IPOD CLASSIC

The 'iPod classic' is Apple's flagship line of iPod MP3 players. To date, there have been six generations of the iPod classic, as well as a spin-off (the iPod photo) that was later re-integrated into the main classic line. All generations use a 1.8" hard drive for storage.

Contents

Timeline of iPod classic models

First generation

Second generation

Third generation

Fourth generation

iPod photo

Fifth generation

Sixth generation

References

External links

Timeline of iPod classic models

Generation	Image	Capacity	Changes introduced	Connection	Original release date	Launch price (US$)
first	first generation iPod	5, 10 GB	First model, with mechanical scroll wheel.	FireWire	23 October 2001	$399, $499
second	second generation iPod	10, 20 GB	Touch-sensitive wheel. FireWire port had a cover. Hold switch revised. Windows compatibility through Musicmatch.	FireWire	17 July 2002	$399, $499
third	third generation iPod	10, 15, 20, 30, 40 GB	New central row of backlight touch-sensitive buttons. Dock Connector port introduced. Native Windows compatibility added when iTunes 4.0 was released.	FireWire (USB for syncing only)	28 April 2003	$299, $399, $499
fourth	fourth generation iPod	20, 30, 40, 60 GB	Buttons integrated to form "Click Wheel".	FireWire or USB	19 July 2004	$299, $399
fourth (photo)	fourth generation iPod	20, 30, 40, 60 GB	Color display with photo viewer introduced in October 2004. It replaced the monochrome model and lost the "photo" branding in June 2005.	FireWire or USB	October 2004	$349, $449, $499, $599
fifth (video)	fifth generation iPod	30, 60, 80 GB	Slimmer design, larger screen, and video playback capabilities. Available in black or white.	USB (FireWire for charging only)	12 October 2005	$299, $399 (later $249, $349)
sixth	sixth generation iPod	80, 160 GB	New interface and anodized aluminum front plate. Silver replaces white. Introduced the "classic" suffix.	USB (FireWire for charging only)	5 September 2007	$249, $349

First generation

Apple introduced the first-generation iPod classic on October 23, 2001. The first iPod featured a 5 GB hard drive capable of storing 1,000 songs encoded using MP3 and was priced at US$399. Among the iPod's innovations were its small size, achieved using a 1.8" hard drive, whereas its competitors were using 2.5" hard drives at the time, and it's easy-to-use navigation, which was controlled using a mechanical scroll wheel, a center OK button, and 4 auxiliary buttons around the wheel. The iPod had a rated battery life of 12 hours.
On March 20, 2002, Apple introduced a 10 GB model of the iPod classic for US$499. vCard compatibility was added, as well, allowing iPods to display business card information synced from a Mac.

Second generation

Introduced on July 17, 2002, the second generation iPod classic. Using the same body style as the first generation, the hold switch was redesigned, a cover was added to the FireWire port, and the mechanical wheel was replaced with a touch-sensitive wheel. The front place also had rounded corners and edges. The second-generation class was available in 10 GB for US$399 and 20 GB for US$499. The first-generation 5 GB classic was carried over, but its price was reduced to US$299.
Notably, Apple began selling PC-compatible versions of the iPod starting with the second generation. These versions came with a 4-pin to 6-pin FireWire adapter and were bundled with Musicmatch Jukebox instead of iTunes.

Third generation

On April 18, 2003, Apple announced a completely redesigned third-generation iPod classic. Thinner than the previous models, the third generation models replaced the FireWire port with a new Dock Connector and introduced the Touch Wheel, a completely non-mechanical interface with the four auxiliary buttons located in a row between the screen and the touch wheel. A 10 GB model was sold for US$299, a 15 GB model for US$399, and a 30 GB model for US$499. All iPods were now compatible with Mac and PC out of the box, simply requiring Windows users to reformat the iPod before use on a PC and both iTunes and Musicmatch were bundled with all iPods. The battery life was reduced to 8 hours, partially due to the use of a lithium-ion battery as opposed to a lithium polymer battery.
The 15 GB model was replaced by a 20 GB model and the 30 GB model was upgraded to 40 GB on September 8, 2003. Support for Musicmatch was also discontinued at this time and only iTunes was included in the box.

