Introduction

With the expected advances in technology over the years, our audio input has changed drastically. Moving from stationary transmitters to portable products, we have seen many innovations in relation to how we receive audio. 

Apple have been trailblazers in changing how we experience music and pushing the boundary of audio technology from the classic innovation of the iPod to the everyday Apple AirPod range. 

iPod Era 

iPod 

The iPod Classic was a music player introduced by Apple in 2001, and it quickly became an icon of the early 2000s. It was designed to be a portable device that could store and play a user's entire music library of 1,000 songs with storage capacities ranging from 5GB to 160GB in its future iterations.

Steve Jobs released this during the October 23rd 2001 Apple event hosted in Apple’s Infinite Loop campus. In 2002, more than 400,000 iPods were sold and the product contributed 2% of company sales. By 2004, iPod sales were contributing 15% of the company’s revenue.

The iPod Classic had a signature click wheel that made it easy to navigate through songs and playlists at a touch of a button. This typical iPod design was created by Tony Fadell who oversaw all iPod hardware, software, and accessories development. He is known as the "father of the iPod". The iPod was first released in the classic Apple White and its later iterations brought on the device in a black colourway.

iPod mini

The iPod Mini was a smaller and more compact version of the original iPod that was introduced by Apple in 2004. 

It was designed to be a more portable and stylish version of the iPod Classic, with a sleek anodised aluminium casing and range of new colours which was a huge success and quickly became a fashion accessory. 

The iPod Mini had a storage capacity of 4GB or 6GB and enough to store up to 1,500 songs which was an immense improvement from the iPod Classic. 

iPod Nano

In 2005, Apple introduced the next generation of their iPod range, the iPod Nano. 

The iPod Nano was designed by Apple to be a refined version of the iPod mini as Apple continued with the slim/sleek design and bright colours of that in the iPod mini. The iPod Nano was even smaller than the iPod mini but had increased storage capacities up to 16GB.

It also had a built-in FM radio, a pedometer, and the ability to play videos, making it a popular choice for fitness enthusiasts as well as integrating tech into the healthy lifestyle. Priced from $199 for 2GB, the Nano was extremely popular and the initial consumer response to the product was overwhelmingly positive resulting in massive sales. The Nano sold its first million units in 17 days, helping Apple to a record billion-dollar profit in 2005 and therefore, lasted for up to 7 generations.

iPod shuffle

The iPod Shuffle was a small and compact music player introduced by Apple in early 2005 and was designed to be a low-cost option for people who wanted a portable music player where the 512 MB model sold for $99, while the 1 GB model sold for $149. 

The iPod Shuffle was unique in its design as it was lightweight, had no screen and relied on the click-wheel shuffle feature to randomly play songs. Its later generations took an even smaller design to clip onto clothing which made it the must-have tech accessory.  

From its storage capacity of 512MB to 4GB, the shuffle lasted with up to 15 hours of battery life for long lasting plays.

iPod Touch 

In early 2007, Fadell designed a series of iOS-based iPod versions that was debuted by Apple as the iPod Touch. The iPod Touch was revolutionary as for the first time, users could not only listen to music, but also play games, browse the web, and download apps from the App Store. Essentially, the iPod Touch was an iPhone without the cellular capabilities which made it the perfect transition product to the iPhone released in the summer of 2007. It had a storage capacity of 8GB to 128GB, depending on the model, which was enough to store thousands of songs, photos, and apps. The iPod Touch also had a built-in camera, allowing users to take photos and record videos.

Upon its launch, the iPod Touch received mostly good reviews for its display, its full Web browser, and YouTube support. However it was also criticised for being a "stripped down" iPhone, for lacking external volume buttons, and for having a lower-quality display with only a $100 price difference between the two products.

Over the years, the iPod Touch had evolved with new features, including FaceTime video calling, Siri voice control, and augmented reality capabilities which pioneered many Apple innovations like the iPad today.

End of iPods, Beginning of AirPods

In many ways, the iPod is responsible for the ways we tend to consume music now, and the boom of purchasing digital media. In May of 2022, Apple announced the discontinuation of the iPod. The increase in more innovative Apple products pushed the declining sales of the iPod ranges. These innovations carved the path for streaming platforms, where, sadly, the iPod just couldn’t keep up. It ushered in an era it couldn’t compete in.

In 2016, Apple made a controversial move by removing the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 to introduce their new wireless earbuds, the AirPods. AirPods were designed to be lightweight, comfortable, and easy to use. The AirPods came with a charging case that could recharge the earbuds multiple times, providing a total of 24 hours of listening time. TechCrunch states that "the Apple design team - lead Jony Ive, told Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams that he was thinking of Stormtrooper garb when he came up with the design for Apple’s earbuds. The instantly recognisable white plastic earbuds were in part influenced by Star Wars: specifically, by the Empire’s ubiquitous enforcer, the Stormtrooper."

The AirPods quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Apple was estimated to have sold between 14 million and 16 million AirPods in 2017 and was the most popular Apple accessory by 2018 with 35 million units sold. They had become a viral sensation with memes circulating across the internet about its appearance and its relation to the removal of the headphone jack in iPhones. However, as time wore on, AirPods became known as a status symbol. They were seen everywhere, from the gym to the office, and were praised for their convenience and sound quality which rivalled many other earbuds on the market. Apple continued to improve the AirPods with the release of the AirPods Pro in 2019 with advanced features.

Now, the AirPods Max which was rumoured to have been 4 years before its launch, came with a mixture of excitement and scepticism among tech reviewers and journalists. Many praised the sleek design and impressive sound quality, but some criticised the high price tag and lack of advanced features, such as noise-cancellation customisation and compatibility with non-Apple devices.

Some reviewers compared the AirPods Max to other high-end headphones, such as the Sony WH-1000XM4 and the Bose QuietComfort 35 II, but with high-fidelity audio, active noise cancellation, and transparency mode, the spatial audio technology creates an immersive sound experience offering an unparalleled for audiophiles and music lovers.

The Future of Listening

Since the release of the AirPods, Apple has continued to push the boundaries of audio technology with the AirPods range with noise cancellation, customisable fit, and high-fidelity audio features.

Apple's innovations in audio technology have not only changed the way we listen to music but also the way we interact with our devices. The AirPods and AirPods Pro have enabled hands-free control of our devices, allowing us to make phone calls, access Siri, and control music with just our voice.

As technology continues to advance, it's exciting to think about what other audio innovations Apple has in store for us. With their focus on creating seamless and intuitive experiences, it's clear that Apple will continue to shape the future of audio technology.

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