The World-Shaking iPod Just Turned 15 Years Old

From the original iPod to the iPod color to the Nano, Apple’s music player was a legendary success.

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The iPod turned 15 years old yesterday. To recognize this monumental day, we took a stroll through the Entrepreneur archives, only to come across a 2006 article, Age of the iPod, which looks at the undeniable success of the portable music player from its birth in 2001 to 2006.

“Is Apple Computer's iPod the greatest consumer product of our time? At minimum, it's an undeniable success,” the story reads.

Ten years later, the device that shook up the tech world and most of our lives remains a major moment in modern history (and still lives on in Apple's product lineup). Today, in a world full of sleek iPhones, weightless MacBook Airs and our good friend, Siri -- the iPod seems like a relic of the past. But it’s impact should not be overlooked.

Not only did Apple lead the wave of compact audio players back in the early 2000s, it became “the icon of cool,” reads the article. The iPod paved the way for innovative, simple-to-use tech products. “It was the first player to marry substantial storage capacity with great looks, small size and simple controls.” It adds, “If not the greatest product of our time, it's certainly part of the discussion.”

With self-driving cars and planned trips to Mars, times sure have changed, but we should always remember that this modern age of technology started with a pocket-sized music player.