Ku wa 23 Ukwakira 2001, mu nzu mberabyombi ya Apple mu Mujyi wa Cupertino, i California, Steve Jobs yatanze isezerano ryo kugeza indirimbo 1000 mu mifuka y’ipantalo z’abantu ubwo yashyiraga hanze iPod ya mbere.
Mu kwizihiza isabukuru y’imyaka 25, twifuje kugaruka ku uko iki gikoresho cyahinduye uburyo abantu bumva umuziki, kikarokora uru ruganda, ndetse kigashyiraho urufatiro rwa telefoni zigezweho dukoresha ubu.
Mbere y’umwaka wa 2001, umuziki w’ikoranabuhanga (digital music) wari wugarijwe n’ibibazo bibiri bikomeye. Icya mbere cyari ubujura bwo kumanura indirimbo kuri internet ku buntu (ibizwi nk’igihe cya Napster).
Icya kabiri, utumashini twakoreshwaga mu kumva uwo muziki twari dufite inenge nyinshi: udukoresho duto twabaga dufite ububiko buto cyane, ku buryo twabikaga gusa indirimbo nke zingana n’izijya kuri CD imwe.
Udukoresho tunini twashoboraga kubika indirimbo nyinshi nka Nomad Jukebox, twari turemereye cyane, kandi gushyiramo indirimbo uzikuye kuri mudasobwa bigatwara igihe kirekire cyane kubera ikoranabuhanga rya kera ry’imigozi ryagendaga gahoro cyane (USB 1.1).
gisubizo cyabonetse ubwo Jon Rubinstein, wari umuyobozi ushinzwe ibyuma bya mudasobwa muri Apple, yabonaga uburenganzira bwihariye bwo gukoresha ‘disk’ ntoya ibika amakuru y’ububiko bwa 5GB (1.8-inch, 5GB hard drive) ya Toshiba itari yagakoreshwa.
Uwitwa Tony Fadell yahawe akazi ko kuyihuza n’uburyo bwo kugeza umuziki ku bantu hifashishijwe internet [online delivery system].
Hashize amezi umunani bakoze iki gikoresho, nyuma Apple ikodesha uburenganzira bwo gukoresha sisitemu y’imikorere (operating system) ya PortalPlayer n’uburyo bw’imiterere (user interface) bw’ikigo cya Pixo.
Iki gikoresho cyagiye ku isoko kigura 399$ gikora gusa kuri mudasobwa za Mac. Cyari gifite ububiko bwa 5GB, batiri imara amasaha 10, umugozi wihuta cyane mu guhererekanya amakuru (ultra-fast FireWire connection), n’uburyo bw’ama-button bwo kugikoresha.
Abanenga baranenze karahava, bati ububiko ni buto, nta buryo bwo guhererekanya amakuru nta migozi (wireless), bati ibi biraciriritse.
Ntihakeye kabiri, umwaka wa 2003 wazanye impinduka zikomeye: cya gikoresho cyatangiye gukora kuri mudasobwa za Windows, hatangizwa n’iduka ry’umuziki rya iTunes (iTunes Music Store), aho Jobs yashishikarije inzu zitunganya imiziki (batabyumvaga) gutangira kugurishaho indirimbo imwe kuri 0,99$, yizeza uburyo bwiza bwo guhangana n’ubujura bw’umuziki.
Apple yihutiye gukora amavugurura. Umwaka wa 2004 wazanye iPod mini ifite amabara atandukanye; mu 2005 izana iPod shuffle itagira ikirahure na iPod nano ntoya cyane ikoresha ububiko bw’ako kanya (flash-memory).
Mu 2007 Apple yazanye iPod touch ifite internet idakoresha umugozi (Wi-Fi) hanaza isoko rya porogaramu (App Store).
Nyuma y’aho ni gake wagendaga mu mihanda ntubone abantu bambaye ecouteurs z’umweru, umutuzo mu modoka no mu kazi. Ibanga ntarindi ryari iPods zibiri inyuma. Zarakunzwe ku rwego rw’Isi karahava.
Amateka ya iPod ntasanzwe. Ubwo bakoraga igerageza rya mbere, ibikoresho by’icyitegererezo byabikwaga mu makarito manini angana n’ay’inkweto kugira ngo abantu batabibona cyangwa ngo bibe iki gikoresho cyari kikiri kubakwa.
Ikindi, iPod ya mbere yari irimo umukino wa video uhishe witwa Breakout. Uyu mukino washyizwemo mu rwego rwo kwibuka no guha icyubahiro igihe Steve Jobs na Steve Wozniak batangiraga gukora mu ruganda rw’imikino mu kigo cyitwa Atari.
Ikindi ni uburyo bwo kubika amakuru bwashyirwaga muri iPod bwakunzwe cyane ku buryo amasosiyete y’indege yaje gukoresha za iPod azishyiramo amabwiriza y’akazi, kugira ngo abapilote bareke gukomeza kwitwaza ibitabo by’amabwiriza biremereye cyane.
Mu 2007 ubwo telefoni ya iPhone yashyirwaga hanze, yafashwe nka iPod nshya ifite ikirahure kigari. Ivuka rya iPhone (yazanye imbuga z’imiziki nka Spotify na Apple Music) ryabaye intangiriro y’ugucika kwa iPod, igikoresho cyafashije benshi kuryoherwa n’umuziki.
Apple yatangiye gukura ku isoko iPod classic mu 2014. Nyuma y’imyaka itatu, mu 2017, iPod nano na shuffle na zo zisezerwaho.
Urugendo rwazo rwabaye rurerure kandi rwiza! Iherezo ryarageze, ku wa 10 Gicurasi 2022, Apple itangaza ko ihagaritse burundu gukora iPod touch. Icyo gihe, hashyizwe akadomo ku mateka y’imyaka 21 y’igikoresho cyahinduye ubuzima bwa benshi.
Nk’uko bigaragazwa n’ububiko bw’inyandiko bwa Apple, abanyamateka Walter Isaacson, Tony Fadell, na Steven Levy, banditse ko umurage wa iPod ugikomeje, kuko ari yo yatanze amafaranga yafashije mu iterambere rya iPhone kandi igahindura Apple igihangange mu gukora ibikoresho by’ikoranabuhanga bikoreshwa n’abantu benshi.
