Too Long; Didn't Read
Apple didn’t invent the MP3 player. A company called SaeHan did, when it started selling a basic 32MB solid state player for $400 in 1998. What Apple did was refine that ugly, hard to use MP3 player at two levels. The first was to create an easy to use, reliable software for the player. The second was to turn it into a finely crafted, and aesthetically appealing piece of industrial design. Today that original click wheel iPod looks dated. But its user friendly interface and appealing design was responsible for setting a new benchmark for consumer products. That iPod and its later incarnations have sold over 390 million units till date, and laid the foundation for the Apple of today.