iPod® Generations Chart

by Crutchfield's

Heads up!

Welcome to this article from the Crutchfield archives. Have fun reading it, but be aware that the information may be outdated and links may be broken.

Apple first introduced the iPod back in 2001. The original iPod was the "first generation" model. Subsequent versions have been referred to as "second generation" (2G), "third generation" (3G), and so on.

Once memory capacity started being measured in gigabytes — abbreviated "GB" — determining which iPod you had could be confusing. For example, you might have a 4G 20GB iPod, or a 2G 4GB iPod shuffle.

So we created this handy chart to help you identify exactly which iPod you have. Note that not every iteration was considered a new generation. The fourth generation iPod, for example, initially had a black and white screen, then was re-released with a color screen. Both versions are considered 4G iPods. We've also noted some of the major changes for each model in the chart to further help you with identification.

iPod®/iPod classic®
iPod mini®
iPod nano®
iPod shuffle®
iPod touch®

Generation	Designation	Key Features	Memory Capacity	When available on the market
First	iPod	n/a	5GB 10GB	October 2001 - March, 2003
Second	2G iPod	Touch-sensitive Navigation wheel, Expanded memory	10GB 20GB	June, 2002 - March, 2003
Third	Docking iPod	30-pin dock connector, Navigation buttons Expanded memory	10GB 15GB 20GB 30GB 40GB	June, 2002 - March, 2003
Third	3G iPod	Click wheel navigation	20GB 40GB	April, 2003 - June, 2004
Fourth	iPod photo	Image display, Expanded memory	30GB 40GB 60GB	October, 2004 - June, 2005
Fourth	iPod photo	Color screen, Displays photos	20GB 60GB	June, 2005 - September, 2005
Fifth	5G iPod	Plays videos, Larger screen, Expanded memory, Available in black or white	30GB 60GB 80GB	October, 2005 - September, 2007
Sixth	iPod classic	Expanded memory, aluminum casing, Available in black or silver	80GB 120GB 160GB	September 2007 - present

iPod mini	Generation	Designation	Key Features	Memory Capacity	When Available on the Market
	First	iPod mini	Available in silver, gold, green, blue, pink	4GB	January, 2004 - February, 2005
	Second	2G iPod mini	Expanded memory Available in silver, gold, pink, green, blue	4GB 8GB	February, 2005 - August, 2006

Generation	Designation	Key Features	Memory Capacity	When Available on the Market
First	iPod nano	iAvailable in black or white	1GB 2GB 4GB	September 2005 - September 2006
Second	2G iPod nano	Aluminum finish, Available in blue, pink, silver, green, black	2GB 4GB 8GB	September 2006 - September 2007
Third	3G iPod nano	Plays videos, 4GB available in silver, 8GB available in silver, black, light blue, light green	4GB 8GB	September 2007 - September 2008
Fourth	4G iPod nano	Curved screen, FM tuner, Available in silver, black, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, pink	8GB 16GB	September 2008 - September 2009
Fifth	5G iPod nano	Expanded screensize, FM radio, with Live Pause Camera, Available in silver, black, purple, blue, green, orange, pink	8GB 16GB	September 2009 - September 2010
Sixth	6G iPod nano	Smaller form, No video playback, No speakers, No camera, Voice command	8GB 16GB	September 2010 - September 2012
Seventh	7G iPod nano	Larger screen, Video playback, Bluetooth, FM Radio, redesigned EarPod heaphones, redesigned Lightning connector	16GB	September 2012 - present

Generation	Designation	Key Features	Memory Capacity	When Available on the Market
First	iPod shuffle	Flash memory	512MB 1GB	January 2005 - September 2006
Second	2G iPod shuffle	Smaller form, Expanded memory, Aluminum casing, Available in silver, green, pink, orange, blue	1GB 2GB	January 2006 - March, 2009
Third	3G iPod shuffle	Taller form, No navigation wheel, Available in sliver, black, blue, green, pink	2GB 4GB	March 2009 - September 2010
Fourth	4G iPod shuffle	Smaller form, Navigation wheel, VoiceOver command, Available in black, silver, purple, red, yellow, green, blue	2GB	September 2010 - present

