iPod First Generation

Posted on 15 February, 2014 by Martin

The original

5 GB Scroll wheel: M8513LL/A

If you look at the box, the outside sleeve has the word iPod in Apples Garamond serif typeface. On the top you see the inner box with the apple logo in white. On the bottom there is a sticker with part number and serial number. The colors of the sleeve are white, black and gray and the clamshell box that holds the iPod and accessories is silver. There is NO text about the hard drive size, NO orange color, NO text about Mac or Windows and most definitely NO pictures of artists.

So it begins

Say hello to iPod

What is in the box

Ultra Portable

Top

Bottom

How the inner box should sit in the sleeve

The inside compartment is made of white styrofoam. When you open the box up, the iPod rests in a recessed slot to the right under the silver cover flap with the text iPod in white. To the left you find an apple logo in white on the silver envelope with the CD and paperwork that covers the accessories. The iPod is wrapped in transparent cellophane plastic with the words “Don’t steal music” in english, french, german and japanese. In the slot under the iPod you find the headphones and one set of lightgray foam pieces in a sealed silver envelope. I have no source to make me absolutely sure this was the original place for the headphones in the box. To the left there are three slots for accessories. In the top left slot there was a silver paper flap to cover up the empty slot. My guess is that this slot was used for different pluggs to the power adapter when sold in other parts of the world, but I haven’t been able to confirm this. The lower left slot is for the power adapter which was also wrapped in transparent cellophane. In the right slot you found the FireWire cable. It was neatly wrapped in a figure eight and hold together with a white plastic coated metal wire. It was also wrapped in thin plastic with a perforation to make it easy to tear open. Both ends of the cable was also covered in thin transparent plastic sleeves.

A round sticker as a seal

It opens like a clam shell

iPod to the right

Earbuds under the iPod

Power adapter and FireWire cable

Inside the envelope

My guess is that less than 200 000 iPods were made and sold worldwide of the first generation. From November 10 to December 31 roughly 125 000 units were shipped. And I know of less than 10 pieces in the world that are unopened and still shrink wrapped from the factory in Taiwan. A piece like that can easily fetch a couple of thousands dollars on ebay. A used iPod in good condition with the original box (matching serial numbers) and the original accessories could also be interesting to many collectors. Do not expect to become millionaires like some sellers though. Thats just ridiculous.

iPod Specifications

Capacity

5GB 1.8 inch Toshiba hard disk drive
-Holds up to 1,000 songs in 160-Kbps MP3 format
-Stores data in FireWire disk mode

Size and weight

Height: 4.02 inches (102 mm)
Width: 2.43 inches (61.8 mm)
Depth: 0.78 inch (19.9 mm)
Weight: 6.5 ounces (185 g)

Input and output

FireWire (IEEE 1394a) port
3.5-mm stereo headphone jack

Power and battery

Built-in rechargeable lithium polymer battery (1200 mAh)
Playtime: 10 hours when fully charged
Charges via FireWire connector to Mac system or power adapter
— Fast-charge time: up to 1 hour (charges to 80% of battery capacity)
— Full-charge time: up to 3 hours

Audio

Up to 20 minutes of skip protection
Maximum output power: 60 mW rms (30 mW per channel)
Frequency response: 20 to 20,000 Hz
Audio formats supported: MP3 (up to 320 Kbps), MP3 Variable Bit Rate ( VBR), WAV, AIFF
Upgradable firmware enables support for future audio formats

Customizable settings

Shuffle
Repeat one or all
Backlight timer
Display contrast
Clicker
Sleep timer
Startup volume
Languages: English, French, German, Japanese

Headphones

Earbud-style headphones with 18-mm drivers using Neodymium transducer magnets
Frequency response: 20 to 20,000 Hz
Impedance: 32 ohms
Sensitivity: 104-dB sound pressure level at 1 mW

Display

2-inch (diagonal) liquid crystal display with white LED backlight
160-by-128-pixel resolution, 0.24-mm dot pitch
Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Environmental requirements

Operating temperature: 32° to 113° F (0° to 45° C)
Nonoperating temperature: –4° to 158° F (–20° to 70° C)
Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)

Power adapter

6-pin FireWire connector
AC input: 100V to 240V at 0.4 amp maximum
Frequency: 50 to 60 Hz
DC output: 12V at 1 amp maximum

iPod “First and a Half” Generation

Posted on 14 February, 2014 by Martin

iPod First Generation Second Revision

5 GB Scroll wheel: M8513LL/A
10 GB Scroll wheel: M8709LL/A

The artist boxes had the new Myriad font without serifs. There were also the hard drive size printed on the outside sleeve.

The inside was exactly the same as the first generation. The word “iPod” was printed on the right paper flap with the old typeface. The paperwork inside the gray envelope was however printed with the new font. The CD with iTunes was also different from the first generation. The envelope below is not complete.

