It’s been 25 years since Apple promised “1,000 songs in your pocket” — and the world clearly hasn’t moved on. According to new marketplace data from eBay, someone searches for an “iPod” on the platform every two seconds worldwide, a quarter of a century after the device was first revealed on October 23, 2001.
iPod Classic (Credits: IGN)
iPod Searches Every Two Seconds on eBay
The original headline said it all: “Apple Presents iPod.” That little click-wheel device fundamentally sparked what turned Apple into the most valuable electronics brand in the world. Yet today, Apple’s official storefronts bear no trace of it — the iPod Classic was quietly phased out in 2014, and the iPod Touch followed in 2022, sacrificed to the all-consuming presence of the yearly iPhone release.
But the iPod is still going strong on the secondhand market. Nostalgia for the iconic device is unmistakable, and the renaissance aligns with a broader consumer shift: eBay reports that 76% of consumers surveyed have shopped secondhand in the past year.
Why Streaming Fatigue Is Fueling the iPod Comeback
There’s a deeper reason behind the retro-tech boom. Streaming costs keep ticking upward — Netflix, Disney+, Spotify, and Apple Music all cost more than they used to, without offering greater value. And there’s growing anxiety that you could lose access to something you love at the drop of a hat, with tracks, films, and even entire video games vanishing from digital libraries.
For a generation that grew up curating MP3 libraries in iTunes — and for younger buyers weary of AI-curated algorithms dictating their listening habits — the old equation is flipping. Owning your music on a device that never phones home suddenly looks appealing again. The iPod isn’t just nostalgia; it’s a small rebellion against subscription everything.
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Source: IGN — read the full story there.