Fourth generation

Announced on July 19, 2004, the fourth-generation iPod replaced the touch wheel from the third generation with the Click Wheel from the iPod mini, putting the four auxiliary buttons underneath a touch-sensitive scroll wheel. Pricing was reduced and the lineup was simplified, as the 20 GB model was sold for US$299 and the 40 GB model for US$399. Notably, Apple began reducing pack-in accessories starting with the fourth generation. While a dock, carrying case, and wired remote were previously included with higher-end iPods, the higher-level 40 GB iPod only came with a dock. In addition to using the iPod mini's Click Wheel, the fourth generation classic used the more energy-efficient components of the mini, allowing the fourth generation iPod to over 12 hours of battery life while using the same battery as its predecessor.
A special U2 edition was announced on October 26, 2004. The plastic front place was black and the scroll wheel was red. With 20 GB and the signatures of all four members of U2, the special edition iPod was priced at US$349 and also included a US$50 coupon for a US$149 collection of U2's entire back catalog.

iPod photo

Main articles: iPod photo

At the same time that the U2 iPod was announced, Apple also unveiled the iPod photo.
The iPod photo's design was nearly identical to the fourth-generation iPod. However, unlike earlier models which had monochrome displays, its 220x176-pixel LCD was capable of displaying up to 65,536 colors, and it supported JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, and PNG graphic file formats, and could be attached to a television or other external display for slideshows. Apple's advertised battery life for continuous music playback was fifteen hours, or five hours for a continuous slideshow with music.
The iPod photo was originally available in 40 GB and 60 GB models, which cost US$499 and US$599 respectively. On February 23, 2005, Apple discontinued the 1.9 cm-thick 40 GB model and introduced a lower-priced (US$349) and slimmer (1.6 cm) 30 GB iPod photo. Additionally, it dropped the price of the 60 GB model (which had always been 1.9 cm thick) to US$449. However, the iPod dock and the FireWire and television video cables were sold separately.
Also on February 23, 2005, Apple announced the iPod Camera Connector which promised users of iPod photo instant transfer of images from a USB-compatible digital camera to the iPod photo. The main difference between this and Belkin's Digital Camera Link is that Apple's unit supports instant image viewing on the iPod photo after transfer without having to connect the iPod photo to a computer first.
On June 28, 2005, the iPod photo and standard iPod were merged to create only one form of the white iPod, dropping the "photo" suffix. The two models in this lineup came in either 20 GB or 60 GB sizes, featured color screens, and natively supported the Podcasting features built into Apple's iTunes 4.9 (released on the same day). The iPod photo name ceased to be official on that day despite the new models being functionally identical to the old models, except for the reduced hard drive capacity of the thinner iPod photo.

Fifth generation

The fifth generation iPod was introduced on October 12, 2005, shortly after the introduction of the iPod nano. Using a flat front place like the first and second generation classics, the fifth generation classic featured a 2.5" 320x240 QVGA screen and a smaller Click Wheel. The fifth generation iPod is the first classic iPod to be available in multiple colors, as a black option was added alongside the Signature iPod White. A 30 GB model was offered for US$299 and a 60 GB model was offered for US$399. The 5G iPod was also offered in the U2 special edition for US$349 with 30 GB.
The fifth generation iPod plays video in MP4 (up to 2.5 Mbit/s) and H.264 (up to 1.5 Mbit/s, baseline profile only) formats. Video such as TV shows, podcasts, music videos, and movies may be purchased from online stores such as the iTunes Store, or downloaded from Google Video and other sources, then imported to the iPod via iTunes software.
Videos or photo slideshows may be played from the fifth generation iPod on a television set, projector or monitor with the use of the Apple iPod AV cable or via a dock using an S-Video cable. It is also possible to do this using some camcorder cables with a RCA connection at one end and a three-banded eighth-inch (3.5 mm) A/V plug at the other, however the red and yellow plugs (normally the audio right and video signals respectively) must be swapped around in order to achieve the correct signal.
The fifth generation iPod was updated on September 12, 2006. This update included a brighter screen, a search feature, gapless playback, support for iPod games and newly designed earphones. The refreshed iPod also had a longer video playback time. Support for iPod games and gapless playback were enabled on original fifth generation classics through a firmware update. An iTunes installation CD was also no longer bundled, requiring users to download iTunes from Apple's website. During this update, the 60 GB model was replaced with an 80 GB model, and prices were cut by US$50 for both the 30 GB (US$249) and the 80 GB (US$349) models.

Sixth generation

During a special iPod-centric event on September 5, 2007, Steve Jobs introduced the sixth generation iPod and the retronym suffix "classic". Featuring slightly thinner bodies, the sixth generation classic also sported dramatically improved battery life, reaching up to 40 hours of music playback and 7 hours of video playback. The front plate of the iPod is now made of anodized aluminum instead of polycarbonate plastic, and Signature iPod White has been replaced by silver. The sixth generation classic also introduced a completely overhauled user interface, incorporating more graphics and Cover Flow. The sixth generation classic is offered in an 80 GB (20,000 songs) model for US$249 and a 160 GB (40,000 songs) model for US$349. The U2 special edition has been dropped.

References

External links

★ Official site