Opens like a clam

iPod to the right

Earbuds under the iPod

Instructions

Accessories

Inside the envelope

What is the deal with 1.5 generation iPod? Well, the purist collector like myself, think that this is not the original iPod. The first version of the 5 GB iPod is exactly the same as the first version 1.5 revision of the 5 GB iPod. All except from the serial. The cellophane around the iPod differs and the sleeve around the box. That’s it. Not much but still. If you want to own a “real” first generation iPod the serial number should show it was produced before week 11 2002.

I also want to make something clear. The boxes with the different artists is NOT “special edition” iPods. They are exactly the same as the regular ones, only with different sleeves. You can find them att auction sites offered as “Special edition iPods” which is not true. I have pictures of the Hendrix, Holiday, Marley and Morissette editions. These are not my pictures, but they can be found online. I have never ever seen the Davis version.

iPod Specifications

Capacity

5GB 1.8 inch Toshiba hard disk drive
-Holds up to 1,000 songs in 160-Kbps MP3 format
-Stores data in FireWire disk mode
10GB 1.8 inch Toshiba hard disk drive
-Holds up to 2,000 songs in 160-Kbps MP3 format
-Stores data in FireWire disk mode

Size and weight

Height: 4.02 inches (102 mm)
Width: 2.43 inches (61.8 mm)
Depth: 0.78 inch (19.9 mm)
Weight: 6.5 ounces (185 g)

Input and output

FireWire (IEEE 1394a) port
3.5-mm stereo headphone jack

Power and battery

Built-in rechargeable lithium polymer battery (1200 mAh)
Playtime: 10 hours when fully charged
Charges via FireWire connector to Mac system or power adapter
— Fast-charge time: up to 1 hour (charges to 80% of battery capacity)
— Full-charge time: up to 3 hours

Audio

Up to 20 minutes of skip protection
Maximum output power: 60 mW rms (30 mW per channel)
Frequency response: 20 to 20,000 Hz
Audio formats supported: MP3 (up to 320 Kbps), MP3 Variable Bit Rate ( VBR), WAV, AIFF
Upgradable firmware enables support for future audio formats

Customizable settings

Shuffle
Repeat one or all
Backlight timer
Display contrast
Clicker
Sleep timer
Startup volume
Languages: English, French, German, Japanese

Headphones

Earbud-style headphones with 18-mm drivers using Neodymium transducer magnets
Frequency response: 20 to 20,000 Hz
Impedance: 32 ohms
Sensitivity: 104-dB sound pressure level at 1 mW

Display

2-inch (diagonal) liquid crystal display with white LED backlight
160-by-128-pixel resolution, 0.24-mm dot pitch
Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Environmental requirements

Operating temperature: 32° to 113° F (0° to 45° C)
Nonoperating temperature: –4° to 158° F (–20° to 70° C)
Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)

Power adapter

6-pin FireWire connector
AC input: 100V to 240V at 0.4 amp maximum
Frequency: 50 to 60 Hz
DC output: 12V at 1 amp maximum

iPod Second Generation

Posted on 14 February, 2014 by Martin

iPod Second Generation

5 GB Scroll wheel Mac: M8513LL/B
5 GB Scroll wheel Win: M8697LL/A
10 GB Touch wheel Mac: M8737LL/A
10 GB Touch wheel Win: M8740LL/A
20 GB Touch wheel Mac: M8738LL/A
20 GB Touch wheel Win: M8741LL/A

The sleeve around the box to the second generation iPod was very different from the first version. The font was changed to sans-serif Apple Myriad. The front side of the sleeve had a gray field and an orange field. In the orange field you could see the hard drive size and if the iPod was a windows or mac configuration. The inner clam shell box wasn’t silver any more, but light gray instead.

Windows model

Same thickness as generation one

Included case and remote

Full front

Gray instead of silver

A torn sticker always makes me suspicious

A torned sticker on the box masking the serial number always makes me a little suspicious. My guess is that the iPod doesn’t belong to the box. Someone had a nice box and someone else had a nice iPod. An iPod isn’t worth that much, and an iPod box isn’t worth much either, but together they are worth plenty. Or it could be a case of bad luck and a retailer putting an ugly sticker in the wrong spot. Any way I try to stay away from boxes like that.

The interior was made up by rigid transparent plastic. The wired remote was placed under the iPod to the right. I’m not sure if the earbuds were to the left or right in the box.

