First generation
Apple introduced the first-generation iPod on October 23, 2001. The first iPod had a black and white screen and featured a 5 GB hard drive capable of storing 1,000 songs encoded using MP3 and was priced at US$399. Among the iPod's innovations were its small size, achieved using a 1.8" hard drive, whereas its competitors were using 2.5" hard drives at the time, and its easy-to-use navigation, which was controlled using a mechanical scroll wheel, a center select button, and 4 auxiliary buttons around the wheel. The iPod had a rated battery life of 12 hours.
On March 20, 2002, Apple introduced a 10 GB model of the first generation iPod for US$499. vCard compatibility was added, as well, allowing iPods to display business card information synced from a Mac.
The second generation iPod was introduced on July 17, 2002. Using the same body style as the first generation, the hold switch was redesigned, a cover was added to the FireWire port, and the mechanical wheel was replaced with a touch-sensitive wheel. The front plate also had rounded corners and edges. The second-generation class was available in 10 GB for US$399 and 20 GB for US$499. The first-generation 5 GB Classic was carried over, but its price was reduced to US$299.
Notably, Apple began selling PC-compatible versions of the iPod starting with the second generation. These versions came with a 4-pin to 6-pin FireWire adapter and were bundled with Musicmatch Jukebox instead of iTunes.
In December 2002, Apple unveiled its first limited edition iPods, with either Madonna’s, Tony Hawk’s, or Beck’s signature or No Doubt's band logo engraved on the back for an extra US$50.[3]
Third generation
On April 18, 2003, Apple announced a completely redesigned third-generation iPod. Thinner than the previous models, the third generation models replaced the FireWire port with a new Dock Connector and introduced the Touch Wheel, a completely non-mechanical interface with the four auxiliary buttons located in a row between the screen and the touch wheel. The front plate had rounded edges, and the rear casing was slightly rounded as well. A new wired remote connector was introduced. Whereas first and second generation Classics had an auxiliary ring around the headphone port for the remote, the third generation Classic had a 4-pin jack adjacent to the headphone port. A 10 GB model was sold for US$299, a 15 GB model for US$399, and a 30 GB model for US$499. All iPods were now compatible with Mac and PC out of the box, simply requiring Windows users to reformat the iPod before use on a PC and both iTunes and Musicmatch were bundled with all iPods. The battery life was reduced to 8 hours, partially due to the use of a lithium-ion battery as opposed to a lithium polymer battery.
The 15 GB model was replaced by a 20 GB model and the 30 GB model was upgraded to 40 GB on September 8, 2003. Support for Musicmatch was also discontinued at this time and only iTunes was included in the box.
Fourth generation
Announced on July 19, 2004, the fourth-generation iPod replaced the touch wheel from the third generation with the Click Wheel from the iPod mini, putting the four auxiliary buttons underneath a touch-sensitive scroll wheel. The casing was also slightly slimmer. Pricing was reduced and the lineup was simplified, as the 20 GB model was sold for US$299 and the 40 GB model for US$399. Notably, Apple began reducing pack-in accessories starting with the fourth generation. While a dock, carrying case, and wired remote were previously included with higher-end iPods, the higher-level 40 GB iPod only came with a dock. In addition to using the iPod mini's Click Wheel, the fourth generation Classic used the more energy-efficient components of the mini, allowing the fourth generation iPod to over 12 hours of battery life while using the same battery as its predecessor.
A special U2 edition was announced on October 26, 2004. The plastic front piece was black and the scroll wheel was red. With 20 GB and the signatures of all four members of U2, the special edition iPod was priced at US$349 and also included a US$50 coupon for a US$149 collection of U2's entire back catalog.
A Special Harry Potter Edition was announced on September 7, 2005. It was released with the release of the Harry Potter Audiobooks in iTunes.[4] It had a Hogwarts logo engraved on the back, and all 6 Harry Potter Audiobooks which were available at the time preloaded.
Fifth generation
The fifth generation iPod was introduced on October 12, 2005, shortly after the introduction of the iPod nano. The fifth generation ipod featured a 2.5" 320x240 QVGA screen and a smaller Click Wheel. The fifth generation iPod is the first iPod Classic to be available in an alternative color scheme in a non-special edition form, as a black option was added alongside "Signature iPod White", and marked the second full redesign of the iPod's aesthetic with its re-arranged proportions, its return to a fully flat front plate, and its more rounded rear casing. The 4-pin remote port was removed as well, causing backwards accessory compatibility issues. A 30 GB model was offered for US$299 and a 60 GB model was offered for US$399. The 5G iPod was also offered in the U2 special edition for US$349 with 30 GB.
The fifth generation iPod plays video in MP4 (up to 2.5 Mbit/s) and H.264 (up to 1.5 Mbit/s, baseline profile only) formats. Video such as TV shows, podcasts, music videos, and movies may be purchased from online stores such as the iTunes Store, or downloaded from Google Video and other sources, then imported to the iPod via iTunes software.
Videos or photo slideshows may be played from the fifth generation iPod on a television set, projector or monitor with the use of the Apple iPod AV cable or via a dock using an S-Video cable. It is also possible to do this using some camcorder cables with an RCA connection at one end and a three-banded eighth-inch (3.5 mm) A/V plug at the other, however the red and yellow plugs (normally the audio right and video signals respectively) must be swapped around in order to achieve the correct signal.
The fifth generation iPod was updated on September 12, 2006. This update included a brighter screen, a search feature, gapless playback, support for iPod games, and newly designed earphones. The refreshed iPod also had a longer video playback time. Support for iPod games for the 5G and gapless playback for all iPods were enabled through a firmware update. An iTunes installation CD was also no longer bundled, requiring users to download iTunes from Apple's website. During this update, the 60 GB model was replaced with an 80 GB model, and prices were cut by US$50 for both the 30 GB (US$249) and the 80 GB (US$349) models.
