DEVOURED
Apple Music is hiding the original iPod as an easter egg, and there's a secret game too
Apple is celebrating the iPod's 25th anniversary by embedding a fully functional, playable click-wheel emulator within their music website's 404 page.
What: By visiting any broken link on music.apple.com, users can access a web-based iPod replica that includes navigation, settings, and a hidden 'Brick' game accessible via the About menu.
Why it matters: Beyond nostalgia, this serves as a high-effort showcase of browser-based interaction design and accessibility, demonstrating how complex legacy interfaces can be recreated using modern web standards.
Takeaway: Navigate to any non-existent page on music.apple.com in a desktop browser to interact with the emulator, or enter the 'About' menu and hold the center button for five seconds to launch the 'Brick' game.
Deep dive
- The emulator features a functional monochrome screen and a virtual click-wheel.
- It includes sample audio tracks from the early 2000s.
- The 'Brick' game is a nod to Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak's history at Atari.
- The simulation supports keyboard navigation via arrow keys and the Enter button.
- This is a browser-only experience and is not available in the native Apple Music mobile app.
Decoder
- 404 Page: An HTTP status code indicating that the server cannot find the requested URL, typically customized by websites to handle navigation errors.
Original article
Apple Music is celebrating the iPod's 25th anniversary by turning its website's 404 page into a functional original iPod complete with a click wheel, song previews, settings, and a hidden playable version of the classic Brick game.
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