Wired is running an interesting article on the birth of the iPod. It gives some details about how the iPod almost died before it came out to market. And there are quite some details about Steve Job's involvement in the project (and features, like high volume, that came from Steve's suggestions). The article is based on an interview with Ben Knauss is a former senior manager at PortalPlayer. PortalPlayer is the company that Apple used to help develop the iPod.