Refurbished 5th-gen iPod MP3 units sell out online
The iPod recently celebrated another anniversary. The device was first introduced on October 23rd, 2001 and the very last iPod device, the seventh-generation iPod touch, was declared "EOL" (end-of-life) in May of last year. Once Apple sold all of its inventory, the iPod was nothing more than a memory. However, according to FastCompany, a vintage tech retailer named Retrospekt brought the fifth-generation iPod back to life by offering "refurbished and restored" units on the website of Urban Outfitters.
The refurbished iPod units received a new battery and 128GB of flash storage. The listing on the retailer's website pointed out that this particular iPod model was from 2007 and each buyer got an original Apple sync cable and earphones. When this iPod first went on sale in 2007, it was priced at $249. Urban Outfitters was selling the refurbished unit for $349 and the retailer's entire inventory was sold out.
When Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007, it was selling approximately 40 million iPods a year. At the unveiling of the handset in January 2007, the late Steve Jobs referred to the iPhone as being a "widescreen iPod with touch controls." The first iPod touch was introduced in September 2007 and the device ran on the same operating system as the iPhone. Jobs once referred to the product as "training wheels for the iPhone."
The listing on Urban Outfitters' website notes that the refurbished 5th-generation iPod is sold out
We don't know how many units Urban Outfitter had but it is somewhat surprising in this day and age for an MP3 player to generate enough business to sell out. After all, most people now use their smartphone to take their music with them and play it over true wireless stereo earbuds like the AirPods. Overall, the iPod product line was hugely successful for Apple with over 450 million units sold from 2001 to 2022.
It isn't known whether Retrospekt plans on refurbishing and restoring more 5th-gen iPods or whether it will turn its attention to other iPod models. But seeing as all of the available units on Urban Outfitters were bought, it would seem silly for the company and the retailer not to keep taking advantage of the nostalgia craze that gave consumers the incentive to shell out the money to buy them.
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