Controls and Connectivity – iPod1,1: 1st Generation iPod
Last but not least, the control set of the iPod1,1 was just plain simple and user-friendly, based on a mechanical scroll wheel. The wheel was physical and spun around, which made the implementation very easy to quickly and precisely browse through music libraries. There were four buttons around the wheel: Menu, Play/Pause, Forward, and Backward. This organization led to clear navigation of playlists, playback controls and track swapping which was simple knowing that tracks followed a straightforward structure.
Connectivity came courtesy of a FireWire 400 port, located at the bottom of the device. This port was intended to achieve two purposes — fast data transfer during the process of syncing music from a Mac computer and also for charging. Called iPod1,1 at launch, the device was heavily Mac-reliant and Apple-iTunes bound.
On the top you had your standard 3.5mm headphone jack, which was compatible with most headphones and earbuds from back in the day as well for audio output. It also placed a hold switch near the headphones jack to lock out controls, in case you wanted to carry it in your pocket and didn’t want some button press against your leg while relaxing.
While it doesn’t have the wireless connectivity options we later saw with the device, the iPod1,1’s simple controls and connection methods were revolutionary in their day and helped lead to its popularity.
Introduction & of 1st Gen iPod Release date
Specs At A Glance of 1st Gen iPod Price
Design of 1st Gen iPod Phone Preorder
Build quality of 1st Gen iPod Phone pre order
Controls and connectivity of 1st Gen iPod Phone
Lab tests display of 1st Gen iPod Phone
Battery life of 1st Gen iPod Phone
charging speed of 1st Gen iPod Phone
Loudspeakers of 1st Gen iPod Phone
Software of 1st Gen iPod Phone
performance of 1st Gen iPod Phone
photo and video quality of 1st Gen iPod Phone
Alternatives of 1st Gen iPod Phone
pros and cons of 1st Gen iPod Phone