Apple Remote (original, unopened, 2005)

The original Apple Remote had a design resembling the original iPod shuffle. The remote had six buttons. In a circular layout at the top, five buttons included Play/Pause/Select (center), Volume Up, Next/Fast-forward, Volume Down, and Previous/Rewind. A round Menu button was centered below the circular layout. 

The remote was white with a black top. The IR emitter was placed behind the black top. This remote was powered by a CR2032 battery accessed by inserting a thin wire (such as a paper clip) to release a battery “drawer.”

The Apple Remote was designed to navigate Apple’s Front Row multimedia system built into Mac computers at the time. Front Row allowed users to browse and play music in iTunes, view videos saved on the Mac in iTunes, play DVDs, and browse photos in iPhoto. The Front Row system was removed from macOS in Mac OS X version 10.7, but the Apple Remote could continue be used to control Keynote presentations, play movies in QuickTime, and control iTunes.

The original Apple Remote could also control an iPod in an iPod Dock with IR capabilities and the iPod Hi-Fi. 

Early models of the white flat panel iMac included a magnet on the lower-right side to attach the Apple Remote. The iMac Mid-2007 model removed this feature.

These Apple Remote devices are unopened in two different types of packaging. Both shipped along with other Apple devices. I also have several remotes of this style no longer in the packaging.

Reference: Wikipedia.com

iPod Hi-Fi (2006)

The iPod Hi-Fi was announced by Steve Jobs on February 28, 2006, in a keynote where he introduced the device as “Home stereo. Reinvented.” The speaker system included a 30-pin iPod connector on top and shipped with inserts for every iPod with a dock connector it has shipped until that time. The back of the iPod Hi-Fi included a 3.5mm stereo input so users with an iPod shuffle (or other device) could connect to the device.

The remote control that shipped with the iPod Hi-Fi, the same remote that shipped with iMac models at the time, could only control volume and skip between tracks within the selected playlist. The menu button switched between the dock and the audio-in port and could not control the functions of the iPod in the dock. Also, the iPod Hi-Fi can be used with all iPods with a dock connector, but will only charge iPods that support Firewire charging.

My example iPod Hi-Fi unfortunately has crushed speaker cones on the two smaller speakers. I’ve attempted a few remedies unsuccessfully.

The iPod Hi-Fi retailed at the Apple Store for $349. This price was higher than similar high-end iPod speaker systems at the time, including a then-popular system from Bose priced at $299. The iPod Hi-Fi was discontinued on September 5, 2007.

Source: Wikipedia