Apple Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Taking Podcasts Mainstream With iPod and iTunes

Apple is celebrating the 20th anniversary of iTunes supporting podcasts by sharing a new webpage featuring 20 podcasts that the company loves. The podcasts are categorized by year, from 2005 to 2025, and include popular shows like This American Life, Acquired, and The Daily. Apple shared a letter expressing their love for podcasts and highlighting the impact they've had on people's lives. The company has dedicated countless hours to helping people discover new shows since podcasting came to iTunes in 2005. The list of 20 podcasts is a love letter to the shows that have made a lasting impact and continue to be recommended. These shows have hosts that feel like friends and have measurably improved people's lives. The anniversary is technically in a few days, as Apple released iTunes 4.9 with podcast support on June 28, 2005. Steve Jobs said at the time that podcasting was the next generation of radio, and users could subscribe to over 3,000 free podcasts. Podcasts actually emerged a few years before iTunes support, with the word "podcast" credited to journalist Ben Hammersley in a 2004 article. The word is a portmanteau of "iPod" and "broadcast."