A prototype iPod with a dramatically different look has surfaced online
Here's what Apple's first iPod may have looked like if it hadn't been redesigned.
Images of an iPod prototype have leaked on the internet, and they show a design that is nothing like the iPod we are all familiar with and have probably seen at some point in our lives. This older iPod features a large casing, a click wheel, and a few buttons. According to Apple Insider, the design could have been created two months before the first iPod was released.
The first iPod, a groundbreaking device in the personalized music experience that is now a part of most people’s phones, was released 20 years ago on October 23, and the famous product is celebrating its 20th anniversary on October 23.
Panic, an app developer, revealed photos of the clunky-looking iPod prototype in a blog post to commemorate the occasion. While it’s unclear how images of this top-secret prototype ended up in the hands of the developer, there are a number of indicators that this is a true Apple product.
Internal bits of the ‘iPod,’ including an “SPG Development” sticker and other components uncovered after a teardown, is among them.
Another image from the developer contrasts the product’s size to that of the original iPod, which was significantly smaller and more pocketable.
The kit included a plain-looking plastic container that was mostly hollow, as well as cut-out areas for buttons such as “Up,” “Down,” “Left,” and “Right.” The device also has a divot-filled wheel and a small display. The gadget also has a “JTAG” cutout on the left side that aids with on-device debugging, according to reports.
