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I have the third generation iPod Touch, originally came with iOS 3 and maxed out iOS 5. Still used it even when I got an iPhone. It’s somewhere in a shoebox. Still have the hard plastic box too. Here some pictures of it. Even remembered that I wrote a review of it if you want to check it out. Look at those icons!


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I have second generation. Lots of fun games that have long since been discontinued That were great. My son is using it right now.
 
While we are on this topic, I would like to give kudos to Apple for continuing to support iPod syncing even as they moved on from iTunes (and moved syncing to the Finder)

My iPod 4th gen from 18 years ago, syncs beautifully in the Finder in the latest Monterey.

I very much appreciate that, as I'm sure some modicum of effort was required to keep it working correctly.
 
I still use a 3rd gen iPod nano because I need something with a dock connector. I bought it for $20 at a pawn shop and it works just fine. If it ever dies I'll probably look for a 4th get iPod touch.
 
So misses the point of iPods. Other than the Touch, the iPod range was never about money, from streaming or subscriptions, because the iPods had no internet connections. Such freedom is priceless.
 
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Still use my 80GB 5.5G iPod with original battery still with good battery life. I purchased brand new when it first came out. Best purchase I ever made. Works great with the iPod HiFi. Love that thing too, even though I purchased it used. Tons of great memories with iPod. Started with the 3G iPod, that was a gift from a friend.

Forgot, been through a few iPod Touch's but they haven't lasted as long (water killed one, someone sat on the other making it almost unusable) and they get outdated software wise unlike the original iPod Classic line.
 
iPhone touches likely won’t be valuable as collectables in any of our lifetimes.

The true collectable will be the original iPods. The ones that at the time no one bought and those who did tossed them out if they broke.

Just like the original iPhones.
 
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So misses the point of iPods. Other than the Touch, the iPod range was never about money, from streaming or subscriptions, because the iPods had no internet connections. Such freedom is priceless.
It most certainly was about money lol. That’s why they sold you music in iTunes.

It was just a different time before phones did everything.
 
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Nothing is worth collecting now. Seriously. I had many things from the 'old days' of computing, and no one wanted them. Sheets of core memory, ancient (even for me at the time) equipment, old hard drives that could almost double as boat anchors. All of it gone. Disassembled and recycled, or just trashed. Even a working Digital Vax computer. Such is the 'march of progress', and the myopic view of the now, and dismissal of the past. *sigh*

GET OFF MY LAWN! TURN THAT CRAP DOWN! WHAT'S WRONG WITH KIDS THESE DAYS?!

But iPods were ubiquitous. I've seen young kids sporting the latest of iPods on flights. Parents showering them with tech. Saving an iPod for it's 'collective worth' IS ridiculous. Unless it's a prototype, or a rare left handed iPod ;-) it's not going to be worth anything until aliens land and start excavating this planet and find one (not likely working) and wonders what it was for, what civilization created it, and what it did. Then someone (something?) offers them their local currency for it because it's interesting looking, and the first of its kind found. It should be in a museum, their version of our movie character, Indiana Jones, yells to the void.

Yeah, as I write this, I feel silly having hurriedly bought a 256g (RED) Touch. One of perhaps tens of thousands bought in the impulse to own the last one. Don't save it, USE IT! Celebrate the capability, celebrate the power those devices gave people of the time. So many songs, video, 'content'... I loved to travel and I always had an iPod (perhaps several) with me as they were the ideal travel tech device and on long flights, they saved iPhone battery. I find the iPad cumbersome when compared to the iPod Touch.

Collect them for the fun, not a retirement investment. Rock on!!!
 
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It most certainly was about money lol. That’s why they sold you music in iTunes.

It was just a different time before phones did everything.

Funny that the whole Apple Music idea had such a strange start. Having to download Musicmatch software to feed the devices. I even bought a 'lifetime' subscription to that necessary software for the devices. Eventually Apple monetized the devices with iTunes apps and website. And now with streaming, does the Apple Music store still exist? What a ride...
 
