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Apple's iPod Hi-Fi Launched 18 Years Ago – and Lasted Just 554 Days

Ahead of its time. Predicted a generation of home stereo design. Sounded great too.

Completely invalidated by the launch of the iPhone and the rise of wireless audio stacks ... but at the time, highlighting -- bordering on fetishizing -- the device playing the music became the defacto design choice. For example: I had a Tivoli Songbook around this time which I loved, and it featured a little hatch that would drop down on one side for you to attach your device to. Not good UX, but required because of the times.

It was strange at the time to launch a "hi fi system" that did not handle CDs or radio and so on. It limited the scope to absolutely dedicated iPod/iTunes Music Store users, or people who would accept the jank of a single aux input. Again: this is most home stereos sold today; in fact, most home stereos today are usually little more than a Bluetooth speaker.
 
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Design sets off my trypophobia.

Glad they mothballed it.

I had a BOSE Soundock instead...
 

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I still have mine but it's been hoarded to my vintage computer "museum" in the basement. Someday my 5.25" software collection will be worth million$, right? ;)
 
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Edsel said:
I still have mine but it's been hoarded to my vintage computer "museum" in the basement. Someday my 5.25" software collection will be worth million$, right? ;)
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Hopefullly! I wonder how much my 8inch Displaywriter floppies will be worth, then! :D
 
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I still have one, and we still use it for outdoor entertaining. It sounds great.
 
Looking at that picture, my first thought is "probably still a better idea than the HomePod."

If I could actually plug my phone in physically, it might work better. Siri on my phone is nearly instant to turn off my Matter, HomeKit lights. Siri on the HomePod on the other hand takes forever and sometimes tells me the lights aren't responding. When obviously it's Siri that's not responding.
 
I absolutely loved mine. Had great sound for the time (and for its size). My only issue was that the mids were way too pronounced, which usually impacts crisp highs and deep lows making the default sound a bit flat. A mistake many audio hardware makers still make to this day. The 'Electronic' EQ setting on the iPod helped correct this (and I still use this setting today with the Music app).
 
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My father bought four of these, he had this new hobby of doing tango classes and set them all up for audio… kind of ridiculously inefficient, but it got the job done and sounded great.

Anyway, I'm using one today with an Airport Express for my home audio system. Wouldn't mind swapping it out with a HomePod, but the HomePod doesn't have auxiliary input, so I can't hook it up to anything else. Meh.

"Apple HiFi" would have made a much better name for HomePod.
 
I guess the price point was just too high for people at the time, as speaker docks from other brands were very prominent. Thats why you still always see a bunch of those "iHome" branded ones whenever you walk into a thrift store
 
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I had one and really liked it. At that time, I'd owned a few boom boxes, including one in the same price range as the Apple HiFi. The Apple HiFi sounded better than all of them. I also LOVED the iPod, the first device I ever owned or could even imagine holding a thousand songs.

I know the Apple HiFi's price and limitations were deal-breakers for many, and respect the criticisms of the device. But for some of us, it was a really terrific product.

Two homepods as a stereo pair sound better for music playback or better than a soundbar attached to your TV, because you can space them apart for much better stereo imaging. And of course, they're "smarter" than the Apple HiFi. For me, music playback is the main use, I don't use the smart features much. Maybe that'll change with iOS 18's promised next-level AI features.
 
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Still have mine. Still sounds better than my Homepod.

I still chuckle when I think about Steve's intro for this, and talking about "soundstage" on a Mono speaker. In a way he was ahead of his time with this, as now we have Sonos and many other DSP speakers.
 
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I bought two of them. This was Apple's "proof of concept" for what was possible for iPod's. Before this there were tiny, tinny-sounding little microspeakers and RF (radio frequency) transmitters so you could tune-in your iPod on an FM radio. I tried most of them and they were junk. But this iPod HiFi was incredible... it brought amazing-sounding LOUD music to the backyard, beach, garage, pool, club meeting, classroom -- anywhere. And when you docked your iPod it would get a magical new EQ setting just for the HiFi that made it sound even better. While it only was on sale for a short time, it inspired the Bose SoundDocks and hundreds of other products like it. For me, though, the original is still the best. Happy Birthday!
 
In case anyone cares, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, $349 in February 2006 is worth $541.71 in January 2024 (the most recent month available).
 
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MacRumors said:


Reflecting on the iPod Hi-Fi, launched 18 years ago, many long-time readers may remember it as Apple's ambitious foray into the home audio market, long before smart speakers were a thing.

ipod-hi-fi.jpg

Priced at $349, it promised audiophile-quality sound within a compact design, offering home audio without the clutter of traditional stereo components. It featured a built-in Universal Dock for iPods, providing a seamless integration that allowed users to charge their device while playing music.

With its capability to produce a wide frequency range and room-filling sound without distortion, the iPod Hi-Fi combined Jony Ive's minimalist design aesthetic and high-quality audio performance. Its versatility was further highlighted by the inclusion of an Apple Remote, and the option for AC or battery power, making it portable.

Many products in the iPod series achieved remarkable success, but the iPod Hi-Fi wasn't one of them. The device was praised for its big rich sound, bass response, and ease of use, but its high price was a turn-off for many Apple device users. Also, the connector prominently positioned atop the speaker unit exposed docked iPods to potential knocks and damage.

Despite its innovative features, the iPod Hi-Fi remained a niche product in Apple's lineup, and the combination iPod dock/speaker system never took off. Apple discontinued it on September 5, 2007, just 554 days after its launch.

Article Link: Apple's iPod Hi-Fi Launched 18 Years Ago – and Lasted Just 554 Days
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Typical Apple very high priced for it's time. Sound quality wasn't that great and people were still used to large home stereos for listening to music and connect their TV to. I thought the idea was interesting until I saw the price and heard it, iPods yes, the the dock no.
 
HobeSoundDarryl said:
iPod Hifi: "Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father."

HP Gen 1: "He told me enough! He told me you killed him!"

iPod Hifi: "No. I am your father." ;)

Great sound, fairly portable, somewhat like the modern day variations of the boombox... BUT... too locked down (though, unlike HPs, at least it had an optical input to use with other sources, making them still quite useful 18 years later, even without Apple audio sources), too relatively expensive, etc.

About 10 years later: "Let's roll out another branded speaker... but this time let's make it even more locked down (no AUX input at all) and offer it at the 'same great price' popularly judged as 'too expensive' before."

So when "Luke" was discontinued and < 2 years after Luke "went missing", "Rey" is rolled out with cuts in hardware (tweeters and microphones) to then basically offer what otherwise appeared to be the same for $50 less.

Cue The Imperial March theme music: "And let's make it so that Rey can't dyad pair with Luke so that one must buy TWO Reys if they want stereo." Crank up some big spatial echo and insert that Emperor Palpatine laugh here.
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this made my day sir
 
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