Skip to Content

30 Million iPods--iPods are Everywhere

Apple announced today that it has shipped more than 30 million iPods since the MP3 player's debut in October of 2001.

I can remember showing my family my 1st-generation iPod during our annual holiday get-together in 2001. They didn't know what an iPod was or even what an MP3 was. None of them, I think, really grasped that it was just the beginning of the now enormous portable MP3 player market. What was striking to me is that I could hand my iPod to my mother (who sometimes calls me to ask me how to print) and within a minute or two, she intuitively understood how to navigate through the music on the iPod.

About two years ago, I started seeing iPods everywhere. I couldn't ride the subway in NYC without seeing the tell-tale white earbuds. This trend has only escalated recently and shows little sign of slowing down. Apple continues to release new and better iPods with new functionality and has recently secured enough flash memory storage for the next five years. iPods are even being spoofed on Saturday Night Live.

Now, four years later, you can guess what both my teenaged neice and nephew want for Christmas.
 

Apple announced today that it has shipped more than 30 million iPods since the MP3 player's debut in October of 2001.I can remember showing...
 

Add a Comment

*0 / 3000 Character Maximum

7 Comments

Filter by:
Mike

Dont have any iPod =) its too expansive in my place =

November 24 2005 at 1:54 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
John Stone

So only 30m> There's about 6000m people int he world so way to go!

November 23 2005 at 6:25 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Curtis Townson

I also had the first gen 5gb iPod when it first came out. I brought it home with my (then new) 2nd Gen iMac, loaded it up with music and brought it to the bar with me that night. I pulled it out of my pocket at one point to show it off to a friend and immediately two young ladies asked me what it was. I said it was an iPod and they asked what the hell and iPod was. Since I'm a sarcastic dick I told them it was my cell phone and pretended to make a call with it. Now, four years later, I'm sure just about everybody knows what one is. I don't feel nearly as special anymore :(

November 23 2005 at 11:05 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Cyberdork

Wow, so they made something like 10 billion dollars of an mp3 player. Freakin' awesome. I bet there are countries with lower GDPs. Let me add to the MWSF rumors: apparently the very POPULAR 12" Powerbook will be discontinued... How about it will be replaced by a 13" widescreen Intel tablet Powerbook?

November 22 2005 at 6:46 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Brian

I only wish....

November 22 2005 at 4:53 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Damien Barrett

What do you think is going to be released in January at MWSF? [wink]

November 22 2005 at 4:38 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Banagor

I just wonder if anyone at your site has contacts with Apple people high up because I've thought of the following idea: Why not release the new iBook Intels with Black plastic instead of just white? Everyone obviously loves the black nano, so why not make that an option? Perhaps you guys know how to get the attention of Jobs or others at Apple and forward that idea? Wouldn't that be nice?

November 22 2005 at 4:20 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Buy an ad here

Hot Apps on TUAW

Tweets

© 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.