After dozens of prototypes, Ive's team settled on a design: a simple box, the size of a pack of cards, clothed in a white polycarbonate front that set into a mirror-finish stainless steel case.

Two elements dominated the iPod's face: a simple rectangular display, and the now-iconic scroll wheel, which (unlike late models) physically moved when you spun it. The iPod's physical appearance eerily resembled the designed by Dieter Rams, one of Ive's admitted design heroes.

I've intended the iPod's "shockingly neutral" white and stainless steel case to set it apart from a world of black and dark gray portable digital gadgets.

The iPod would have no removable battery door, no on/off switch, and no screws. Apple would seal the iPod's inner technological wizardry away from the prying hands of the user, silently conveying a simple message: it just works.