The iPod team's open cubicle workspace made for a rowdy and playful environment. Fadell tells of the team members' attempt to write their initials in wet concrete outside the building (they were caught), and about the time one of the engineers accidentally stuck a screwdriver through a lithium polymer battery. It exploded, causing a nasty fire that sparked an internal FBI-like investigation scene with Apple Legal looking on.

With the launch deadline looming, Fadell's team didn't have time to develop all of the iPod's components in-house. While the power supply and display design drew from Apple's expertise, the heart of the iPod, a specialized MP3-playing chipset, came from a San Jose company called PortalPlayer.

A company called Fostex would manufacture the included Apple-designed earbuds. Fadell says earbuds where an obvious design choice because they're more portable, harder to break, and don't mess up your hair like traditional headphones do.

Meanwhile, Jeff Robbin, the programmer in charge of iTunes development, began work on the software end of the iPod. With so little time to debug a custom operating system to run on PortalPlayer's MP3 chipset, Robbin sought the help of Pixo, a Cupertino company that ultimately provided the iPod's basic OS.