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Video: The introduction of the original iPod - Watch Steve explain basic technology to reporters as if they were children

February 22, 2008 by Dr. Macenstein
Filed under: Awesomeness, History, Opinion, video

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This video, which is the introduction of the original iPod from way back in 2001 at a special Apple Music Event, is worth watching for about 100 reasons, but I’ll pick my top 3…

First, pre-cancer scare Steve looks downright fat, and so does the iPod (looks like Steve took slimming himself down as seriously as he took slimming down his gadgets).

Second, given how important the iPod has become to Apple’s bottom line, it’s funny to see it being announced in a small venue to a crowd of seemingly polite but not overly Mac-faithful reporters (no spontaneous applause filling in each awkward pause).

Third, it is really fun to see how unfamiliar the crowd seemingly is with the whole basic concept behind digital music only 7 short years ago. Steve pretty much has to explain everything to them, from price per song, bit rate, flash vs. hard drive players, FireWire (oh how I miss FireWire!), and getting music on and off your computer.

It also makes you appreciate the ClickWheel. Yikes.

In Steve’s defense, at the time most of his public speeches revolved around explaining (and re-explaining) the “megahertz myth“, so maybe he was just used to blank stares from the audience.

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Comments

5 Comments on Video: The introduction of the original iPod - Watch Steve explain basic technology to reporters as if they were children

m on Sat, 23rd Feb 2008 12:39 am

reporters have less understanding of technology than children, in many cases. few seem to understand the difference between “upload” and “download,” as virtually any article on music piracy will verify.

airfang on Sat, 23rd Feb 2008 1:57 am

(no spontaneous applause filling in each awkward pause)

exactly what I felt

Dave-O on Sat, 23rd Feb 2008 7:39 pm

It’s not *the* iPod, it’s just iPod. “How do we get 1000 songs on iPod?” “We built Firewire into iPod.” No one talks like that, not even Steve, today.

Hrryank on Mon, 25th Feb 2008 12:15 pm

Jeeze that’s a small audience!

Marcus on Wed, 27th Feb 2008 12:28 am

“And FireWire is built into every computer we ship.”

And then, in 2008, the MacBook Air. Who knew?

I love these old Stevenotes, though. Especially when things as market-shattering as the iPod are introduced in such lackluster venues. Little did they know, eh?

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