Long before all the iPhone 6 hype, Apple's must-have product was its iPod. For those who don't remember the originals, the classic iPod was the high-tech cousin of the CD player, allowing music lovers to digitally listen to music. With its iconic click-wheel design, the only thing the old iPods could do was, well, play music.
Smartphones have replaced the need for a separate music gadget. And according to Apple's CEO Tim Cook, parts for the old iPod were getting hard to come by, so the company decided to discontinue iPod Classics.
But those old iPods are not worthless.
Ever hear the expression people want what they can't have? Yeah, well people are willing to spend a pretty penny for these dinosaur devices, as the iPod Classic continue to be sold for big bucks online.
Now seen as a collector's items, the old iPods are being sold up to four times their original retail price.
While the first generation Apple iPod 5 GB is actually posted on Amazon for $30,000 (with only $4.94 for shipping), 160 GB models are more realistically listed for around $470. Even though the vintage music players cannot send texts, take pics or allow you to check your email, the 160 GB models can hold up to 40,000 songs, which could be a worthy trade-off.
"There's still a huge affection for the iPod Classic and it's not hard to see why - Spotify might offer 20 million songs, but 120GB of music is more than most people need, and your iTunes library doesn't carry data charges or a subscription fee," Stuff editor Will Dunn said back in 2013.
Over 3,000 models have been sold on eBay since October, most selling for about $460. According to the Guardian, even refurbished models are selling for big bucks, especially in the U.K.
Today, Apple's iPod Touch has replaced older models, but can only store about half of the songs, despite being the model with the largest capacity.
Those who love to hang on to old gadgets seem to have hit the lotto on this one. While the iPhone 6 will be hottest Apple product on most holiday shopping lists, the classic iPod will be a must-have for online nostalgia shoppers.
[Photo Credit: Matthew Pearce/Flickr]
