The IPod Hardware

The iPod Hardware

Apple's iPod has come a long way since its initial launch, when it was called as the first generation iPod. Today, the latest fifth generation iPod has video capabilities and is a fully featured media player. A brief overview of the iPod hardware through its various generations is given below. This is followed by the latest 5G iPod hardware specifications, and the rumored hard disk of the next generation iPod.

Chipsets And Electronics

Microcontroller

First to third generation iPod - Two ARM 7TDMI-derived CPUs running at 90 MHz.

Fourth to fifth generation iPod, iPod mini, iPod nano first generation - Variable-speed ARM 7TDMI CPUs, running at a peak of 80 MHz to save battery life.

Second generation iPod nano - Samsung System-On-Chip, based around an ARM processor

First generation iPod shuffle - SigmaTel STMP3550 chip that handles both the music decoding and the audio circuitry

Storage medium

First to fifth generation iPod - 1.8 inch hard drives (ATA, 4200 rpm with proprietary connectors) made by Toshiba
iPod mini - 1 inch Microdrives manufactured by Hitachi and Seagate

iPod nano - Flash memory from Samsung, Toshiba, and others.

iPod shuffle - Flash memory

Audio chip
Audio codecs developed by Wolfson Microelectronics are used by all iPods with the sole exception of the shuffle iPod

Batteries
First and second generation iPod, iPod nano, iPod shuffle - Internal lithium polymer batteries
Third to fifth generation iPod - Internal lithium-ion batteries

Connectivity

FireWire: For updating songs or recharging the battery, FireWire connection was originally used to connect to the host computer.

AC Adapter: The battery of the first four generations of iPods could be recharged with an AC adapter that was supplied along with the iPod.