I have an original iPod with the mechanical wheel. Used but with a box and cables. It’s not the very first generation as that was a 5gb model. I did buy that but it broke and they came out with the 10gb pretty quickly. When I went to the store to get it replaced they gave me a 10gb model instead. Seemed like a great deal for me at the time, but now I don’t have an original. I suspect a 5gb model with mechanical wheel will be worth something eventually.

I suspect the mechanical wheel models are fairly rare, I just keep it because it reminds me of when apple really started to turn around. Bought stock at the time as well because it seemed like a great product. That was also a good decision!
 
Funny that the whole Apple Music idea had such a strange start. Having to download Musicmatch software to feed the devices. I even bought a 'lifetime' subscription to that necessary software for the devices. Eventually Apple monetized the devices with iTunes apps and website. And now with streaming, does the Apple Music store still exist? What a ride...
It does I believe. They also still have movies and tv shows on their.

Sadly film and tv didn’t get the same streaming treatment to bring it all together into one service like Spotify or Apple Music. And has been bastardised to the enth degree between companies trying to do it better themselves.
 
I have an original iPod with the mechanical wheel. Used but with a box and cables. It’s not the very first generation as that was a 5gb model. I did buy that but it broke and they came out with the 10gb pretty quickly. When I went to the store to get it replaced they gave me a 10gb model instead. Seemed like a great deal for me at the time, but now I don’t have an original. I suspect a 5gb model with mechanical wheel will be worth something eventually.

I suspect the mechanical wheel models are fairly rare, I just keep it because it reminds me of when apple really started to turn around. Bought stock at the time as well because it seemed like a great product. That was also a good decision!

But it's not 'sealed', and everything isn't pristine. It gets really ridiculous to claim primo price for collectables.
 
Discontinuation made me dig out my iPod Classic, hard to believe it’s so old. Still works fine. I wouldn’t buy one now for any price but I also wouldn’t sell mine for anything, so I guess that explains the low market value.
 
So not any electronic device ever.
Devices that have built in batteries mostly, come to find out you need to charge them once in a while even in storage, I have an old device that takes 5 hours just to get a charge and turn on and I can’t find a battery that would work as an exact replacement.

I did get lucky fixing an iPhone 4s recently, because I was at that sweet spot that they had just enough spare parts for it 😭😭, it’s close to new now 😭😭

To be honest iPods are a different category because they will function with third party hardware after apple stopped manufacturing them, hence why it’s a niched market, in my case some devices like old Archos PMP’s are a done deal.

Quite frankly powered devices will live forever 🤣🤣, I was just speaking about the electronic devices that are almost impossible to repair on your own down the future I think 🤔

It’s always something, 8 years ago right before apple got rid of the built in app manager in iTunes I managed to back up and download all my purchased content and now I’m trying to find an older device that would be compatible with the iOS from
That time and it’s been a learning process let’s just say.
 
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The crazy thing about my iPod collection, that I rarely use and just sit in a drawer, is I’m still too scared to open them to replace the battery.
Don’t be afraid, it’s easier than you think…unless it’s a 6th/7th Gen iPod Classic or a 3rd Gen iPod Nano, those are roughy too open, everything after that is east.

For anyone that opens any of the main full size iPods to replace the battery, I recommend taking the opportunity to upgrade them to solid state storage.
 
Don’t be afraid, it’s easier than you think…unless it’s a 6th/7th Gen iPod Classic or a 3rd Gen iPod Nano, those are roughy too open, everything after that is east.

For anyone that opens any of the main full size iPods to replace the battery, I recommend taking the opportunity to upgrade them to solid state storage.

Heck yes!!! I opened one once, and wow it was difficult to get it open. If you can pull it off without damaging the case back, amazing, but yes, swap out the HD for an SSD! Just do it.
 
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