[psgamer0921]

Being the bored person I am, I was playing around with the WaybackMachine, and I remembered how www.ipod.com redirects to the iPod website.

Well, here's your iPod website-from November 4, 1999

Dunno, thought it was interesting. The site stays the same until November 2001, when the iPod was introduced. Any ideas when the first development of the iPod started?

[rasmits]

That page doesn't seem very... Appleish. Kinda odd, especially the asterisk in between the i and Pod.

[atomicbartbeans]

Apple probably brought the domain from somebody shortly before the iPod's release.

[psgamer0921]

Originally Posted by atomicbartbeans Apple probably brought the domain from somebody shortly before the iPod's release.

But I thought was weird-the page ever since August 1999 to November 2001 displayed the same image, so if it was another company, wouldn't they have done something with it?

[pv2b]

I'm guessing that's not an Apple page, but another unrelated company called iPod, inc, where the domain name subsequently was sold to Apple.

On the wilder side, there's another wilder theory. Apple may have registered a dummy company named iPod, inc, with no apparent connections to Apple, in order to register the domain name, but still elude being associated with it. A historical trademark search for the iPod trademark (according to the 1999 ipod.com, iPod is a registered trademark) for the year 1999 might turn up some more leads.

This is if you're a curious Internet archeologist, that is. I can't be bothered to make any further investigations myself, but if you find anything interesting, you can always post your findings in this thread.

[rasmits]

Originally Posted by psgamer0921 But I thought was weird-the page ever since August 1999 to November 2001 displayed the same image, so if it was another company, wouldn't they have done something with it?

That's what I thought too. And where is that company with their i*Pod?

[pv2b]

Apparently I underestimated how bored I was.

I did a US trademark search, and came up with two interesting dead trademarks for the relevant time period:

Word Mark IPOD Goods and Services (ABANDONED) IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: Protocol converter for changing proprietary digital station set information to a standard protocol suitable for transmission over an internet provider Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING Serial Number 75854960 Filing Date November 22, 1999 Current Filing Basis 1B Original Filing Basis 1B Published for Opposition January 8, 2002 Owner (APPLICANT) Voice Technologies Group, Inc. CORPORATION NEW YORK 2350 North Forest Road Buffalo NEW YORK 14068 Attorney of Record ROBERT N. PHILLIPS Type of Mark TRADEMARK Register PRINCIPAL Live/Dead Indicator DEAD Abandonment Date October 3, 2002

and

Word Mark IPOD Goods and Services (ABANDONED) IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: Computer software and hardware Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING Serial Number 75718637 Filing Date June 1, 1999 Current Filing Basis 1B Original Filing Basis 1B Owner (APPLICANT) InPub, LLC CORPORATION CALIFORNIA 111 Esmerelda Drive Santa Cruz CALIFORNIA 95060 Type of Mark TRADEMARK Register PRINCIPAL Live/Dead Indicator DEAD Abandonment Date May 18, 2000

Both of these trademarks are dead and registered in the correct time period. If I were a betting man, I'd put my money on 75854960 (Voice Technologies Group).

Note also that the capitalisation, "iPod" is used in the copyright notice on the bottom of the page.

The true indication of boredom, speculation on web pages from over 6 years ago.

[Wrao]

Originally Posted by pv2b The true indication of boredom, speculation on web pages from over 6 years ago.

Lowest of the low.

[pv2b]

More information on VTG (Voice Technologies Group) follows. (One of the possible people behind the 1999 iPod.com homepage)

According to their web page www.vtg.com, in 1999, http://web.archive.org/web/199902080...//www.vtg.com/, they are some kind of PBX / Telephone equipment company. The graphical design on the web page is in typical "small business" bad taste. It doesn't seem to be at all similar to the "i*Pod" design at all, which leads me to think this is not the relevant company.

The company was acquired by Intel in the year 2000, http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archi...s/cn022400.htm, http://web.archive.org/web/200104020...ttp://vtg.com/.

In 2002, the www.vtg.com web page was changed to redirect to www.intel.com, http://web.archive.org/web/200211201...ttp://vtg.com/.

In 2003, vtg.com was let to lapse, and was snapped up by a domain squatter, http://web.archive.org/web/200312142...ttp://vtg.com/.

Present day, somewhere in late 2004 or in 2005, http://vtg.com/ redirects to http://www.vtg-rail.com/, some kind of European railroad company.

Unfortunately, I don't seem to be able to find more information about their connection to 1999 ipod.com, but to judge by their generally incompetent web design, I'd think the "i*Pod" logo could be their work. :-)

I should see if I can find any information about that other company, InPub.

Developing...

[pv2b]

Ooh. Missed this goodie at http://web.archive.org/web/200104020...ttp://vtg.com/ last time round:

iPOD iPOD (Internet Phone-Over-Data) is an external building block appliance that connects the PBX to the data network, allowing customers to control the cost and pace of their migration to IP technology. This true IP solution allows customers to extend the life expectancy of their current legacy equipment.

There's a hyperlink in there for a file called iPod_Spec_Sheet_Rev_A.pdf, but that seems to have been lost forever. (Google provides no hits.) Apparently archive.org didn't store PDF files in its archives. :-(

It seems they're not consistent in how they capitalize iPOD or iPod. The file name says iPod, but the paragraph above says iPOD. No mention of their spelling of "i*Pod" anywhere. And since www.ipod.com was still "coming soon" at that time when they had already announced that product, I think we can assume that www.ipod.com has nothing to do with VTG.

Developing more...

Edit: I seem to have hit a wall. I can't find any more information on this subject. If anyone has anything to contribute, step right up.

[psgamer0921]

Originally Posted by pv2b On the wilder side, there's another wilder theory. Apple may have registered a dummy company named iPod, inc, with no apparent connections to Apple, in order to register the domain name, but still elude being associated with it. A historical trademark search for the iPod trademark (according to the 1999 ipod.com, iPod is a registered trademark) for the year 1999 might turn up some more leads.

This actually wouldn't suprise me whatsoever. Apple tends to hide their secrets reeeeeally well

[Ryan]

The one in Santa Cruz appears to be registered to a residential address, judging by the satellite image.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=111+Es...7553&t=k&hl=en

The address is unlisted, so I can't get a name or number.

A Google search on the address doesn't turn anything up, either.