iPod Hi-Fi

The iPod Hi-Fi was a $349 speaker for your iPod. Using 6 D-Cell batteries, the idea was that you could unplug it and carry it outside, though at nearly 7kg you would not go far.

The iPod sat in a dock on top. There was no Bluetooth, no Wi-FI, no app. You pushed the iPod onto a 30-pin connector, it charged while it played, and the Apple Remote that came in the box let you skip tracks from the sofa.

Inside were two wide-range drivers and a ported bass system in a sealed enclosure. Steve Jobs demonstrated it himself and used the word audiophile, which irritated a lot of people who take that word seriously. The reviews were mostly kind about the sound and much less kind about the price.

There was a 3.5mm input on the back that took an optical signal as well as an analogue one, so a CD player or a games console could be plugged in.

Apple stopped selling it on 5 September 2007. It had been on sale for 554 days. No replacement arrived, and Apple stayed out of home speakers completely until the HomePod turned up eleven years later.

It was announced on 28 February 2006 and went on sale the same day at $349.

Check out my photos of the iPod Hi-Fi docking speaker.