Search the drawers! Prices soar after Apple kills iPod
GADGET fans are scrambling to buy iPods after Apple pulled the plug on the iconic music player.
The tech giant’s decision to axe the gadget that changed how people listen to music saw eBay searches jump 500 per cent – and triggered such a leap in prices that buyers are now willing to pay what the iPods sold for when new.
When Apple announced last Tuesday that it had stopped making its iPod Touch, the last remaining model, the device was already sold out in the US, while UK shoppers were warned it would be available only ‘while stocks last’.
Matt Potter, head of electronics at eBay UK, said there was money to be made on players now hidden away in cupboards and drawers since the rise of streaming and smartphones. He said: ‘Shoppers are rushing to nab all iterations of the nostalgic Apple iPod on eBay, from the original shuffle to the iconic iPod Touch. Prices are rising to match the surging demand – so now’s a great time to sell.’
After the announcement, searches on eBay for the original iPod Classic that sold from 2001 to 2014, went up 521 per cent. For the latest iPod Touch from 2012, which looked like an iPhone without the calling feature, searches rose 468 per cent.
Liam Howley of recycling site Music Magpie said prices for iPods were going up as interest soared. ‘For anyone who has any old iPods at home, I’d encourage them to trade in now while the demand is higher,’ he said.
On eBay, original iPod Classics bought for £199 in 2001 are selling for similar prices 20 years later, even though cheaper smartphones offering more advanced technology are available.
Ben Wood, chief analyst at global technology expert CCS Insight, said: ‘There has always been a cult around iPods. The Classic in particular has a big fan base among those overwhelmed by smartphones being always on. ‘It provided a solution for those yearning for a simpler way to listen to tens of thousands of songs without the distractions from calls, messages and emails.’
Explaining the gadget’s popularity, he added: ‘It’s a pure product that did one thing really well. Putting 1,000 songs in your pocket was revolutionary at the time.’
The iPod Classic, with a 160GB hard drive that could store 40,000 songs, a long battery life, iconic click wheel and no apps became a firm favourite of music fans.
The portable music revolution began with the Sony Walkman cassette player in 1979. The iPod killed off the CD, which had seen off vinyl and cassette tapes – until the rise of music streaming on smartphones.