" You know, I've got a plan that could rescue Apple. I can'tsay any more than that it's the perfect product and the perfect strategy forApple. But nobody there will listen to me." - Steve Jobs, 1995.

The iPod is the most prolific gadget of all time. It savedApple at a time when it was going nowhere. Suddenly the company was hip again.And now, in 2007, it doesn't matter what Apple does, it's still big news.

It's the coolest brand in the world, and as Douglas Adamswould say, Steve Jobs is so hip, he has trouble seeing over his pelvis.

So what of the future? Apple has only just unveiled its latestrange of iPod including the brand new multitouch-sporting iPod touch. Itrepresent the first of a new generation of touchscreen iPods.

But what will next year bring?

Read our feature The future of the Apple iPod