iPod: A Genesis - Day 3

by Doina Stefanescu  |  June 5, 2008

Day 3: The iPod world received colors

2004 was a fruitful year for the iPod, once with the HP+iPod line. Such an agreement came to light because HP wanted in the iPod business. HP did not want to create its own player or invest in the Plays4Sure Microsoft format, so it made a deal with Apple to remarket the iPod under the HP brand and include iTunes on all consumer computers they would sell. This proved to be another step forward for iPod since the HP name got the products into many retailers that did not sell Apple products, such as Wal-Mart.

BMW equipped all of its vehicles with an iPod support that enabled BMW drivers to play their music over the BMW's sound system and control the iPod through the steering wheel. Ipod was just the buzz of that time and everyone wanted to be hip. Apple had sold millions of units and the money was cashing in fast, although iTMS barely made a profit. In mid-2004, Steve Jobs announced in a cover article in Newsweek the fourth generation iPod, which would have been smaller with the same clickwheel like the mini. The 4G brought a price drop for all iPods, except the mini, and in July 2004, the HP+iPod line was released. Just a few days later, RealNetwork attempted to counter Apple's copy protection scheme, by reversing the Fairplay copy protection scheme used on iPods and made Real's Rhapsody music service compatible with the iPod. This was called Harmony and was justified by RealNetwork CEO Rob Glaser that they had no other choice because Apple refused to make the Fairplay specs available to other companies. Apple was quick to react, by making a software patch that stopped iPods from using Rhapsody songs and threatened Real with legal pursuit.

In October 2004, Apple released the color iPod photo, and the iPod shuffle followed in January 2005. the iPod photo looked like an ordinary iPod, but it had a larger battery, color display and more hard drive capacity. The iPod photo couldn't play movies yet, but it could store photo albums. During 2005, the iPod photo name was dropped since all full sized iPods had obtained color screens. These were also the last iPods to support FireWire.

Together with the iPod photo launch, Apple made a special edition iPod, with the U2 band logo and signatures of the band engraved on the back. It was black & white, with a red clickwheel in a black case. To mark the release of the new iPod, U2 did their first endorsement, although the band stated firmly that they did not received any money from the commercial.

Apple continued to sell U2 Special Edition iPods from the black & white iPod period through the color iPod generation and into the video iPod period.

Next articles in this series:

1. Day 1: Let there be iPod
2. Day 2: Separating iPod from others
3. Day 3: The iPod world received colors
4. Day 4: The iPod stars
5. Day 5: iPod flora & fauna
6. Day 6: "Let us make iPod in our image...", Apple said
7. Day 7: And Apple rested..., or not?

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