Generation	Designation	Key Features	Memory Capacity	When Available on the Market
First	iPod touch	Multi-touch screen, Wi-Fi capability	8GB 16GB 32GB	September 2007 - September 2008
Second	2G iPod touch	Chrome back, Built-in speaker	8GB 16GB 32GB 64GB	September 2008 - September 2009
Third	3G iPod touch	Voice Control, in-line remote earbuds	32GB 64GB	September 2009 - September 2010
Fourth	4G iPod touch	Front and back cameras, FaceTime, Retina display screen, Available in black or white	8GB 16GB 32GB 64GB	September 2010 - September 2012
Fifth	5G iPod touch	Expanded screen, Siri voice command, 3 speakers (front, right, and bottom), Aluminum and glass casing, redesigned EarPod headphones, redesigned Lightning connector Available in black, white, blue, pink, yellow	16GB 32GB 64GB	September 2012 - present

Please share your thoughts below.

Tricia from Stanfield

Posted on 1/18/2019

A friend gave me her old ipod. I believe it is 1st generation. Will I be able to download iTunes on this or will I have to purchase a newer ipod?
Cam from Aurora

Posted on 11/17/2018

G'dday Ralph! Please keep this updated, I know it's archived, but it's what the people want! You worked really hard on this, and it would be a great article for referencing. Keep it up Dude!
Ralph Graves from Crutchfield

Posted on 11/2/2017

Patrick: Sorry, once an article is archived it doesn't get updated. I did note when the dock connector changed. You can assume that every generation after that uses the same connector (until the next change occurred).
Patrick H

Posted on 11/1/2017

Hi, Ralph - thanks for the handy chart! Any chance talking you into adding a column for (Dock) Connector Type?
Dee love from hayward

Posted on 11/9/2016

How much are the ipod touch 4th generation worth now ?
marcia

Posted on 9/26/2016

my IPOD touch is not recognized by Itunes anymore. I get an error when I plug it in, noting that Itunes does not recognize it. Might be the 1st or 2nd generation IPOD touch. How do I fix this. I don't want to purchase an new IPOD?
Diana from Hueytown, AL

Posted on 5/16/2016

Have an older iPod but not sure if it's a 2nd or 3rd generation. It is 64GB and has a silver back but no camera or radio. Still plays great but battery is about gone. How can I find out which generation?
jim from homer glen

Posted on 4/19/2016

can you hook up the 4th gen ipod shuffle to play in your car stereo? I plugged it in with the usb and the car head unit displays error 7
Brooks Davis from Houston

Posted on 4/18/2016

Mike from Purceville, your ipod battery is bad. Ask me how I know...personal experience with my heavily used ipod 5th generation. Order a replacement battery ( must get the right ipod model !) from wherever , go to you tube and watch how to do it yourself using a guitar pick or one of those eyeglass small screwdrivers. I did it myself in 10 minutes, the battery was less than 10 bucks.
KMC1 from Chaska

Posted on 4/6/2016

This incorrect! Unless the original Ipod was not considered an "Ipod" because it was made by HP? THE FIRST HAD BUTTONS ON THE BOTTOM AND THEY LIT UP RED

Pinkfloydthegr8

Posted on 4/4/2016

You guys should really go into detail about the different DAC's Used in each generation, and the op amps and other relevant technical information if you want this article to really help your higher end clientele make a selection between these. It's all about how they sound which is definitely not the same, not just How much they hold and how they look. Good article however as is. :)
Michael Sasso from Gotha

Posted on 3/20/2016

The latest iPod Touch is 6th generation, released on July 15, 2015.
hannah

Posted on 3/2/2016

to mike - it's probably since it's old and wan't built to last this long either that or you have a bad battery Congrats on managing to keep it this long.
Ian

Posted on 8/18/2015

Why did Apple not put a lens on the back of my fifth generation iPod® touch? :)
Ralph Graves from Crutchfield

Posted on 8/18/2015

Zach:
The easiest way to determine memory size is to synch your iPod® with iTunes®. Select the listing for your synching player in the left navigation bar. You should see a status bar at the bottom of the iTunes window showing how much total memory you have on your player, and how much of it is currently in use.
Zack Bernhardt from Newport News Va.

Posted on 8/15/2015

How do I tell what the memory is, 8 or 16 GB in my iPod Nano 5th gen.
Mike from Purcellville

Posted on 7/26/2015

Why is my 5th gen Nano iPod screen keep going dark or black?