from the no-wireless-and-less-space-than-a-nomad dept.
DailyMail is reporting that early Apple iPod models are selling for absurd amounts after Apple announced that it is discontinuing the iPod.
This week Apple announced that it is discontinuing the iPod Apple launched its first iPod Classic back in 2001 with a $399 price tag Fast-forward to today and old iPods could be worth a huge amount of money An iPod Touch sold on eBay in March for more than $6,500
Amid the news of its discontinuation, listings for iPods on eBay have surged, with many sellers asking for huge sums of money for their retro devices.
Speaking to MailOnline, James Andrews, senior personal finance editor at money.co.uk, said: 'With iPods discontinued, you might be asking whether it's time to cash in on some of your old tech.
'The first thing to say is don't get excited by list prices on ebay. While a few models are selling for thousands, the vast majority are selling for far less.
'But that doesn't mean you couldn't pick up a reasonable amount. Do a search and check recent sold prices for models like your own to see what you're likely to get.
'In general, the best prices go to iPod Classic models, in great condition and with all the leads needed included. If you're lucky enough to have an unopened U2 Special Edition iPod from 2004 in the back of a cupboard, it could make you thousands.'
(Score: 4, Informative) by SomeGuy on Friday May 13 2022, @02:50AM (11 children)
For anyone who doesn't get the department line, it's from CmdrTaco's Slashdot post announcing the iPod in 2001:
https://slashdot.org/story/01/10/23/1816257/apple-releases-ipod [slashdot.org] As much as people may not want to hear it, yes, there were similar products already on the market.
Hard to believe it has been that long. Hard to believe all the hype behind a simple MP3 player. At a glance it looks like there are MP3/music players still out there on the market. Just not something that is worthy of Apple's overpriced status symbols.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Friday May 13 2022, @03:01AM (3 children)
You know you're getting old when you go to replace your decade-old mp3 player whose battery is finally dying, and you find out that not just the model, but the entire product line was cancelled like 10 years ago.
I have a SanDisk Sansa Fuze. Physical clickwheel, put Rockbox on it...great stuff. Even the successor to the Fuze, the one with the capacitive touch controls that people said were crap, hasn't been sold for ages. Now the only Sansa mp3 players you can get are dinky plastic exercise models with tiny screens :P
Also the aux jack on my car has been stupid for awhile. It works intermittently *just enough* that when I had a mechanic look at it, of course they said "seems like it's working fine to me." Getting the entire stereo unit replaced with a third-party one, or apparently they also make wireless things you can set to broadcast a local FM signal to tune your radio to...been procrastinating taking care of it.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 2) by mhajicek on Friday May 13 2022, @03:49AM
My first mp3 player was a portable cd player that could optionally read mp3 files from a data cd. It was pretty high tech for it's time.
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 13 2022, @10:24AM (1 child)
> whose battery is finally dying
I had a iRiver T30 ...which ran from a single AAA. It did its job that well, I'm actually confused why it hasn't a market in the Smartdevicedrone Generation..
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Friday May 13 2022, @06:48PM
Not having to worry about having spare batteries handy when it dies is a convenience I quite enjoy.
