Apple's engineering isn't what it used to be

477 words, 3 minutes.

Whilst rummaging around in a large box of cables (you’ve got one of those too, haven’t you?) the other day I found the first Apple product I ever bought, in 2003. A second-generation iPod. An object of beautiful simplicity, of design elegance not seen since Rams’ Braun of the 1980s. From the moment you unboxed an iPod, the entire experience was like no other — who, up to now, had thought to make packaging part of the journey? Amazing.

Obviously, I was curious whether it would even power up, let alone actually work. I rummaged some more and found the power block and strange cable. I’d forgotten that these early devices used FireWire! As I sat it on its charging station, there was a whirr — of a hard drive — and the iPod lit up, its display as clear as the day I’d unboxed it.

I doubt I’ve used it in over 15 years. It’s certainly been nowhere near power since we moved house almost a decade ago. Sat dormant with no charge for at least 10 years. Yet here it was, spinning up as though it hadn’t taken part in the passage of time.

Wondering if it would play, and if there was even any music still on it, I grabbed a pair of headphones. Plugging them in, I quickly remembered how the simple, delightful interface worked. There was music here. A reminder of my tastes two decades ago (somewhat more energetic than today). I chose a growly Audioslave track and hit play.

Another short whirring noise, and my ears were filled with music. It worked perfectly!

I spent the rest of the day with it in my pocket, putting tracks on now and then, wondering how long the battery would last. The answer came after about two hours.

Sitting in the same box of detritus was an old Garmin eTrex GPS. I tried that as well — it took standard AA batteries, and although it powered up, the LCD was useless. It had definitely acknowledged the passage of time, and like us humans, time had taken its toll.

My grandfather used to lament that ‘modern’ things were not built like they used to be. Those grumbles came from him whilst I sat, watching in wonder, at whatever he was crafting in his garden shed — in the early 1980s. Does every generation, as we age, have a feeling that “they don’t make them like they used to” I wonder?

The products Apple made in the late 1990s and early 2000s were truly innovative. Those early iPods were beautiful, and as a testament to their tasteful, simple design, they still are. Clearly, they also used premium components and engineered them extremely well.

Now, how do I get FireWire 400 talking to USB-C in my modern laptop, so I can sort out the music on it?