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An IBM iPod?
July 21, 2004, 2:17 PM PDT
Timed with the release of the latest crop of iPods this week, Wired News has an insider's take on how the original iPod came together. The company snagged an interview with Ben Knauss, a former manager at PortalPlayer, the company whose chip powers the iPod.
Among the interesting nuggets is the fact that PortalPlayer was working with a number of companies, including IBM, before concentrating its efforts on Apple. According to Knauss, IBM's plan was to create a small player built around its Microdrive (IBM later sold its drive business, including the Microdrive to Hitachi, which now sells it to Apple for use in the iPod Mini.) IBM also planned to use Bluetooth headphones--something that a few folks here have been wanting for some time.
Knauss also suggests that Apple almost killed the iPod because early production models only had three hours' battery life and the devices were draining the battery even when turned off. Knauss, who is now contracting for Microsoft, told Wired that he left PortalPlayer shortly before the iPod's release because he wasn't sure it would succeed.
"It was probably a mistake, but then you have to go with what you think at the time," he said.
July 21, 2004, 2:17 PM PDT
Timed with the release of the latest crop of iPods this week, Wired News has an insider's take on how the original iPod came together. The company snagged an interview with Ben Knauss, a former manager at PortalPlayer, the company whose chip powers the iPod.
Among the interesting nuggets is the fact that PortalPlayer was working with a number of companies, including IBM, before concentrating its efforts on Apple. According to Knauss, IBM's plan was to create a small player built around its Microdrive (IBM later sold its drive business, including the Microdrive to Hitachi, which now sells it to Apple for use in the iPod Mini.) IBM also planned to use Bluetooth headphones--something that a few folks here have been wanting for some time.
Knauss also suggests that Apple almost killed the iPod because early production models only had three hours' battery life and the devices were draining the battery even when turned off. Knauss, who is now contracting for Microsoft, told Wired that he left PortalPlayer shortly before the iPod's release because he wasn't sure it would succeed.
"It was probably a mistake, but then you have to go with what you think at the time," he said.
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