Rare ‘stealth iPod’ prototype somehow survived — and could fetch $50K at auction

A rare “stealth iPod” prototype made to disguise the design of Apple’s first music player could fetch over £36,000 ($50,000) at auction.

The oversized pre-production unit was used to test the device while concealing the size and appearance of the original iPod before its public debut.

Instead of the compact shape planned for the final product, the electronics were housed in a much larger case, allowing Apple staff to test it in public without revealing the finished design.

The cream-coloured prototype, known internally as the Apple P68, has been preserved by Jim Dumont, the fifth engineer hired to the original iPod team.

Dumont joined Apple in 2001 as a software engineering programme manager and worked on the first iPod through multiple generations before later contributing to the iPhone.

The surviving prototype retains many of the features used during development, including engineering switches, barcode labels, exposed wiring and the oversized casing.

It is accompanied by an archive of Apple development material assembled during Dumont’s time on the iPod team, helping document one of the company’s most closely guarded product launches.

Steve Jobs famously introduced the iPod in 2001 with the promise of “1,000 songs in your pocket”.

Boston-based RR Auction’s Steve Jobs & the Computer Revolution: The Apple 50th Anniversary Auction Part Two sale concludes on August 20.