Why I'm still using an iPod in 2024 

Having a limited library of music is great. I feel like streaming has made music so disposable. It's all about the latest and greatest. With the iPod, I feel like I sit with my music more. I create a connection to albums that I listen to on repeat. Long live the iPod!

I thought I was the only one still using an iPod Classic. Bought 5.5 gen brand new in 2007 and still use it now.

Been buying music since 2017 on iTunes and since I’ve bought an iPod classic in 2023 it’s been the best thing listening to music with and something that actually shuffles is nice to have

The Art of Collecting physical media, maintaining my own collection, and using an iPod Classic and A sony Mini Disk has been A pure joy for me. Thanks For sharing your thoughts...

Me, too. Still use my “classic”, “ancient” iPod over any streaming service. Bought it in 2004 and still going strong 😎

I started using an iPod Classic myself recently. I love it. I’ve used my iPhone as well as an iPod touch to listen to music, but the Classic being a completely offline device with no distractions feels so freeing.

You articulated my feelings exactly! I have the same model - originally a 160gb also. Ultimately the drive crashed, and it sat in its original box in a drawer for years. My sentimental attachment was too strong to let it go, and my music, which is about nearly 600 volumes - vinyl, CD and some cassettes, across multiple genres, is one of my most treasured belongings. About two years ago, I invested in "resurrecting" my device, sending it out to have the crashed hard drive replaced with an SSD - and also a new battery. I noticed it is now a bit lighter in weight. I still keep it preserved in the same shell case I used back in the day, and added a Bluetooth adapter that truly rocks. And the audio quality of the later generation iPods is STILL among the best even by today's standards. My generation grew up building our own libraries of music - and the idea of perpetually "renting" has never appealed to me. I've never used Spotify, but I do have an Amazon Music subscription that supplements, rather than replaces, my own library. And I still enjoy the notion of digitizing vinyl albums and listening via iPod, on my workstation, or even from a burned CD - Dark Side of the Moon with the right pops and clicks cannot be beat.

I still use all my iPods and main iPod classic when I want to expand my music library. I’ve been buying music since 2005 and you’re right it’s a good feeling owning your own music and not have to ever worry about subscriptions. Having the ability to go off the grid is amazing and listening to music without distractions is the best!

I still have and use my IPod Touch to listen to music and I do not regret buying it at all.

I still use my 160 GB iPod Classic which I bought used about 15 years ago from an eBay seller and I transferred about a thousand of my CD's to it for ease of portability (while still keeping my vast CD collection, record collection, and movie collection on VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K). It's perfect and I love its rotary dial button to rapidly sift through albums or videos and it's shocking to me how Apple has not created 160 GB iPhones or iPads (two steps forward and three steps backward in terms of its products), so iPods still have their benefits. :)

I started rebuilding a music collection a few years ago, buying CD's, Vinyl and Flac downloads. most Off the time listening via Phone and got distracted pretty soon. so i bought a Astell & Kern DAP this Christmas, put all my music on it and really enjoying my music again in great quality. it's not cheap but the Player is build Like a tank and hopefully last a long time. Love it.

Just bought a 5.5 th gen Ipod Classic and I can't wait to use it!

I'm with ya dude. I currently daily drive a 4th gen mono-chrome iPod. It looks really retro and I love using it. I've even dug out an old FM transmitter to use my iPod in my car, even though I drive a 2022 vehicle.

I watch this as I load up my 7th gen ipod nano with whatever podcasts dropped today. I would DIE without this device. I've been hooked on the nano since I got a gen 4 for free for opening a checking account back in what must have been like 2006. I did get a couple newer Classics. Even got a SD card converter for it, but never got around to it. Lets face it, mp3's suck for music. I've never used my phone for music.

I'm glad I never went down the Spotify train..have been adding music to my android phones for years now, with the expandable sd slots. I still have an iPod touch and nano that perhaps I will break out. They truly were a joy.

I love that you still listen to your music on an iPod! Even though I've had an iPhone since 2013, I wish I had an iPod again. I think people think I'm silly for still buying my music from iTunes, but I don't like streaming, which is why I still buy my music.

I stumbled on this channel as I was trying to figure out how i had so many subscriptions… and holy smokes, this guy is a genius!! (“Being able to own your music is important to me” - - me too!!!! It honors the artist) Thank you for this (and other) videos and I’m a new fan.

I bought my I POD in 2008 and it gave me a music renascence, I was exited of going out and listen to music like a teen going downtown listing to it's favorite cassette. I move to Japan in 2010 and put all my music on the IPOD and it was my companion on all those long train ride. Around 2012 I've drop it on the floor and it stop working... I did get a Ipod touch that followed me around the world but that was a different experience. lately I have fix my IPOD and replaced my hard disk with a flash card and I am excited about music again.

I still have my Ipod same versión and i really enjoy my music collection !

I'm still using my iPod 4 which is 20+ years old now and still works! Recently changed the battery and the rear plate, it was a bit rusty Cheers from Europe

Thank you for reminding me of this wonderful device. I love scrolling through the covers.

My old ipod touch is great. No distractions, just is a music player.

I agree, i use my psp go for my music collection. It's a good device for music as it has Bluetooth and a fun form factor

Subscribed earlier and found this video while looking for iPod videos, good stuff!

