This iPod held its value better than other models
Earlier this month Apple announced that it was no longer producing the iPod touch which effectively ended a long and glorious chapter for one of the most popular products in company history, the iPod. Available in different variants over twenty years, the iPod was Apple's attempt to improve on the quality and capabilities of top-selling MP3 players of the time.
Apple would go on to do the same thing with smartphones less than six years after it first released the iPod. When Apple announced the end of the iPod touch this month, the company said that the device, which resembles an iPhone but does not sport telephonic capabilities, would be available for purchase until supplies were completely exhausted. Almost immediately, the online Apple Store had sold out of all versions of the iPod touch seventh-generation with the largest amount of storage available (256GB), and the PRODUCT(RED) unit with 128GB of storage.
Those buying Apple iPod models are trying to capture nostalgic feelings
While those bitten by the nostalgia bug have been turning to the online Apple Store, eBay, Amazon, and other retailers looking to purchase an iPod or an iPod touch, a report from SellCell (via 9to5Mac) notes that the average iPod has declined in value 89% since being launched.
Chart shows the valuation lost by iPod models due to depreciation
The most valuable iPod model currently is one that we mentioned as being sold out at the online Apple Store. That would be the seventh generation iPod touch with 256GB of storage (the largest amount of storage available) which can be sold for as much as $100 in good condition, according to SellCell. The 128GB variant of the seventh generation iPod touch can be sold for $60, also in good condition. The original 2019 launch price for the seventh-generation iPod touch was $399.99 for the 256GB version and $299 for the model with 128GB of storage.
Pricing of iPod models after depreciation
The iPod model that has withstood depreciation the best has been the seventh-generation iPod touch with 32GB of storage. That device can still bring you $57 resulting in a depreciation rate of 71.4%. And quite surprisingly, the iPod Nano 7th Gen 16GB has seen a gain in value of 13.4% since Apple’s announcement earlier this month. SellCell says that if you need the extra few bucks you can get from selling your iPod device now, put it up for sale.
Do you sell your depreciating iPod or hold on to it to gift to your kids?
But if you plan on keeping your iPod as a second device, or because you plan on giving it to one of your children, the depreciation is slow enough to allow you to hold on to the device for a little extra period of time before you sell it. And there could be a small increase in resale value over the next few weeks. Not a huge amount, mind you, but perhaps just enough to make you think that you did the right thing by holding off.
Every device you purchase starts to lose value as soon as you take it home and open the box. When you purchase a car, depreciation starts the second you drive the vehicle off of the dealer's lot. But with smartphones, even though the basic factors apply, some models hold value better than others because of things like the rarity of the model, the condition of the specific unit being sold, and how many months of support are remaining.
And while it seems hard to imagine now, there will come a time when even current flagship smartphone models, including those from Apple and Samsung, will be in the same position as the iPod; technologically behind the times and valued at a small percentage ofr its original launch price.
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