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iPod classic comes to an end: a look back at Apple's iconic music player

The Walkman may have started the first portable music revolution, but the iPod began the second. It increasingly put thousands upon thousands of songs in your pocket, and made it so that no one ever had to leave behind a track from their library again. And beyond all of that, it just happened to kickstart Apple’s dominating position in mobile.

Today, just shy of the 13th anniversary of its initial release, the classic iPod is finally being discontinued. Here’s a look back across the revolutionary line of MP3 players, from its simple beginnings, to its flashy days of glory, right down to its final redesign.

Lead image by Michael Shane.
3rd generation iPod classic from Matthew Pearce (Flickr).

iPod classic: a visual history

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First generation, 2001. The original iPod famously put “1,000 songs in your pocket.” It had a scroll wheel that physically rotated, a giant FireWire port on top for charging and syncing, and was available in 5 and 10GB models for $399 and $499 respectively.