Gray clam shell box

Transparent plastic interior

Remote

Wired remote

Accessories to the left

New type earbuds with black foam

FireWire cable with endcaps

Case with belt clip

Soft pouch for storage

Accessories

Earbuds and Remote

Earbuds and remote

Front

Side

Back

Side

Bottom

Carry Case and Soft Pouch

Carry Case

Front

Side

Back

Side

Bottom

iPod Specifications

Capacity

5GB 1.8 inch Toshiba hard disk drive
-Holds up to 1,000 songs in 160-Kbps MP3 format
-Stores data in FireWire disk mode
10GB 1.8 inch Toshiba hard disk drive
-Holds up to 2,000 songs in 160-Kbps MP3 format
-Stores data in FireWire disk mode
20GB 1.8 inch Toshiba hard disk drive
-Holds up to 4,000 songs in 160-Kbps MP3 format
-Stores data in FireWire disk mode

Size and weight

Height: 4.02 inches (102 mm)
Width: 2.43 inches (61.8 mm)
Depth: 0.78 inch (19.9 mm), 10GB and 20GB 0.72 inch (18.3 mm)
Weight: 6.5 ounces (185 g), 20GB 7.2 ounces (204 g)

Input and output

FireWire (IEEE 1394a) port
3.5-mm stereo headphone jack

Power and battery

Built-in rechargeable lithium polymer battery (1200 mAh)
Playtime: 10 hours when fully charged
Charges via FireWire connector to Mac system or power adapter
— Fast-charge time: up to 1 hour (charges to 80% of battery capacity)
— Full-charge time: up to 3 hours

Audio

Up to 20 minutes of skip protection
Maximum output power: 60 mW rms (30 mW per channel)
Frequency response: 20 to 20,000 Hz
Audio formats supported: MP3 (up to 320 Kbps), MP3 Variable Bit Rate ( VBR), WAV, AIFF
Upgradable firmware enables support for future audio formats

Customizable settings

Shuffle
Repeat one or all
Backlight timer
Display contrast
Clicker
Sleep timer
Startup volume
Languages: English, French, German, Japanese

Headphones

Earbud-style headphones with 18-mm drivers using Neodymium transducer magnets
Frequency response: 20 to 20,000 Hz
Impedance: 32 ohms
Sensitivity: 104-dB sound pressure level at 1 mW

Display

2-inch (diagonal) liquid crystal display with white LED backlight
160-by-128-pixel resolution, 0.24-mm dot pitch
Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Environmental requirements

Operating temperature: 32° to 113° F (0° to 45° C)
Nonoperating temperature: –4° to 158° F (–20° to 70° C)
Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)

Power adapter

6-pin FireWire connector
AC input: 100V to 240V at 0.4 amp maximum
Frequency: 50 to 60 Hz
DC output: 12V at 1 amp maximum

iPod Third Generation

Posted on 13 February, 2014 by Martin

iPod Third Generation

10 GB Touch wheel: M8976LL/A
15 GB Touch wheel: M8946LL/A
20 GB Touch wheel: M9244LL/A
30 GB Touch wheel: M8948LL/A
40 GB Touch wheel: M9245LL/A

The box was a total remake from the three previous versions. It was slightly larger and the sleeve was white and black. The clamshell box was also white and black. Inside it was written on the right flap “Designed by Apple in California” in Myriad font in a subtile gray color. The white styrofoam inserts were back again. But it was three pieces now, not two. The envelope with documents and the CD was white.

The new box

The iPod in its usual position in the box

The dock and cable

The charger

Accessories to the left

Earbuds

4-pin to 6-pin FW adapter

Wired remote control

Cover caps for the dock connector

Case with belt clip

iPod Specifications

Capacity

10, 15, 20, 40GB 1.8 inch Toshiba hard disk drive
–~~Holds up to 1,000 songs in 160-Kbps MP3 format~~
-Stores data in FireWire disk mode

Size and weight

Height: 4.02 inches (102 mm)
Width: 2.43 inches (61.8 mm)
Depth: 0.6 inch (15.8 mm), 30GB and 40GB 0.73 inch (18.5 mm)
Weight: 5.6 ounces (158.7 g), 40GB 6.2 ounces (175.7 g)

Input and output

30-pin dock connector (FireWire 400 and USB 2.0)
3.5-mm stereo headphone jack

Power and battery

Built-in rechargeable lithium polymer battery (1200 mAh)
Playtime: 10 hours when fully charged
Charges via FireWire connector to Mac system or power adapter
— Fast-charge time: up to 1 hour (charges to 80% of battery capacity)
— Full-charge time: up to 3 hours

Audio

Up to 20 minutes of skip protection
Maximum output power: 60 mW rms (30 mW per channel)
Frequency response: 20 to 20,000 Hz
Audio formats supported: MP3 (up to 320 Kbps), MP3 Variable Bit Rate ( VBR), WAV, AIFF
Upgradable firmware enables support for future audio formats

Customizable settings

Shuffle
Repeat one or all
Backlight timer
Display contrast
Clicker
Sleep timer
Startup volume
Languages: English, French, German, Japanese

