apple locked anyone into a "proprietary" system is ridiculous. Lest we forget that there was an extended period of time in which the iTunes Music Store didn't exist and people bought iPods just as well, when they were using only open format files.
And, even now, the iPod is more open than 80% of it's competitors. The only thing remotely proprietary to the iPod was FairPlay and that was just a DRM wrapper that was necessary to allow for ANY legal sales of downloadable music. If you have any problem with that, blame the record labels, and if you can't seem to make that happen, blame every other DRM protected downloadable music as well.
Your argument/insult = lack of rational thought!
Eric Leung @ Oct 1st 2007 1:19AM
i believe the word is parody? not paraphrase?
CajunLuke @ Apr 9th 2007 12:33PM
No, the 5.5G did not have a higher-res screen. Both models come with a 320x240 display.
John @ Apr 9th 2007 4:05PM
First off: there is no such thing as "iPod Video". The 5th Gen iPod has video playback but is not an "iPod Video". Second: the new sizes and brighter screens on the newer 5th Gens are still 5th Gen - commonly referred to as 5.5Gen. There is not new software that isn't compatible with the original 5G and the hardware updates are not substantial enough to validate a new generation.
Also - the 5.5 doesn't have a "higher res screen". It's just a brighter screen. Check your facts.
Davin Peterson @ Apr 9th 2007 12:51PM
The iPod unfairly dominates the market and Creative gets no recogintion. Creative has made MP3 players as long as Apple. Apple stole the GUI technology from Creative and Creative has had to rush o get a player out to compete with them. Creative makes great players, so before buying an Apple iPod take a look at the Creative Zen Vision line.
chew @ Apr 9th 2007 12:56PM
Don't be silly. I'm sure Creative will get a blog post when they sell 100 million players.
MrWhite @ Apr 9th 2007 1:44PM
Davin Peterson
The iPod unfairly dominates the market and Creative gets no recogintion. Creative has made MP3 players as long as Apple. Apple stole the GUI technology from Creative and Creative has had to rush o get a player out to compete with them. Creative makes great players, so before buying an Apple iPod take a look at the Creative Zen Vision line.
Ummmmmmmmmmm, no thanks. iPod 444life
Alex @ Apr 9th 2007 1:01PM
Yeah i purposely looked for alternatives to the "iPod" and found that the Zen Vision:M suited my needs better. It has wayyy more features and hey, be different :P
Thomas @ Apr 9th 2007 4:17PM
So what you are saying is that to win in a technology market you have to steal someone's UI. Interesting.
plaidpjs @ Apr 9th 2007 5:58PM
How exactly does the iPod "unfairly" dominate the market? Apple released a product, they brought innovations to the market, they facilitated a whole-hearted move to digital media, and they gave their users an easy-to-use piece of technology that more than enough people love.
By the way, you better check your facts before you go claiming Apple stole anyone's "GUI," let alone Creative's.
Stewie @ Apr 9th 2007 7:18PM
You are concerned with companies that unfairly dominates a market? So then you are not a Windows user then? Or in that case, it is A OK?
Creative sucks, by the way. Had one, glad its gone.
wyrdtoo @ Apr 9th 2007 12:54PM
100 million is a big number for any product and it warrants celebration for any company. But I'd like to know how many "users", not how many units. The long-term success of a trendy tech-product is more predicated on the breadth of the user-base. Obviously 100 million iPods sold does not equate to 100 million users. I'd be surprised if it was even 1/3 of that, considering that most people I know (just like Gordy said) have bought new iPods yearly or own multiple flavors for different uses. A wide user-base can weather the storm of a bad product release, but one bad design or decision can topple a thin user-base like a house of cards.
Maff @ Apr 9th 2007 5:08PM
Vision:M is a pretty good player, worth checking out!
carlos @ Apr 9th 2007 1:08PM
The 2005 iPod is labeled incorrectly. It sasys iPod color (2005) It should be iPod Video.
paloooz @ Apr 9th 2007 1:14PM
Wow, you posted that up there and everyone modded you down. You are wrong. Pull your head out of your ass and deal with it.
All iPod videos have had the same screen. Period.
I know from first hand experience that there was an iPod Photo/Color before the iPod video.
