MacRumors reports that Apple Music's website hides a playable first-generation iPod, an easter egg that surfaced on the 25th anniversary of the original iPod's announcement.
According to MacRumors, the trick relies on a page that does not exist. Loading a made-up address on the Apple Music web player, such as music.apple.com/macrumors, brings up Apple's "Page Not Found" screen. Beneath the error message, the page invites visitors to "Give this a spin instead," and a virtual iPod appears.
What it does
The on-screen device is described as a fully working first-generation iPod that is operated with a click wheel. MacRumors says it can play 90-second previews of selected songs, with artists listed including Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Britney Spears, Coldplay, Daft Punk, Drake, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Fall Out Boy, Foo Fighters, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Panic! At The Disco and U2.
There is also a second layer. According to the report, opening Settings and then About, and holding down the centre button of the click wheel for a while, unlocks a playable version of Breakout. MacRumors notes the game's link to Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs, who worked on it at Atari in the 1970s.
How to see it
The easter egg works only in a web browser, not in the Apple Music app. Because Apple Music links normally redirect to the app, MacRumors says Mac users can hold the Command key while clicking the link to stay in the browser, while on iOS you can press and hold the link and choose "Open."
Why it matters
The discovery lands on October 23, the date Apple announced the first iPod in 2001, so the timing appears deliberate, although Apple has not publicly commented on the feature as far as MacRumors reports. The nod also fits a busy week for Apple Music, which recently introduced a new black-and-white visual identity.
For readers curious about the anniversary itself, our earlier piece looks back at how Apple introduced its first music player a quarter of a century ago.
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