So much about the iPod was new for Apple. Coming from a company accustomed to selling computers, Apple wasn't quite sure how to sell a consumer music gadget, which undoubtedly would be aimed at a different audience than the Mac.

Even the label on the iPod's box demanded special consideration for Apple: as a consumer audio gadget, the iPod had to comply with different trade laws regarding warning labels than those for the Mac.

To help with those tasks, Apple brought in outside experts who would assist in crafting the initial iPod marketing campaign. One of those experts, a freelance copywriter named Vinnie Chieco, gave the iPod its name.

In response to Steve Jobs' digital hub strategy, Chieco began brainstorming about what interfaces with a hub. Chieco imagined a spaceship as being the ultimate hub from which a smaller craft--a pod (think "Shuttlepod" in )--could come and go.

Better yet, wasn't descriptive of the music player's function, allowing the iPod's capabilities to evolve over time without needing a name change. Steve Jobs liked it, and the name stuck.