Apple Sunset

iPod (5th generation, Late 2006)

Discontinued 5 Sept 2007

Released

12 Sept 2006

Announced

12 Sept 2006

Launch price from

$249

Discontinued

5 Sept 2007

Lifespan

1 year

Category
iPod
Status
Discontinued
Apple support status
Obsolete (Apple no longer services it)
Release type
Refresh of an existing model
Previous model
iPod (5th generation, with Video)
Replaced by
iPod Classic
Official Apple page
No longer available on Apple’s website
Tech specs
Apple specs ↗
Press release
Apple Newsroom ↗
More information
iPod Classic on Wikipedia ↗

Notes

The iPod (5th generation, Late 2006) cost $249 for 30GB and $349 for 80GB, both in white or black, which was $50 less than the model it replaced at each step while holding more. The screen was the same 2.5 inches but 60% brighter.

Video battery life was the real gain. The 30GB managed three and a half hours against the two of the year before, and the 80GB six and a half. Music was unchanged at fourteen and twenty hours.

Gapless playback was introduced on the iPod (5th generation, Late 2006) alongside iTunes 7, so albums recorded as one continuous piece no longer had a silence dropped between tracks. Search and Quick Scroll were added for finding things in a library that could now run to 20,000 songs.

Apple also began selling games for it on the iTunes Store, written to be played with the click wheel, next to more than 75 films and 220 television series.

It was announced on 12 September 2006 at the ‘It’s Showtime’ event in San Francisco. There were no pre-orders, and it went on sale the same day, priced from $249.

More in iPod

Release history

All iPod →

iPod release history

  1. 2014

  2. 9 Sept 2014

    iPod Classic 160GB (Late 2009) Discontinued

  3. ↑ about 5 years later
  4. 2009

  5. 9 Sept 2009

    iPod Classic 160GB (Late 2009) Released

    iPod Classic (120GB) Discontinued

  6. ↑ about 1 year later
  7. 2008

  8. 9 Sept 2008

    iPod Classic (120GB) Released

    iPod Classic Discontinued

  9. ↑ about 1 year later
  10. 2007

  11. 5 Sept 2007

    iPod Classic Released

    iPod (5th generation, Late 2006) Discontinued

    iPod U2 Special Edition Discontinued

  12. ↑ about 1 year later
  13. 2006

  14. 12 Sept 2006

    iPod (5th generation, Late 2006) Released

    iPod (5th generation, with Video) Discontinued

  15. ↑ about 1 year later
  16. 2005

  17. 12 Oct 2005

    iPod with Color Display Discontinued

  18. Oct 2005

    iPod (5th generation, with Video) Released

  19. ↑ 3 months later

  20. 28 Jun 2005

    iPod with Color Display Released

    iPod (4th generation, Click Wheel) Discontinued

    iPod Photo Discontinued

  21. ↑ 8 months later
  22. 2004

  23. Nov 2004

    iPod U2 Special Edition Released

  24. Oct 2004

    iPod Photo Released

  25. ↑ 2 months later

  26. 19 Jul 2004

    iPod (4th generation, Click Wheel) Released

    iPod (3rd generation, Dock Connector) Discontinued

  27. ↑ 1 year, 3 months later
  28. 2003

  29. 2 May 2003

    iPod (3rd generation, Dock Connector) Released

  30. 28 Apr 2003

    iPod (1st generation, Scroll Wheel) Discontinued

    iPod (2nd generation, Touch Wheel) Discontinued

  31. ↑ 9 months later
  32. 2002

  33. Aug 2002

    iPod (2nd generation, Touch Wheel) Released

  34. ↑ 9 months later
  35. 2001

  36. 10 Nov 2001

    iPod (1st generation, Scroll Wheel) Launch

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