NYT Magazine article on iPod.
[Steve Jobs is one of the most fascinating people in the industry; Apple, under his leadership, is one of the most fascinating companies. -Thomas]
The Guts of a New Machine
By ROB WALKER
Published: November 30, 2003
Two years ago this month, Apple Computer released a small, sleek-looking device it called the iPod. A digital music player, it weighed just 6.5 ounces and held about 1,000 songs. There were small MP3 players around at the time, and there were players that could hold a lot of music. But if the crucial equation is ‘’largest number of songs'’ divided by ‘’smallest physical space,'’ the iPod seemed untouchable. And yet the initial reaction was mixed: the thing cost $400, so much more than existing digital players that it prompted one online skeptic to suggest that the name might be an acronym for ‘’Idiots Price Our Devices.'’ This line of complaint called to mind the Newton, Apple’s pen-based personal organizer that was ahead of its time but carried a bloated price tag to its doom.
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