Amaya Toman IPod yakhala gawo lazogulitsa za Apple kuyambira 2001, pomwe m'badwo wake woyamba unatulutsidwa. Ngakhale zinali kutali ndi woyamba kunyamula nyimbo wosewera mpira m'mbiri, izo zinasintha msika m'njira inayake ndipo mwamsanga anapeza kutchuka pakati owerenga. Ndi m'badwo uliwonse wotsatira wa wosewera mpira wake, Apple anayesa kubweretsa nkhani ndi kusintha kwa makasitomala ake. M'badwo wachinayi wa iPod, womwe udali wolemetsedwa kumene ndi gudumu lothandizira, sizinali choncho.
"Wosewera wabwino kwambiri wa digito wayamba bwino," adayamika Steve Jobs panthawi yomwe idatulutsidwa. Monga momwe zimakhalira nthawi zambiri, si onse omwe anali ndi chidwi chake. Apple inali kuchita bwino kwambiri pamene iPod ya m'badwo wachinayi inatulutsidwa. Ma iPod anali kugulitsidwa bwino, ndipo iTunes Music Store, yomwe panthawiyo inkakondwerera nyimbo zokwana 100 miliyoni zogulitsidwa, sizinali zoipa.
M'badwo wachinayi wa iPod usanaone kuwala kwa tsiku, kunamveka mphekesera kuti zachilendozo zidzakonzedwanso kuchokera kumutu mpaka kumapazi. Mwachitsanzo, panali nkhani yowonetsera mtundu, kuthandizira kulumikizidwa kwa Bluetooth ndi Wi-Fi, mapangidwe atsopano komanso mpaka 60GB yosungirako. Potengera ziyembekezo zotere, kumbali ina, kukhumudwa kwinakwake kwa ogwiritsa ntchito sizodabwitsa, komabe zingawoneke zodabwitsa kwa ife lerolino kuti wina angadalire kwambiri zongopeka.
Chifukwa chake chofunikira kwambiri cha iPod ya m'badwo wachinayi chinali chowongolera, chomwe Apple adayambitsa ndi iPod yake mini, yomwe idatulutsidwa chaka chomwecho. M'malo mwa gudumu la mpukutu, lozunguliridwa ndi mabatani osiyana omwe ali ndi ntchito zina zowonjezera, Apple inayambitsa iPod Click Wheel ya iPod yatsopano, yomwe inali yogwira mtima komanso yosakanikirana ndi iPod. Koma si gudumu lokhalo lokhalo lachilendo. IPod ya m'badwo wachinayi inali iPod yoyamba "yachikulu" kupereka malipiro kudzera pa cholumikizira cha USB 2.0. Apple idagwiritsanso ntchito moyo wabwino wa batri kwa iyo, yomwe idalonjeza mpaka maola khumi ndi awiri kugwira ntchito pamtengo umodzi.
Panthawi imodzimodziyo, kampani ya Cupertino inakwanitsa kufika pamitengo yowonjezereka ndi iPod yatsopano. Mtundu wokhala ndi 20GB yosungirako udawononga $299 panthawiyo, mtundu wa 40GB umawononga wogwiritsa ntchito madola zana. Pambuyo pake, Apple idabweranso ndi ma iPod ake ochepa - mu Okutobala 2004, mwachitsanzo, U2 iPod 4G idatuluka, ndipo mu Seputembara 2005, Harry Potter Edition, yokhala ndi mabuku achipembedzo a JK Rowling.
