Apple finally admits Brit invented iPod

An ongoing battle to find out who is the original inventor of the technology behind the Apple iPod has come to a head, with Apple 'admitting' who the original inventor is.

Hands on: New iPods plus pics

Kane Kramer, a British inventor who has always claimed he came up with the 'iPod' idea nearly 30 years ago has told the Daily Mail that the company has acknowledged his part in the making of Apple's revolutionary MP3 player, after the company flew him in to testify in an ongoing lawsuit with Burst.com.

10 hours' questioning

In an interview with the paper, Kramer says: "I was up a ladder painting when I got the call from a lady with an American accent from Apple saying she was the head of legal affairs and that they wanted to acknowledge the work that I had done.

"I must admit that at first I thought it was a wind-up by friends. But we spoke for some time, with me still up this ladder slightly bewildered by it all, and she said Apple would like me to come to California to talk to them.

"Then I had to make a deposition in front of a court stenographer and videographer at a lawyers' office. The questioning by the Burst legal counsel there was tough, ten hours of it. But I was happy to do it."

Destpite the admission, Apple has yet to give Kramer compensation for loss of earnings. He has received only a consultancy fee.

What Kramer actually invented back in 1979 was a way to store 3.5 minutes of music on to a chip, coined the IXI.

Although the capacity of the chip was minuscule, he believed that storage capabilities would improve in time.

Kramer, who is currently facing financial difficulties, tried to patent his device 20 years ago, but could not afford to do so. He is hoping that Apple's 'admission' means he will get some sort of compensation.