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I want to start this week with the story of the first Apple product I owned, a third-generation iPod. This week, Apple finally retired the product line, and my thoughts went back to my first few minutes of owning it.

I was very much in the Microsoft/Windows camp at the time, and I remember being very sceptical and critical of Apple. I also remember the Phillips MP3 player I used before I bought my iPod, though, and how truly awful it was. It was clear Apple had something special, and I started to look at it longingly.

I had travelled to the US on a business trip for the company I worked for at the time. I was in State College, PA, which at the time was the coldest place I had ever visited. I remember looking at a weather display in the hotel lobby and thinking, “Oh, -3º, that’s chilly!” before realising the readout was in Fahrenheit! 😬 Anyway, we ended up at a Best Buy store during the trip, and I handed over my hard-earned $400 to own my first Apple product.

I remember opening the box of my new device vividly, especially one part of it. The box that held the iPod split in two and folded out, and I saw those famous words for the first time, “Designed by Apple in California”. It was the first time I had seen such attention paid to packaging, and even though it was years before anyone would say the word “unboxing”, 😂 it made a big impression.

I loved that iPod and used it for many years, and I suspect that decision is why I’m writing these words today. I’m not sure I’d have bought my first MacBook Pro in 2006 without the experience of owning that iPod.

I’m glad I bought it.

Dave Verwer  

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And finally...

Why not end this week with a trip back to being an Apple developer in the 90s?