Clothing and furniture retailer Urban Outfitters is selling refurbished iPods for up to $350, marketing them as retro. The brand has paused pushing vinyl back into the mainstream, to push the “vintage” Apple tech for it’s 22nd anniversary. We remember the days where you had to carry your phone AND your iPod, pocket space was limited.
The store was offering a limited stock of several different iPod generations. The iPods came with new batteries and 128GB of storage, which quickly sold out. “First introduced in 2001, the iPod is the quintessential MP3 player, and this 5th generation device (2007) is the perfect blend of new millennium design with modern features,” reads the Urban Outfitters product description. “Each iPod is kitted with an original deadstock Apple sync cable and headphones.”
Urban Outfitters partnered with the Milwaukee-based Retrospekt to acquire the refurbished iPods, as part of their UO MRKT program. Retrospekt is an online retailer that carries refurbished hardware like Polaroid cameras, Game Boys, and VHS tapes. The listings on Urban Outfitters ranged from $350 for a fourth-generation iPod to $199 for an iPod mini. For reference the iPod mini sold for $99 when it was released in 2005, coming to $158 today with inflation adjustment.
The interest in selling the revolutionary technology comes from consumer interest in revisiting analog devices. Apparently Gen Z is finding comfort in past technology, like disposable cameras and thrifting. If that’s the case, the constant need for big tech companies to keep innovating new technology may have a problem.
