Apple’s Worst Products and Design Fails of All Time

3rd Generation iPod Classic

Apple’s 1^st generation iPod was an almost unqualified success in 2001, but 2003’s 3^rd generation update was more of a mixed bag. It introduced the touch wheel for scrolling and adjusting volume, but it removed the play/pause and forward/backward buttons from their familiar locations around the wheel and placed them directly below the screen, a choice which required the addition of backlighting so confused users knew which button they were pressing in the dark. The 4^th generation’s Clickwheel the following year was an all-around improvement.