The 10 best Apple iPod models of all time

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(HighTech) 6 years ago

In 2001, an unassuming white box arrived and changed the gadget world forever. 16 years later, Apple killed the iPod dead (apart from the iPod Touch, which for the purposes of this feature we've decided isn't a 'proper' iPod). It was an inauspicious end to a mobile device that dramatically changed Apple's fortunes. So, there's only one thing for it: this definitive list of the best iPods ever.

1) IPOD, FIRST GENERATION (2001)

The original iPod had a scroll wheel that actually turned, and four buttons around the wheel that made a satisfying click when pressed. With a then-generous 5GB of storage, and (unlike its rivals) an interface that didn't make you want to punch your own face off, Apple's first iPod was nonetheless derided by plenty of people who didn't see the potential - including some naysayers in the Stuff office.

2) IPOD NANO (2005)

After only 18 months, the iPod mini was dead, and Apple's obsession with miniaturisation began in earnest. The iPod Nano was the result. Out went hard drives and in came SSD. Out went capacity, too, with the high-end version packing 4GB and the low end a measly 1GB. Still, that was more than enough for our gym playlists, and the Nano was a brilliant running companion.

3) IPOD, THIRD GENERATION (2003)

Glowing buttons and a touch wheel on the third-generation iPod made you feel a bit like you were living in the future. And, with iTunes now available on Windows, non-Mac users could enjoy its charms. And what a list of charms it had: that lovely, rounded case, a throne-like dock, plus an extra five minutes of skip-protection (up to 25 minutes), a minor miracle for those still used to babying their CD Walkmans.

4) IPOD SHUFFLE, SECOND GENERATION (2006)

The original iPod shuffle looked like a USB memory stick, but with playback controls attached. Which was pretty much what it was. That screenlesss iPod was also designed to help you rediscover your music, by autofilling and randomly playing back songs. It really came of age, though, with the dinky second-generation 'clip' model, which was perfect for listening to music while at the gym. Its proprietary dock was truly awful, but we were too besotted by its dinky proportions to really notice.

5) IPOD CLASSIC (2007)

The original iPod finally evolved into the iPod Classic in 2007, only receiving the most basic of incremental updates thereafter. By 2009, it boasted a 160GB hard drive, and looked rather long in the tooth compared to touchscreen-based upstarts. Yet it remained popular with hardcore music fans, acting as a kind of badge of honour that showed how unimpressed you were with low bit-rate streaming services.

6) IPOD NANO, SIXTH GENERATION (2010)

For the sixth generation of iPod nano, Apple went square. It was a curious contraption, part embiggened iPod shuffle and part wannabe iOS device, with an interface that resembled (but wasn't actually related to) the one on the iPhone. But its form factor also made it possible to turn into something vaguely resembling a watch. Imagine that - an Apple Watch!

7) IPOD WITH VIDEO (2005)

While the Nano battled with making iPods tiny, the original slowly plodded along, gradually adding features. In 2004, the Mini's click wheel was adopted, and a colour screen appeared. But in 2005, the fifth-generation iPod went a bit skinnier and added video playback. It was great for watching dodgy ripped episodes of your favourite sit-com, on a tiny screen, which you'd spent ages getting into a format that iTunes would actually play.

8) IPOD MINI (2004)

Another great example of how people will buy something if it's genuinely lovely, the iPod Mini looked gorgeous, with its brightly-coloured anodized aluminium finish. It felt it, too, with its clever click wheel interface. Although it only sported only a 4GB drive when the standard iPod by that point started at 10GB and went up to 40GB, the Mini was a truly beautiful piece of kit.

9) IPOD NANO, FIFTH GENERATION (2009)

Between 2005 and 2008, the iPod Nano had gone all colourful, turned into a squat credit-card-sized device, and then became ultra-streamlined. With the fifth-gen, the case remained fairly similar to that of its immediate predecessor, but the technology within was much more interesting. The revised unit added radio and iPod tagging, VoiceOver, Nike+ integration, and - for the first time in an iPod - a video camera.

10) IPOD SHUFFLE, THIRD GENERATION (2009)

The maddest iPod Apple ever designed, the third-generation Shuffle possibly streamlined things a bit too far. Whereas its predecessors did away with screens, this model also decided controls were a trifling distraction and banished them to the earbuds. Just another reminder that Apple's obsession with removing ports and buttons and goes way back into the pre-iPhone days.