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It has been seven years since Steve Jobs announced the first "perfect thing" in the fall of 2001. Since then, very few products have come to exact total domination in their respected fields like the iPod has. And really, no other gadget in recent memory (save for maybe the iPhone) has exploded onto the cultural cache with the same impact. Hell, your granny is probably listening to some Wu-Tang on her fourth-gen Nano right now.

Here, take a scroll down memory lane with us and see the evolution of the product from its initial rocky conception to its current button-free touchscreen interface. Come on, it'll be fun.

The Proto

Conceived Early 2001

Left: There were literally dozens of early mock-ups of the iPod that didn't make the cut. Cobbled together from foam and fishing weights, they all had one thing in common: the round control wheel adorning the front.

Photo: Robyn Twomey/Wired