11 Comments
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Megan's avatar

love the journey! now i'm inspired to break out my old blue ipod nano - last i checked a few years ago it still worked but only when plugged in, zero battery life. i did manage to make a mega playlist of my 2010s itunes library i can hit shuffle on for nostalgia.

but i really do get the appeal of having music separated from the demands and distractions of a phone - i use my CD collection for this, but ipod really

was a fun era

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Ray Padgett's avatar

Great piece! Ugh I was devastated when they couldn't recover the music. I love those snapshots into my listening habits of yesteryear, like finding an old CD binder from high school. Glad you got it working again tho.

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The Blockhead Chronicles's avatar

I’ve got 2 iPods — and I used to have your 2004 model, but it died in 2007. Fortunately, my Best Buy extended warranty was for four years, so I got a free (larger) replacement. And then I bought a 160GB model as a backup, though it quickly became my go-to (I used it when I was a bar trivia host).

Frankly, I wish I could use them regularly. I used to keep one in my car so I could randomize 18,000 tracks. But my latest car (2023 model) doesn’t have an interface to play an iPod, so I use my phone through CarPlay. Which is fine! But it means the iPods don’t get as much use.

Definitely a beloved gadget.

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Chris Dalla Riva's avatar

I think the book I read describing it as “The Perfect Thing” is quite apt

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Marc Carcanague's avatar

Looking forward to reading your book!

I joined the iPod brigade in 2006, uploaded as much of my CDs onto an external hard drive and sold it for cents on the dollar. I also discovered a few sites that allowed me to convert YT videos to mp3 (and later, mp4) files.

Bliss.

I would keep track via iTunes which songs I listened to most weekly, and posted a Top 40 list to anyone who read my blog. By the time my second iPod died, about 28,000 songs populated my external hard drive.

Then THAT died.

I stream now, but it really isn't the same. I've tried to re-create some of the playlists I had eighteen(!) years ago, but it isn't the same.

Makes me wish for a broken down iPod in my junk drawer.

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Chris Dalla Riva's avatar

Thank you! I will say you can buy them used for kind of cheap on eBay.

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Lily's avatar

i powered up my ipod shuffle recently! works like a dream but cant figure out how to get my new ish macbook to recognize it so i can put more music on it. rip itunes

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Dave Miller, Ph.D.'s avatar

Great piece and reminds of the thrill of getting my first iPod: the U2 special edition that was based on the 4th gen unit. That device is lurking in a junk drawer / cabinet somewhere in my house…might have to dig it out and pray I still have a compatible charging cord.

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Denny's avatar

I'm going thru them same problem. I have 56,000 songs on my computer. I was able to get @ 30,000 on my 160 Gb iPod,so I tried a 512 Gb iPod from China. It loaded everything, then bricked. Drive crashed. I've tried two different 512 Gb ipods so far with the same results: they crash. Replaced drives and battery but same results. I now have a Hiby 2 Tb player,but have to fix computer issues first first. It's frustrating finding a player that holds all my music. Right now, I' at @ 1 Tb of music.

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Chris Dalla Riva's avatar

I would try to send to a pro. Though it sounds like you know what you’re doing

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Denny's avatar

I've sent one 512 GB back to China for "repair or replace". Haven't heard a peep back. The others I've had worked on by pros. Replaced battery and memory etc. It's a challenge when you have a lot of music and want to listen anywhere.

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