Codename Dulcimer

One man, perhaps you could call him the "father" of the iPod, is Tony Fadell. Tony Fadell was determined to build a better MP3 player and ffter being turned down by both RealNetworks and Phillips, Fadell found support for his project with Apple Computers.

Tony Fadell went to work for Apple in 2001 as an independent contractor, leading a team of thirty people to develop the iPod. The formal codename for the project was P-68, but informally, the team used the term "Dulcimer".

My Favorite iPod History Factoids

• Apparently, Tony Fadell is quite a character. He was once asked where he would be in life if he'd grown up before computers were invented. Fadell's response was "In jail."
• According to Fadell's website, Tony Fadell's first job was selling eggs to his neighbors in Rochester, New York. Fadell was an enterprising eight-year-old at the time.
• What was the first song played using Apple's iTunes? It was a house-music dance tune called Groovejet (If This Ain't Love).
• The first generation iPods had scroll wheels that physically rotated. Post 2003 iPods (third generation) have touch sensitive wheels. Fourth generation (2004) iPods have buttons integrated onto the wheel.
• The iPod's wheel technology can measure changes in position greater than 1/1,000th of an inch.