Apple’s first generation iPod has been voted the most iconic gadget of all time by a survey of 3,900 gadget fans commissioned by Gadget Show Live @ Christmas, which opens at Earls Court on Friday. The iPod, launched in 2001) tops a list of the ten most stylish gadgets ever; a list that also includes two phones, a camera, a watch, a fan and an orange juicer.

The oldest gadget to make the top ten is the Polaroid camera (10th place), which had everyone shaking their snaps vigorously and watching in delight as the image appeared. The youngest is Nike’s Fuel Band, which may be only two years old but still managed to rank second place.

Music is also well represented. In addition to the iPod, Sony’s Walkman takes 6th place. The Walkman launched in 1980, changing the way listen to music on the move and paving the way for the iPod’s birth two decades later.

The 10 most iconic gadgets of all time:


  1. 2001 Apple iPod
  2. 2011 Nike FuelBand
  3. 2004 Bang & Olufsen Beocom 2 ‘banana’ phone
  4. 1998 Apple iMac G3
  5. 2004 Motorola Razr V3
  6. 1980 Sony Walkman
  7. 2009 Dyson Air Multiplier
  8. 1983 Casio G-Shock DW-5000C
  9. 1990 Alessi Salif mini citrus squeezer
  10. 1967 Polaroid camera


“What this list shows is how great design – which is a combination of aesthetics, functionality and problem solving – can lead to the creation of gadgets that are so timeless they are still loved, and in many cases used and enjoyed, decades later,” commented Gadget Show Live @Christmas event manager Katie Tozer.

Gadget Show Live @ Christmas takes place at Earls Court in London on 1-3 November and tickets are on sale now at www.gadgetshowlive.net. Jason Bradbury, Pollyanna Woodward and Jon Bentley will present a spectacular hour-long entertainment show in the Super Theatre each day.