And you shouldn't actually leave alkaline batteries in a thing if there's a possibility you won't use it for a long time, since they'll eventually start leaking.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 3, Funny) by JoeMerchant on Friday May 13 2022, @10:17AM (4 children)
Anyone want my Diamond Rio? For $1000 I can go through our junk storage and find it for you.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Friday May 13 2022, @02:38PM (3 children)
Seriously, I could definitely drop my iRock! in a heartbeat for that kind of cash. 128mb internal memory and a 128mb Smart Media Card inserted. For a whopping 256mb of storage, yeah baby! I've gone through a few different MP3 players, but that iRock! is still rocking.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday May 13 2022, @02:59PM (2 children)
I knew the Diamond Rio was a POS that would be out-of-date in a month when I ordered it, but I wanted to make a statement: "Yes, this tech is worth developing" - and, really, even the 64MB Diamond Rio held more music at better quality with better longevity and I think at a lower price than a Sony Walkman cassette player.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Friday May 13 2022, @03:09PM (1 child)
That's not hard to do, because cassette tapes are crap technology. Especially, when you combine it with going for a run. An all digital form is much better than moving parts that can jiggle. Which is why CD Walkmans sucked worse than Cassette. CDs do not like to be jiggled while playing.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 3, Touché) by JoeMerchant on Friday May 13 2022, @08:02PM
I still liked my walkman cassette for 90 minute bike rides... it would collapse down to just under the size of a cassette storage box. But, yes, crap technology doomed to a short working life, in other words: the perfect consumer electronics item to sell.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Friday May 13 2022, @10:21AM
Portable music was, and still is, a big deal. Before mp3 players the best there was was a Sony Walkman cassette player and they sold millions. Today it's a cell phone feature even more so than camera/video, but portable music playing is still hugely popular.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Friday May 13 2022, @02:34PM
I bought an iRock MP3 Player about 2 years, before the iPod was a thing. Sucker still works, has great sound, and sips power from a single AAA battery. It's also the only piece of technology I still own that uses Smart Media Cards for storage. Smart Media Cards are awful and definitely good riddance. Still have the same songs on it I loaded, from 20 years ago too.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 13 2022, @03:19AM (2 children)
My sister bought me an ipod, i think, about 20 years ago. It's the one with thick aluminum casing.
It was great initially - i used it while running. but, after a while, i smashed it into the ground while running because the wired earphones started to act up and i've got frustrated - the contact at the earphone plug became iffy.
Though I wish I kept it since it was a gift from my sister, I have no nostalgia about it. Other than Apple II and the early Macs, I have no sentimental value for apple products.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 13 2022, @12:40PM (1 child)
Two words: anger management.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 14 2022, @12:33AM
Fuck you and fuck your anger management. Imma fiind yo address and come to yo house and totally fuck you up.
You ded, you AC fuck, D-E-D.
(Score: 1, Redundant) by WeekendMonkey on Friday May 13 2022, @01:12PM (2 children)
The Daily Mail is hardly a reliable source. Their website articles are often like this one: an intriguing title leading to a few paragraphs, empty of content, that ultimately refute the title.
(Score: 2) by SomeGuy on Friday May 13 2022, @06:15PM (1 child)
Well, just seeing a few items sell for an absurd amount on eBay is not much to base a story on anyway. It happens all the time and no one other than the buyer and seller could really say why. Likely drugs are involved. Chances are whoever wrote the original article was trying to unload some of their own collection. :P I've never even owned a portable MP3 player.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 14 2022, @04:05AM
I see it a lot ( really high price ) with books. Especially some book that's not common. I've seen some terrible early networking books listing for hundreds of dollars. Hell, I had one. 40 years old. And wasn't good then. But at the time, it was all that was available. I suppose the rest of em were used to start fires.
I thought it was just a way to legally give someone a lot of money right out in open for money laundering.
Commonly done with drugs or campaign contributions that the parties want to hide why this sale really took place.
(Score: 3, Informative) by DannyB on Friday May 13 2022, @03:00PM (1 child)
This was one of the first mp3 players.
The RIAA was so outraged by this new development that they sued Diamond Rio to nip this in the bud.
1. Recording Industry Associaton of America v. Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. [museumofintellectualproperty.org]
in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
180 F.3d 1072 (9th Cir. 1999)
2. Recording Industry Ass'n of America v. Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. [harvard.edu]
3. Recording Industry Ass'n of America v. Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. [wikipedia.org] (Wikipedia)
stick that in your pipe and smoke it!
4. RECORDING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA v. DIAMOND MULTIMEDIA SYSTEMS INC [findlaw.com]
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 13 2022, @03:30PM
I had both the PMP 300 and 500. The PMP 300 was more of a proof of concept, but the 500 was legitimately great early mp3 player.