You can find more information here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod#Models
Elf @ Apr 9th 2007 1:19PM
:: insert gripe about how the flowchart is wrong::
Rasim Hasanovic @ Apr 9th 2007 1:11PM
What will come next?
200 Million iPhones?
DM @ Apr 9th 2007 1:23PM
Amazing numbers. Would love to know the percentage of them who are regretful.
gz @ Apr 9th 2007 1:25PM
Interesting that they released same day as Yahoo!/SanDisk Sansa announcement. Not that Yahoo/SanDisk is a speck compared to the 100 million, but maybe Apple feels that the next 100 million will be dominated by players with open mobile wireless Internet capability, and players like the Sansa, recently announced Slacker, and possibly the evolution of the Google/Samsung Switch could be competition for Apple in this category:
http://blog.nextblitz.com/blog/2007/04/sandisk_sansa_p.html
Byrongman @ Apr 9th 2007 1:26PM
Yeah, I'll bet that 100 millionth Ipod is a brick too...
*Slams mine on floor*
Carl @ Apr 9th 2007 1:42PM
Didn't they already merge an iPod with a phone? I thought that was one of the three big selling points of the iPhone...
harpreet @ Apr 9th 2007 1:53PM
100 million ipods sold!!!!...Steve must really thanks bill gates.
Cousin @ Apr 9th 2007 1:59PM
I applaud Apple for their ability to sell that many iPods, but I applaud them more for their ability to make people think that it's justified to purchase that many different models of a product in less than 6 years. If any other company made you replace your appliances once every year people would revolt, but there's just something about Apple that turns people into Lemmings. I'm not an Apple hater, I think they make great solid products, but I just really wish I knew how they got their "buy a new one every time we tell you to" business model to work.
thechihuahua @ Apr 9th 2007 2:06PM
you don't have to update every time, I still using a gen1 nano and *gasp* it works just fine, you only have to update if you have the money and are stupid enough to waste it updating every 6 months, they don't force you into anything except system updates (damn you apple, I just bough that computer!)
plaidpjs @ Apr 9th 2007 6:02PM
Actually, I think that's just your very inaccurate perception as opposed to a business model.
It's "anti-Apple" fanboi thinking that leads to wondering "how many users there really are," and "there's really only a very thin market that buys new models every 6 months."
Go to any mall in America, ride a subway or a bus, go out to a park or running track on the weekend... guaranteed there's more then just a few people walking around with an iPod in one form or another. The market is definitely not "thin" and definitely not founded just on Apple enthusiasts buying new models every 6 months.
WG @ Apr 9th 2007 2:11PM
Can someone repost that Dvorak article from 2001 about how the iPod will be the death knell for Apple?
js @ Apr 9th 2007 2:13PM
The one who you should be applying is Windows. If the iPod was not Windows compatible, it would still be in the 100,000 mark.
plaidpjs @ Apr 9th 2007 3:49PM
LOL... you really are silly enough to believe that, aren't you?
Cousin @ Apr 9th 2007 2:17PM
I know you don't have to update every time, but the fact that some people do is what makes Apple so incredible. The people that feel they need 3 different nanos for different workout routines at the gym and a shuffle for work and then a 30 and 60 gig version for everyday use. Apple doesn't force you into anything, but they just do a great job of convincing you to think a certain way. And I know this isn't true about everybody, but I'd bet that the majority of users are multiple iPod owners.
tv junkie @ Apr 9th 2007 2:29PM
I'm still using my 3rd Gen iPod (the only model with four backlit touch-screen-like buttons,) beside the much complained awful battery life, it still works like a charm (I use it in my car, so the battery isn't a big issue)...plus, it's one of the rare models before the 4th Gen iPod became huge, so at least it's a bit different than most people's.
I'm skeptical about iPhone, but I'm excited to see the next generation iPod.
turtlesoup @ Apr 9th 2007 2:49PM
100 million ipods sold to 20 million people.
plaidpjs @ Apr 9th 2007 3:50PM
OMG... you have such an astute grasp of reality it is mind-boggling!
BUT, let's just assume it is 20 million users... at least that's 17 million more than every other player combined!
Eric Glassman @ Apr 9th 2007 2:55PM
What's an iPod?
tiuk @ Apr 9th 2007 3:24PM
I see the 4G as more of a child of the Mini than the 3G, since the Mini was the first to have the clickwheel.