Panic Reveals Secret iPod Prototype
What’s big, yellow, and full of wires? No, not a vintage Pac-Man arcade cabinet, but a secret that Apple development firm Panic has kept hidden in a closet for 20 years: a prototype iPod from 2001. For all intents and purposes, it’s a functional first-generation iPod (dating to just months before that product’s debut), but it’s housed in a large yellow case with a rudimentary click wheel and black clicky buttons for navigation. Panic’s blog post provides a fascinating look at how much prototypes can differ from production models—and it makes us hobbyists feel better about our own electronics projects.
… and also a bit of Apple trivia/history. The snowman icon on the legalese screen for one build of the 5th generation iPod.