In what year was the first iPod released?

The first iPod was released in 2001. Apple introduced the original device on 23 October 2001, and it went on sale on 10 November of that year. The launch marked a major turning point in portable digital music because the iPod made a relatively large music library easy to carry and navigate.

The first model had a 5 GB hard drive, enough for Apple’s celebrated claim of “1,000 songs in your pocket.” It used a monochrome screen, a mechanical scroll wheel, and FireWire for transferring music and charging. The original iPod worked with Macintosh computers and was not initially compatible with Windows, though later versions expanded its audience.

Apple had released iTunes for Mac in January 2001, ten months before the iPod appeared. The combination of simple music management and portable hardware helped accelerate the shift from physical albums to digital libraries. The product line later expanded into models such as the iPod mini, nano, shuffle, classic, and touch. Apple discontinued the iPod family in 2022, more than two decades after the first model debuted.