The World Is Mainly Begging for One other iPod

Audio nostalgia is a factor proper now, and it’s not simply wired earbuds having fun with the entire shine. A craving for wired audio is bringing its good buddy alongside for the experience: the king of all issues MP3. The one, the one, the iPod.

That’s proper, the iPod is f*cking again. Not in an official sense, in fact—it was discontinued officially in 2022—nevertheless it’s again in a really unofficial capability. By nostalgia’s requirements, the iPod is related as soon as extra, and also you’ve in all probability obtained your cellphone (or the icky apps in it) to thank for that.

Okay, however how “back” is it?

The iPod is fairly again, to be sincere. As the AP notes, secondhand websites like eBay are principally loaded with listings for used iPods, and on a extra empirical stage, Back Market, which additionally sells used and refurbished electronics, tells the AP that used iPod gross sales jumped 48% since 2024.

Anecdotally, I’ve been seeing the iPod in all places, not simply in a literal sense, however in a religious one. As I’ve written about earlier than, digital audio gamers (DAPs) are seemingly an actual class once more, and new DAPs are available in all styles and sizes. There are DAPs formed like cassette gamers, massive utilitarian rectangles, and tiny little MP3-playing hunks of plastic. None of them has the iPod’s iconic click on wheel, in fact, however the spirit that the iPod helped popularize remains to be there. It’s a devoted system that carries your music and nearly nothing extra.

On a extra iPod-specific word, there are additionally individuals attempting to copy the iPod expertise in your cellphone, like this man building an iPod maker. Or how about individuals marrying AirPods Max with an iPod—wires and all. It’s even inspiring new merchandise, like this upcoming AI gadget from two ex-Apple staff who inform Wired that the iPod Shuffle was a giant inspiration design-wise. Those are all simply window dressing, although, in comparison with the a great deal of individuals who truly bother to refurbish iPods, whether or not for private use, resale, or as a result of they’re nostalgic concerning the days when you may stroll round listening to music with out your cellphone delivering stress-inducing emails.

None of this curiosity in iPods is model new, by any means—individuals have been modding iPods or promoting them secondhand for some time now, nevertheless it feels as if it’s reached a tipping level. It’s arduous to pinpoint why precisely iPods really feel extra related than ever, however nostalgia doesn’t fairly cowl it.

There’s additionally the Spotify of all of it.

Remember proudly owning stuff?

There’s no denying that nostalgia is a driving drive within the iPod’s renewed relevance. Gen Z particularly has zeroed in on the early-2000s for inspiration, whether or not in vogue or tech, and there’s not a extra iconic gadget from the early aughts than the iPod.

According to Anshel Sag, a tech analyst for Moor Insights & Strategy, renewed curiosity within the iPod has been a very long time coming. For one, Sag says there’s a resurgence in curiosity in wired earbuds, particularly EarPods, Apple’s wired earbuds that predate AirPods. Not solely are they low cost, however additionally they ship a lot greater constancy than a number of wi-fi earbuds you should purchase, even within the midrange.

Then there’s the comeback of codecs like vinyl and CDs, which have helped to create extra curiosity within the concept of proudly owning music versus simply borrowing it by way of a streaming service. Owning issues! Remember that?

It’s that final half, streaming, that feels significantly potent, although. As handy as streaming music is, individuals have felt the gradual creep of subscriptions on their wallets, and Spotify is part of that. In January, Spotify raised its costs as soon as once more, this time reaching $13 a month. For context, in 2023, subscription charges rose from $9.99 to $10.99, and once more in 2024 from $10.99 to $11.99. Apple Music is extra inexpensive, however not by a lot at $11 monthly.

It’s been a gradual flip of the dial, however coupled with the burden of different streaming companies, the burden is palpable. And how does one cope with that burden? By opting out, in fact.

“I think people are evaluating all their streaming services, whether it’s music or TV or movies…because the price has ballooned,” Sag advised Gizmodo. “Every time a service goes up in worth, they turn out to be hyperaware of all of the streaming companies they’re paying for, and that features music.

Sag additionally says that the youthful era can be extra conscious of how artists become profitable and the way a lot of a minimize they get from streaming companies. “They might not want to actually pay for the streaming service because they don’t think the artists are getting what they deserve and might otherwise just pay for the music directly from the artist and put it on their iPod, or whatever their choice of music player is.”

As others have covered, it’s unimaginable to low cost the ripple results from the backlash towards telephones in the case of nostalgic devices like iPods. There’s a craving for phone-free experiences, and iPods ship that. Sag notes that there’s additionally independence with devices like iPods or CDs and vinyl that appeals to these (significantly Gen Z) who really feel bereft of issues to carry onto.

“There’s a demand for something that isn’t tied to a streaming connection that always sounds good, no matter where you are—and you’re in control of the experience,” Sag says. “And that’s why I think stuff like iPods is having a bit of a comeback.”

Mostly, it’s what Sag calls “a perfect storm.” There’s nobody reply to why iPods are again, and whether or not our love of them ever left is debatable, however one way or the other they do really feel magnetic once more. We’ll in all probability not reside to see the day when new iPods exist, getting churned out of Foxconn like the following iPhone, however that’s for one of the best. They’d in all probability simply have Apple Music on them anyway.