Flashback: the Motorola ROKR E1 was a dud, but it paved the way for the iPhone

Apple began life as a hardware company, selling desktop computers and then adding laptops to its roster. But in 2001 the company started its long journey to becoming a media distribution company - a journey that saw the launch of Apple Music in 2015 and will welcome Apple TV+ later this year. In 2001 Apple released iTunes to the world and a few months later the very first iPod followed. Those two products revitalized the waning company and grew quickly. In 2005 Apple had a commanding 75% share of digital music sales and 80% of MP3 player sales. With over 20 million iPods sold, Steve...