These Apple Diehards Thought the First iPod Would Ruin the Company

These days at its big keynote speeches, Apple can do no wrong. But that wasn't always the case: Back in 2001, Steve Jobs took the stage in his black turtleneck and Jeans to announce the iPod, a "breakthrough digital device," and people hated it.

Not everyone, of course, but the diehards in the MacRumors forums were pretty adamant that the iPod was going to be a huge flop (hat tip to @MichaelDick for uncovering this gem), with some suggesting that the device was going to ruin the company. Many people were hoping for an Apple PDA called Newton (oh boy), and, instead, they got this.

Perhaps most shocking of all is that the thread only went on for six pages. Yesterday, for the iPhone 6 unveiling, there were dozens of threads, each of them many times longer than this one. Here's a sampling of the wisdom people had about the first iPod:

"iPoop… iCry. I was so hoping for something more." - elitemacor

"Great just what the world needs, another freaking MP3 player. Go Steve! Where's the Newton?! … I still can't believe this! All this hype for something so ridiculous! Who cares about an MP3 player? I want something new! I want them to think differently! Why oh why would they do this?! It's so wrong! It's so stupid!" - WeezerX80

"hey - heres an idea Apple - rather than enter the world of gimmicks and toys, why dont you spend a little more time sorting out your pathetically expensive and crap server line up? or are you really aiming to become a glorified consumer gimmicks firm?" - Pants

"gee! an mp3 player with a HD! how original! kinda reminds me of a JUKEBOX i once knew.." - ooh wow

"All that hype for an MP3 player? Break-thru digital device? The Reality Distiortion Field™ is starting to warp Steve's mind if he thinks for one second that this thing is gonna take off." - nobody special

"I really wanted to like it. Really. But do the math: 20GB hard drive: $199 from APS tech. MP3 player: $50 from Best Buy. You save $150 plus get an extra 15 Gig of storage!" - dave

"Any way you spin this it is: 1. Not revolutionary. Big capacity mp3 players already exist. With Creative Labs' entrance into the firewire arena, future nomads will have similar specs and better prices. 2. A bad fit. This product is outside Apple's core competency—computing devices. When many are calling for a pda, they release an MP3 player. 3. Without a future. This Christmas you will see mp3 players be commoditized. Meaning that the players from Korea will be way less expensive tha iPod. The real money is in DRM and distribution (ala Real Musicnet). If Apple were smart they would be focusing on high gross revenue from services rather than a playback device." - Meetoo

"It has to be profitable, yet affordable - it has to sell in volume to make Apple money, and this will not achieve the sales required to pay dividends. Only a select few will buy it. No one but those brainwashed by a fruity logo." - iStuffed

There are, of course, lots of people who thought it was a good idea. But sentiment was split, and many serious Apple thought the iPod would absolutely flop, not the least of which because it was perceived as too tightly tied to the Apple ecosystem and too consumer-focused—two things that have been key to Apple's incredible growth.

As of September 2012,  Apple had sold 350 million iPods. In October, 2001, its stock price was roughly $16. Today, it's over $100—and that's after a seven-for-one stock split in June. Stockholders who bought back then probably aren't too upset with the iPod.

Those who thought the iPod was dumb weren't completely wrong: It's true there were tons of MP3 players on the market at the time. I had a Rio. I remember literally throwing it in the trash last year, but I saved my first iPod.