Jobs did this, with varying degrees of self-restraint in his involvement, with the Lisa, Macintosh and iPod projects, at least, and in each case not only changed the technical worlds of which they were a part, but also launched the careers of the next generation of innovation leaders in the industry.

FORBES: Air-cover: Innovation's secret ingredient

Which is why it's so weird that Uniea would go out on a limb and produce a hard leather case "for new iPod" (which we've been affectionately referring to as the nano fatty).

ENGADGET: Uniea takes a gamble on iPod nano fatty, preemptively makes case for it

While that's not exactly been the case with Apple and a video-enabled iPod, the company's derision of portable video has certainly signaled that we shouldn't expect such a device before, say, the next major Earth-smashing asteroid threat.

ENGADGET: Switched On: The iPod Photo's slippery slope towards video

He says it does appear to be the case that Apple has trimmed some panel orders for the iPhone and iPod Touch as well as for the iPad and the MacBook, but he does not find the cuits alarming.

FORBES: Apple: Wedge Ups 2013 iPhone View; Says WSJ Got It Wrong

As is often the case with Apple, much of the iPod's appeal rests on its design and its user interface, which seems much simpler and more fluid than the competitors'.

FORBES: Apple Unwraps IPod

In Apple's case, its beloved iPod seems to be a globe-sized target for attacks (and lawsuits), and just a day after the company laid blame to Windows for "not being hardy enough against viruses" found on recently shipped 5.5G 'Pods, Microsoft is firing back with its own harsh criticisms.

ENGADGET: Microsoft blames Apple's "quality checks" for iPod virus