‘Retro tech’: Urban Outfitters selling ‘vintage’ iPods for up to $349
(NEXSTAR) – It had to happen sometime.
Urban Outfitters, the Philadelphia-based retail chain that specializes in “on-trend” apparel, is now selling refurbished iPods at the company’s online marketplace, where each device is billed as a “a genuine piece of vintage retro tech.”
Even more surprising? The old MP3 players have proved to be a hot item, according to the company.
“Current inventory is sold out, but more inventory should be made available for each model as early as a couple of weeks,” a representative for Urban Outfitters told Nexstar on Tuesday.
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The iPod, first introduced in 2001, proved to be a big hit for Apple, selling hundreds of millions of units in the following decades. The iPod itself also evolved considerably, with five different models — each with their own generations — being released during the product’s run.
The entire product line was ultimately discontinued in May 2022.
Still, there appears to be continued demand for the older versions at Urban Outfitter’s online marketplace, where each iPod is described as the “quintessential” example of a portable MP3 player, according to the product pages.
The iPod is “the perfect blend of new millennium design with modern features,” wrote Retrospekt, the third-party seller who worked with Urban Outfitters to offer the refurbished devices.
The iPods are also selling for quite a few bucks, with an iPod Mini (first generation, 2004) going for $199 and a classic iPod (fifth generation, 2007) going for $349, according to archived product pages. (All of the items, however, have been updated with new batteries and 64G or 128G flash drives. Each version also comes with its own deadstock Apple sync cables, the description promises.)
Retrospekt is in charge of setting the prices, a representative for Urban Outfitters confirmed to Nexstar.
People who purchased iPods during their heyday are, understandably, having some mixed feelings about the news. In a Reddit forum discussing the Philadelphia Inquirer article which first reported on Urban Outfitters’ iPod sales, the mood ranged from excited to confused, with a little bit of dejection thrown in.
“I’ve been dying for Apple to just release a new version of these with a slightly upgraded [operating system]. Nothing fancy. I just always loved the click wheel,” one person wrote, echoing several other hopeful Reddit users who claimed they would be happy to buy iPods again (albeit with certain upgrades).
But another simply wrote, “My god … I’m old now.”
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The news also got people wondering what their own unused iPods were worth in the current market — though it’s unlikely any would sell for more than what Retrospekt was charging on Urban Outfitters’ online marketplace, judging by current examples on Amazon and eBay.
“Slap ‘vintage’ on anything and you’re allowed to jack the price up 5 fold,” one cynical Reddit user commented of Retrospekt’s products.
Others were simply eager for Urban Outfitters to resurrect their preferred example of outdated technology.
“When are they going to bring the Zune back?” one user asked.