Headphones

Earbud-style headphones with 18-mm drivers using Neodymium transducer magnets
Frequency response: 20 to 20,000 Hz
Impedance: 32 ohms
Sensitivity: 104-dB sound pressure level at 1 mW

Display

2-inch (diagonal) liquid crystal display with white LED backlight
160-by-128-pixel resolution, 0.24-mm dot pitch
Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Environmental requirements

Operating temperature: 32° to 113° F (0° to 45° C)
Nonoperating temperature: –4° to 158° F (–20° to 70° C)
Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)

Power adapter

6-pin FireWire connector
AC input: 100V to 240V at 0.4 amp maximum
Frequency: 50 to 60 Hz
DC output: 12V at 1 amp maximum

iPod Fourth Generation

Posted on 12 February, 2014 by Martin

iPod Fourth Generation

20 GB B/W Screen: M9282LL/A
40 GB B/W Screen: M9268LL/A
20 GB U2 Special Ed B/W: M9787LL/A

20 GB HP B/W Screen: PE435A
40 GB HP B/W Screen: PE436A

40GB Photo model: M9585LL/A
60GB Photo model: M9586LL/A
30GB Photo model: M9829LL/A

20GB Color Screen: MA079LL/A
20GB U2 Special Ed Color: MA127LL/A
20GB Harry Potter Color: MA215LL/A
60GB Color Screen: M9830LL/A

The first box was again a total remake from the previous versions. It was designed to match the style of the popular “dancing silhouettes” commercial. The clamshell box was black on the outside and all white on the inside.

Front of the box

Silhouette

Actual size

The iPod

Top

Bottom

How the inner box should sit in the sleeve

The interior was made up of pressed cardboard, which made a pretty cheap impression and was not like Apple at all. On the right inside cover flap it was printed “Designed by Apple in California” with Myriad font in a subtile gray color. The envelope with documents and the CD was white. The remote, case with belt clip and soft pouch was not included, but the 40GB model had the dock. The case and the remote could be bought separately for $39 each.

The inside

The inside padding is made of pressed paper

The dock (only the 40GB model)

Power supply

FireWire and USB cables

Inside the envelope

U2 Special Edition (monochrome screen)

The U2 Special Edition had a totally different sleeve than the regular edition. It was black and white with a sharp red field around the “U2”. The interior was exactly the same as the regular version. The envelope had some special U2 offerings and a collector poster of the band as well as the usual stuff.

Front

Side

Back

Side

Inside envelope

The iPod had the same specifications as the regular iPod, but the outside was designed in a different color scheme. The front was hight gloss black with a sharp red click wheel and the band members signatures were etched to the polished steel back side of the iPod.

iPod Photo (in Nov 16 it was changed to lower case “iPod photo”)

The boxes were redesigned to emphasize the photo capabilities. The LCD screen was a two inch diagonal LED backlit display with a 220 x 176 pixel resolution and 65,536 colors. It was shipped with all accessories and an additional A/V cable.

Photo from ipodlounge.com

When the 30GB iPod photo was released with the new small form factor box, the original fourth generation iPod was also shipped in the new box. The boxes went through a major revision for this version. They were totally redesigned. The box was smaller and the sleeve was different. The way the box was opened was also totally different.

Same iPod, two different boxes

Front

Side

Back

Side

Top

Bottom

iPod Color Display

This version of the iPod was released with the new smaller box. The inside of this box is explained below in the U2 Special Edition version.

Front

Side

Back

Side

Top

Bottom

iPod U2 Special Edition Color Display

B/W Screen – Color Screen

Front

Side

Back

Side

Inside the box the iPod sits in a recessed slot to the right. Both halves of the inner box contains the accessories. The boxes opens up at the top to access the inside and pull out the goodies. To the left you find the AC adapter and the earbuds. To the right there are the documents, CD and the USB cable. This time around Apple skipped the FireWire cable, A/V cable, dock and the case.

Outside sleeve

The new inner box

On the side

iPod to the right

Opens topside

Documentation

Earbuds

USB 2.0 cable

Interior design

Other versions

The fourth generation iPod was also released and sold by Hewlett-Packard in August 2004. They had different HP sleeves, special HP documentation and software-CD and the HP-logo etched to the backside.

The Harry Potter Special Edition iPod became available for a limited time online September 7 2005 and had Hogwarts Crest etched on the backside. It was released to celebrate that the “entire” Harry Potter audiobook series was introduced exclusively on iTunes Music Store. The Harry Potter Special Edition iPod was priced at $299. It was shipped in the same box as the iPod color, the small form factor box. It was possible for customers to download individual books, but the whole set was $249 and included a digital booklet and some unpublished readings from the author J.K.Rowling. Reading was the male voice actor Jim Dale. The iPod was also available as a special bundle with all the audiobooks.