The iPod product line was announced by Apple in January, 2001. Their first product was an iPod with a 5GB capacity and weighed in at 6.5 ounces. Priced at $399, it seemed doomed from the beginning. Other mp3 players were available at the time, and although Apple won out in the capacity-to-size ratio, the price was almost double that of its competitors. The first iPod shipped in November, 2001 and by the end of 2001 had sold 125,000 units.

In March 2002, Apple released a 10GB iPod costing $499. At the time, the iPod was only sanctioned for Mac users, although third party developers had software making it PC compatible. Finally in July 2002, Apple released their second generation set of iPods; 5GB for $299, 10GB for $399, and 20GB for $499. The design of the iPods changed, having a touch sensitive wheel versus an actual moving wheel. iPods, at this point, were still not considered mainstream, although every music lover secretly coveted the slick device, the price was too much of a hurdle. For the next year and a half Apple continued to increase drive capacity to 10GB, 15GB and 30GB and eventually by September 2003 to 10GB, 20GB and 40GB.

In January 2004, the iPod Mini was introduced. The Mini was, by far and away, the sleekest mp3 player on the market at the time. However, Apple continued to set a high price point - $249 for a 4GB device weighing in at 3.6 ounces. Experts argued the mini was an inferior product, the capactiy-to-price ratio did not meet the usual Apple standard. The market disagreed and the mini became overwhelmingly popular, making it difficult to keep in stock and by mid-2004 it was common to see white headphones on the subway, on the street and at work.

In January 2005, Apple did it again, throwing everyone for a loop when they announced a small capacity (512MB or 1GB) mp3 player - the iPod Shuffle. At $99 the iPod was finally affordable to the mainstream, and most stores sell out of the shuffle within the first day.

Fast forward to September 2005, it seemed like Apple had covered all of its bases. There are iPods everywhere and America has become iPod nation. Then, the iPod Nano is announced. The Nano, rivaling the beauty of any classic piece of art, weighs 1.5 oz and is as thin as a pencil. The Nano comes in 2GB and 4GB versions, costing $199 and $249 respectively.

Apple, amazingly, has done it again, surprising the markets and the consumer, it has come up with something that blows away the competition. It's hard to imagine what Apple will release next, they have consistently delivered style, quality and futuristic appeal to their iPod products, one almost has to wonder, at what point did Apple develop a time machine?