Apple Marks iPod's 25th Anniversary With Hidden Interactive Music Player

On October 23, 2001, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the original iPod. He introduced it by teasing "a breakthrough digital device that's not a Mac," according to Tom's Hardware.

Twenty-five years later, the anniversary coverage looks back at a device now widely regarded as iconic. TechRadar revisited the initial reactions to its unveiling, contrasting them with the reputation the iPod later acquired.

On October 23, 2026, reports marked the iPod's 25th anniversary with something readers could actually try. 9to5Mac reported that Apple's website had a fully interactive iPod Easter egg, crediting Kian on X with discovering it.

The hiding place is an error page on Apple Music. According to MacRumors, the virtual player appears when someone uses a web browser to request a page that does not exist.

The replica goes beyond a picture of the old device. AppleInsider reported that even the click wheel makes the right sound, while Cult of Mac described a virtual player complete with a library of tunes.

There is another discovery inside the first one. Digital Trends reported that the replica also contains a hidden Brick game.

The anniversary tribute is a browser experience within Apple Music, rather than a physical player. MacRumors reported that the Easter egg is visible only in a web browser, and Applesfera described operating the virtual iPod through an iPhone's touchscreen.

For visitors, the attraction is specific: the look of the original player, the sound and movement of its click wheel, music to explore and a game to uncover. CNET framed the Easter egg around that chance to experience the click wheel's sound and scroll again.