R11CWN t1_j6igjn9 wrote on January 30, 2023 at 3:54 PM

I would have said no, as the same could be said for all portable music players at the time, not just the iPod. And because iTunes became a very restrictive platform which relied on users buying music in order to listen.

I'd say the popularity stemmed from the advertising above all else. The catchy 2d block coloured adverts with the white earphones became synonymous with mp3s and portable music. Even though the competition had superior devices and offered better audio quality.

MilkfightEnterprises t1_j6iv7y5 wrote on January 30, 2023 at 5:27 PM

The iPod was already massively popular when the iTunes store was established. And more significantly, the store’s DRM didn’t prevent anyone from loading their iPod with music from other sources, legal or otherwise.

The iPod was even more popular by the time the 2D colored ads were introduced. There’s no denying that Apple’s marketing is next-level, and plays a huge role in their success, but it’s one of many factors. The iPod simply had better UI, a higher storage capacity, and tighter software integration than any other player available at the time.

It was also a great way to put all your downloaded music onto a single device, rather than burning it onto dozens of CDRs.