The iPod was Apple’s original rock star. Back before the iPhone became a global sensation and the iPad led the post-PC revolution, the iPod was the device generating long lines and record-breaking sales.

Apple’s annual music event–where the latest in iPod technology was unveiled to much fanfare–created enough buzz to sustain sales for the next 12 months, and its popularity was such that it created a so-called halo effect that spurred sales of Apple’s other products, namely iMacs and iBooks.

Even when its would-be assassin was announced at Macworld San Francisco, Steve Jobs stressed the “widescreen iPod with touch controls” aspect as one of its three tentpole features. In fact, it was the very first thing we learned iPhone could do, and Steve waited a full 12 seconds until the applause died down and he could tell us the new device was also a phone. And even then, most people just wanted the touchscreen iPod, which Apple delivered a few months later.

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