Remember when the first ever Apple iPod was unveiled in October of 2001?
IDC analyst Bryan Ma said Apple would struggle in the consumer electronics market, “which typically has lower profit margins than Apple gets from its computers.”
On top of that, a handful of retailers said consumer interest in the iPod “may not translate into strong sales.” In 2001, for example, a spokesperson for Circuit City said the retailer had not decided whether it would carry the original iPod.