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iPods became big around 2003. Back then, 128 MB of flash would cost you $40[1]. This was why HDD-backed mp3 players were so revolutionary for the time--flash wasn't viable, yet. By the time flash got cheap enough, portable mp3 players were so established that the time for physical media for audio had mostly passed.

1: https://web.archive.org/web/20030520151144/http://www.newegg...

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Yep, the reason why the OG iPod was shaped/sized the way it was, is due to the form factor of commodity laptop hard drives. I forget, but I think the OG iPod had a firewire connector (sort of the equivalent of today's Thunderbolt 3/4), which allowed the owner to use the iPod as a portable hard drive. Most macs had at least one firewire port.

2nd and 3rd gen too. I still have a 3rd gen

Still got mine. First gen, Mac only, Firewire. Haven't turned it on in a few years, I wonder if it still goes...

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