What year did the original iPod launch?

The original iPod launched in 2001. Apple unveiled the first-generation device on October 23, 2001, and it became available in stores the following month.

The first iPod was a 5 GB portable MP3 player with a monochrome display and a mechanical scroll wheel. Apple promoted it with the phrase “1,000 songs in your pocket,” highlighting how much music it could store compared with many contemporary portable players. At launch, it was designed primarily for Macintosh users and synchronized music through iTunes.

The iPod arrived after portable cassette players and early MP3 devices had already established the idea of listening on the move. Its importance came from combining a relatively large hard drive with a small enclosure, simple controls, and software that made transferring music straightforward.

Apple released later generations and several related models, including the iPod mini, nano, shuffle, classic, and touch. The iPod line remained influential for more than two decades, but Apple discontinued its last model, the iPod touch, in 2022.