'Vintage' iPods Sold Out at Urban Outfitters, Joining Nostalgic Tech Trend

iPods have reached "vintage" status, and it's no surprise they've quickly sold out at Urban Outfitters. The fifth-generation iPod from Apple was listed at a price of $349 on the retailer's site.

Selling iPods on Urban Outfitters

A recent milestone was marked by the iPod, which originally made its debut on October 23, 2001. The journey of the iPod reached its conclusion last year when the seventh-generation iPod touch was declared EOL (end-of-life), signifying the end of an era for this iconic device.

However, a vintage tech retailer named Retrospekt has breathed new life into the fifth-generation iPod, offering "refurbished and restored" units for sale on the Urban Outfitters website. These refurbished iPods have been equipped with fresh batteries and 128GB of flash storage.

The listing on the retailer's site specified that these iPod models date back to 2007 and each purchase included an original Apple sync cable and earphones. Originally priced at $249 when it was introduced in 2007, Urban Outfitters sold these refurbished units for $349, with their entire stock quickly selling out.

Looking Back

Back then, Apple was moving about 40 million iPods annually when it launched the iPhone. During the iPhone's debut in January of that year, the late Steve Jobs famously described it as a "widescreen iPod with touch controls." Later that same year, the initial iPod touch made its appearance in September, running on the same operating system as the iPhone. Steve Jobs playfully referred to this product as the "training wheels for the iPhone."

The fact that iPods are now considered "vintage" may make some feel a bit older, but according to Urban Outfitters' product description, the 2001 invention is a true example of vintage retro tech. Phone Arena reported that these refurbished devices were recently available for purchase, but they have become so popular that they are currently out of stock on the site.

The specific number of units Urban Outfitters had remains undisclosed, and it's indeed remarkable in this modern era for an MP3 player to garner enough interest to be completely sold out. Nowadays, the majority of people use their smartphones to carry and enjoy their music, often through true wireless stereo earbuds like the AirPods.

As for Retrospekt's future plans, Fast Company reported that it remains uncertain whether they intend to refurbish more 5th-gen iPods or shift their focus to other models within the iPod series.

Nevertheless, considering the high demand that led to the quick sale of available units at Urban Outfitters, it would be wise for both the company and the retailer to continue capitalizing on the nostalgia trend that has driven consumers to make these purchases.