This Starbucks+iTunes counter display was used in a suburban Chicago Starbucks during the second iteration of the “Pick of the Week” promotion. The display matches the cards that are red with white accents.
The original promotion began on October 2, 2007, with the Starbucks and Apple partnership to give away “Song of the Day” cards on the iTunes Music Store. The partnership continued for several years with a few variations.
Because this counter display was well-used, it definitely shows signs of wear. I happened to be at the Starbucks sitting at the counter the evening when a new display was delivered. The barista on duty allowed me to have this retired display instead of disposing of it.
Beginning on October 2, 2007, Starbucks began a partnership with Apple to give away “Song of the Day” cards in collaboration with the iTunes Music Store. The first Song of the Day was Bob Dylan’s “Joker Man.”
Each card was printed in color on two sides. The front of the card featured the artist and/or band, and the back listed the terms and conditions of the promotion and included a 16-character code to redeem the free song on the iTunes Music Store.
After the first iteration of this promotion, a few other versions were offered, all with the same size card, but with different designs. Later versions of the promotion turned into weekly offerings. Special collections were also added such as music festival tie-ins (e.g., Lollapalooza) and music-related TV shows (e.g., The Voice). Also, Apple Books titles and free Apps from the App Store were added to later cards.
My collection includes hundreds of these cards from all the versions of these promotions: Song of the Day (light blue/gold accent card design); Pick of the Week (red/white accent card design); Pick of the Week (metallic silver/white accent card design); and Pick of the Week (white card design including song, book, and app options).
I collected these cards personally during my frequent trips to Starbucks. When available, I grabbed the white “divider” cards that were used by store personnel to show the promotion dates for each offer.
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.
While Apple was not the first to offer an MP3 player, they often get the credit for making the product get accepted into the mainstream with its groundbreaking design, features, and perhaps more importantly, the iTunes software experience that would eventually add the iTunes Store and completely change the course of the music industry.
The iPod was about the size of a deck of playing cards, white on the front, and polished stainless steel on the back. The look that quickly became iconic. The front of the original iPod used a rotating scroll wheel surrounded by four physical buttons—menu, forward, back, and play/pause—with an unmarked select button at the center. The design introduced a brand new operating system that allowed easy navigation to songs and playlists and could be controlled with one hand.
The original iPod required a Mac with iTunes. The iTunes software on the Mac provided the organization for the music and playlists and the iPod allowed your music to be portable. It featured a 5 GB hard drive to store 1,000 songs, a 60-mW amplifier, a FireWire port, and a standard 3.5-mm headphone jack, and a 2-inch black and white backlit LCD display. The battery lasted 10 hours. A 10 GB option was available after March 21, 2002, increasing the storage to 2,000 songs.
The iPod Generation 2 was similar to the original iPod in design, but the moving scroll wheel was replaced by a stationary touch-sensitive scroll wheel. In addition, the FireWire port gained a cover. The top of the iPod design also changed to allow the buttons to be surrounded by stainless steel cutouts instead of the plastic top used in the original iPod. Accessories were also added including a wired remote control, a thinner Firewire cable, and a carrying case.
The iPod Generation 2 was offered in 10 GB and 20 GB models and also added Windows compatibility.
Other than the increased hard drive sizes that allowed the iPod to hold up to 4,000 songs in the 20 GB model, the other specifications were the same as the original iPod: a 60-mW amplifier, a FireWire port, and a standard 3.5-mm headphone jack, and a 2-inch black and white backlit LCD display, and a 10-hour battery.
