The original iPod turns 15 this year

Can you believe it? The iPod is 15 years old this year. I always remember the launch because in learning about it a few years after it launched, I found out that the original iPod was released on my birthday in 2001. Easy date to remember I guess.

2001 was a tumultuous year as you can imagine and Apple's release of the iPod was still overshadowed by the fact that the country was still reeling from the effects of being attacked by terrorists. So as you can imagine, fanfare and press was pretty limiting. Plus, the idea was so new to consumers that many people thought the iPod would fail.

Fast forward a few years and the iPod would become the audio player to have and mimic. I bought the 3rd generation version (the one with 4 touch buttons at the top) and still have it to this very day. Amazingly, the battery still holds a charge and more importantly, my music collection on it is still there -- like a time machine back to my early 2000s. I like reminding myself of what's on it from time to time. But yes, it's always easy to forget that much of what Apple is known for these days came from the humble idea of putting 1000 songs in your pocket.