20 years since the appearance of "iPod"-developers talk about products that caused Apple's breakthrough

　Joining a super -largest Apple, standing in the world with a market capitalization, seems to have no choice but to be lost, but in 2001 the situation was completely different.It was exactly the time that Steve Jobs, CEO at the time, ordered Tony Fadell (not a request) to enter Apple to create a groundbreaking device.However, he said that he was hesitant to join the company at first.

　"I felt like waiting a minute."Fadell said in response to an interview in ZOOM on October 23, the 20th anniversary of the iPod's birth."At that time, I didn't want to go to Apple, unless I was a considerable strange person."

　At the beginning of 2001, Fadell, who had developed his own MP3 player, asked Apple to consult with Apple and want to create multiple prototypes as a digital music player linked to the "iTunes" software just announced at the time.You will be asked.There was no doubt that Fadell moved Jobs's heart."I will make this. Get in and make it together."Fadell recalls that Jobs said so.

　Of course, Fadell will ultimately respond to this request, lead a team, and create one of the most important products in Apple's history.It is an Apple site that can still be purchased (but the shape has changed a lot).The product, the iPod, has changed Apple, which had been struggling to sell in a small company in the personal computer market, into a major home appliance.At the same time, it also has a change in the digital music business.The white MP3 player, which destroyed the CD market, and became a symbol of Apple, and the white earphones we see everywhere have become status symbols.

　The most important thing is that many of the initial technologies about iPods have solidified the way to Apple's next innovative product, iPhone.The iPhone has changed everything in terms of our lives and how to use mobile devices.And the iPhone has grown to record the world's highest market capitalization, currently $ 2.42 trillion (about 275 trillion yen).

　Fadell has successfully established Nest Labs, a smart home product manufacturer after successful iPods (the company later acquired by Google).Fadell looked back on the "crazy" days of the early stage of the iPod, and talked about the reason why his idea was successful and how he survived over the times.The following is a summary of his story.

　Apple did not get a comment on what Fadell said.

At first only consulting

　Fadell is now 52 years old.He wore olive -colored polo shirts, put "AirPods Max" from his head to his ears, and participated in the video chat in a lively appearance.He was a veteran who has lived in Silicon Valley, who worked at PHILIPS ELECTRONICS and Apple's subsidiary General Magic, and worked on Apple.Fadell looked back on the situation at that time.

　The executive Jon Rubinstein was in charge of developing music players on Apple.Rubinstein visited in the beginning of 2001, and Fadell is already running his own startup company FUSE SYSTEMS and is aiming to develop the mainstream MP3 player.rice field.MP3 players were still unborned, with more than a dozen companies, including Creative Labs and RCA.But the problem was the number of devices.Hundreds of dollars of this device in 2000 per car were only 500,000 units (according to the National Home Appliance Association).Fadell's FUSE was often hit.Nevertheless, Apple's consulting work was a chance to survive his project.

　"Take this opportunity to undertake consulting. With that income, your company will survive" (Fadell)

　Fadell takes about seven weeks to explore several models as a digital music player choice, while using his research results at his company.Eventually, he used three types of mock -ups with Styrofoam and used the weight of his grandfather's fishing equipment to add appropriate weight.