The name for the iPod device came up with one of the employees of Apple. The inspiration for the name was the line from the famous award-winning sci-fi movie “2001: A Space Odyssey” made by Stanley Kubrick, not from the Blade Runner. The device was first introduced and put into production in the second half of 2001.
Explanation:
The creator of the name of the legendary and revolutionary device was the former Apple copywriter Winnie Chieco. His task was to come up with a short and catchy name for a new musical device. When he first saw the initial samples of the future iPod, he immediately remembered one of the modules of the spacecraft called ePod from the cult film “2001: A Space Odyssey”. The phrase associated with this device was ‘Open the pod bay door, Hal!’, and was pronounced by the main character of the movie. Although outwardly the ePod and iPod are fundamentally different, their performance characteristics were similar, which inspired its naming. The decisive similarities were separate device control, extraordinarily modern and high-tech software and hardware, and a user-friendly interface. Vinnie Chieco remembered this particular module because of its presence in the critical moments of the Stanley Kubrick’s movie. Presentation and sales of the iPod allowed Apple to become one of the leading digital and technological corporate titans of our time. iPod technology has forever changed and established new methods of online music distribution, promotion, and trading. It is Apple and their iPod that are responsible for the disappearance of physical music media and music stores.
The backstory of the device is an ideal example of the competent use and combination of technical marketing and advertising components of the company. The iPod concept, or the so-called first generation of models, was first introduced in October 2001. Mass sales began in November of that year and ended after about six months in July 2002. The front side of the device included four buttons located in the shape of a circle, a scroll wheel surrounded by them, and a central button that was responsible for the selection of musical compositions. The iPod used exclusive hardware and two former Mac operating systems. A distinctive feature of the iPod was a convenient and straightforward interface, as well as a smaller size compared to other competing models of music players. However, the iTunes service did not exist at that time, so users had to add music from physical media or early online music resources. The iPod could hold up from one to two thousand songs and supported the three former major digital formats: AIFF, MP3, and WAV. The iPod had a FireWire format connector and was sold only in the white color scheme. The initial price was around four hundred dollars but later rose to five hundred. After about half a year, following the incredible financial and user success of the first model, the second generation of the Apple device came out. The features of the second version of the iPod were the increased memory size, compatibility with other popular operating systems, and a modified button technology using the touch screen system. The second generation of iPods forever secured Apple’s place in the fields of media and technology market.