# The original iPod

> Apple reported over 125,000 iPods sold in its first selling quarter.

- Owner: Apple
- Kind: Product
- Sector: Technology
- Seed date: 2001-11-10
- Milestone date: 2004-01-06
- Date basis: Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak.
- Spread Score: 53 (Notable, provisional), v1.3
- Mechanics: Identity badge, Platform jump, Controversy, Pairing

## Summary

Apple released a Mac-only player, then added Windows support, retail demos and paid silhouette ads. White earbuds marked owners in public. It reported $256 million in quarterly iPod revenue; the peak anchor is a cumulative sales milestone.

## Timeline

- 2001-10-23 — Apple (Open web) — Apple unveiled a Mac-only iPod and promised 1,000 songs in a pocket.
- 2001-11-01 — Walt Mossberg / The Wall Street Journal (Press) — Walt Mossberg recommended the iPod after testing a pre-release unit.
- 2001-11-10 — Apple (Retail) — The iPod became available in stores at a suggested US price of $399.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/ipod-launch-2001

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “The original iPod.” Case HIS-01444. Spread Score v1.3: 53/100. Updated 2026-10-23. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01444