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Apple has added an interactive recreation of the first-generation iPod to the Apple Music website, timed to the 25th anniversary of the device's announcement. It appears in place of the standard error message when a user loads a nonexistent Apple Music page, according to MacRumors.
How to find it
Add any path that does not exist to the music.apple.com address and the "Page Not Found" screen shows the iPod. The Verge says a random string of letters is enough. MacRumors notes that music.apple.com/ipod works too, and that page reads "Looking for something?" instead of "Page Not Found."
The egg only shows in a web browser, not in the Apple Music app. To avoid being bounced into the app, MacRumors advises holding the Command key while clicking the link on a Mac, or pressing and holding the link on iOS and tapping "Open."
The find was credited to Kian on X by 9to5Mac. MacRumors names Kian and Alex Greenland as the spotters.
What it does
According to 9to5Mac, the on-screen device responds to its buttons, and the scroll wheel works by clicking and dragging. Users can browse and play 90-second previews. Engadget describes sections for Playlists, Artists, Songs and Settings, and a library of 1,029 playable songs.
The lineup leans toward early 2000s music. The Verge cites Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" and Gorillaz's "Feel Good Inc." MacRumors lists artists including Alicia Keys, Britney Spears, Daft Punk, Eminem, Foo Fighters, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson and U2. Engadget adds Baha Men and blink-182. Engadget's writer, based in the UK, was unsure whether the track list differs by region.
There is a second hidden feature. Go to Settings, then About, and hold the center button of the click wheel to launch a Breakout-style game. MacRumors calls it Breakout and notes that Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs helped create that game at Atari in the 1970s. Engadget calls the in-egg game Brick and says it was an easter egg on the original iPod, and credits Notebook Check with the discovery.
Caveats
Engadget reported that the controls were somewhat buggy and that it had trouble getting the page to work on desktop. It recommended a phone or tablet. Engadget also said the virtual iPod does not appear to require an active Apple Music account. The other outlets did not report on performance.