Designed in California· Folge 13

13: The MP3 Revolution (Part 1, Origin of the iPod)

Mittwoch, 14. Oktober 2026 · 35 min

MP3

Shownotes

Two decades after the Walkman had revolutionized personal audio, a new compressed digital audio format emerged that would redefine how we listen to music. We kick off our series about the origin of Apple's hit MP3 player, the iPod.

This episode of Designed in California is sponsored by:

• Opermium (opermium.com): Creating customer value in airport operations.

Links and Show Notes:
Presented by Jason Snell and Myke Hurley.

Written by Jason Snell. Script development by Kelly Turner.

Thanks to Scott Knaster, Stephen Hackett, Matt Rollefson, Adam C. Engst, Jim Hunkins, John Buck, Harry McCracken, and members of the iPod team for script assistance.

Extra special thanks to Hansen Hsu and everyone else at the Computer History Museum.

Audio editing by Myke Hurley and Jim Metzendorf. Video production by Jamie Snell.

Designed in California theme by Christopher Breen.

References/Further Reading:

• The Perfect Thing (link.amazon/B0iRrcRUS) by Steven Levy

• Apple: The First 50 Years (link.amazon/B0h8XB9Cx) by David Pogue

• Steve Jobs (link.amazon/B07YvsjhV) by Walter Isaacson

• Apple In China (link.amazon/B07hawIGg) by Patrick McGee

• Build (link.amazon/B0itUUl9y) by Tony Fadell

• iCon: Steve Jobs (link.amazon/B0ewcx32O) by Jeffrey S. Young

• Becoming Steve Jobs (link.amazon/B0cCvP2nQ) by Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli

• John Rubinstein Oral History (computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102717…) at The Computer History Museum

• Regis McKenna Oral History (archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/t…) at The Computer History Museum

Get early access to full series, ad-free listening, and bonus episodes by becoming a member. (relay.fm/designed/join)
Submit Feedback (relay.fm/designed/feedback)

0:00 / 0:00