Spencer: Like you, I’m one of THOSE PEOPLE who buys music, that’s mostly already digital but I do buy CDs when it’s cheaper to do so. I rarely used Spotify in the past and deleted it from my devices. Also, my wife has Amazon Music and, like others here, I use it occasionally for prospecting new songs but use RU-vid and Bandcamp far more. Great video!

Thank you for sharing your reasons why you still use your iPod!! ❤ I owned an iPod 5 for a few years when it came out. Unfortunately I sold it after I got my first iPhone (3GS). But last year I had the same reasons as you and bought me an iPod 7 (the same you have) and I am so happy with it! It makes me also feel younger 😊 Regards from Germany! Sebastian

Hi great video brought my I pod classic 6th gen yesterday love it ❤

I bought mine back in 2009. I’ve only had it repaired once. I use it when I’m driving. LOVE IT! It won’t be retiring anytime soon! 👍🏼

I so highly recommend you upgrade to flash storage down the line. Or at least make it your first upgrade when you start because it provides the following benefits. It makes the device less fragile since it originally has a spinning drive, It decreases the weight, reduces load time as well as gives the device an extra pep in its step (it'll run quite smoother), and finally it gives you additional battery life.

I completely agree with your thoughts the iPod got you interested in music again and it also a fun little hobby for me now. I just finally finished a project of building my "iPod Pro Max" where I upgraded it to 2TB with a new custom backplate and faceplate as well as a 3800mAh battery. It will now be my ultimate media device when I'm traveling.

5 minutes ago I was going to list my iPod lassic for sale but after watching this video I changed my mind and, yes, you are right. I'm now charging it back to life and I have already planned a few uses for it! Thank you

Loved watching this whole video got me excited for music more. I can say not too long I got me a modern version rechargeable walk man and a collection of CDs that I found in a demolition job I did && some I bought. Something about owning ya media and not streaming feels so authentic because like u said the sound is amazing. I need to buy an iPod though because I love its UI & time to collect music like I did as a younging.

I mod iPods and enjoy using them as dedicated music devices. Like you say shutting out distractions is great, the nostalgia of having the same player I had when I was young is nice too. iPod was really peak design for music listening. I'm glad some of us keep them going, especially now when people are getting subscription fatigue.

I hear ya Spencer! I’ve been using different iPods for years, mainly in the car when I had to commute to work. I even used them with a Dragonfly DAC plugged into the AUX jack of the car stereo….👍🔊👌

Hi! I've a Classic 120GB and a Shuffle 1GB. Love both, still working very well!

I’m still using my iPod Classics. I use one for vocal/pop and rock music which is 120gb and another for Film and classical music and that one is 160gb. I got the 160gb right before they stopped making them. I wish I’d bought another.

Yeah, I still got my Sony Walkman NW-A45 from more than 4 years ago. From then to about a month ago, I ripped music CDs in MP3. Now, I rip in FLAC -- now I have Hi Res Audio. : - )

I placed an order for iPod classic 80GB variant recently. I would love to use that device. Best creation by Apple in Steve Jobs's era. Bad to see that Apple discontinued such a great product. It would be nice to see if Apple could bring this iPod back together.

Love the video! Have you ever thought about upgrading your iPod? Like with a new faster hard Drive (Like the iFlash Adapter) and bigger battery? I recently done it and even installed an Bluetooth Chip, to use it with my Wireless buds. I really love it

Completely agree. I actually purchased my iPod back when Apple announced they were doing away with it. Had been using the nano for years before that but wanted one with more space. So glad I purchased it. Still currently using Apple Music and Spotify because I’ve gotten lazy over the years with adding music but your video has encouraged me to start adding music again.

Totally agree with your message. Recently deactivated Sirius/XM in my car and after a month or so the channels I listen to play the same music day after day. Owning your own collection gives you the variety you want. So I cancelled Sirius/XM and have started enjoying my kind of music.

I still use mine, too. great device. I put also Rockbox on this. try it as it can play flac etc. first hand...

I've had cheap and small player with 4 gigs of memory in my childhood and always had a problem with uploading new songs (what old songs I need to delete to fit in 4 gigs??). Streaming apps tried to own me with my smartphone, but I bought... Zune 80 in 2019. I love this thing SO much, it's so brutal and well-designed. I barely reached 60 gigs of it's 80. I use it every time when I go outside or travel, it helps to forget about phone and internet at least for several hours. But repairability and 3rd-party support so much worse, makes me feel that this device will reach the point of no return and became just a beautiful piece of steel, plastic and microchips. So I bought iPod 5.5 80 gig. I amazed of his repairability and modding! So now Zune can have a rest.

i get you so much in regard of the spotify situation, i felt like i was paying to be indecise about what to listen and always bounce to my playlist. i got back into burning CDs

Owned 3 of these over the years - nothing beats them. Tempted to buy my 4th now as watching this has made me realise how much I miss having one.

Love this. I've been using an old Walkman lately. It's fun digging though old tapes and making a decision, knowing that you only have that one tape with you when you go out.

Love the video! I actually do a hybrid method; I still have Spotify (since a family member pays for it) and use it for discovery, but when I find music I truly enjoy I will purchase it and load it up onto my iPod (for offline times) and my iPhone 13 mini. I find that combo to be a super flexible, sweet spot for music consumption. The 13 mini is my ideal smartphone because the size really emphasizes how much of a tool it is, rather than a distraction, but offers tons of power when needed. What I’ve come to enjoy as well, is going to bed about 30 min before I plan to sleep, putting in some good quality earbuds, and just listening to my music while playing an easy, mindless solitaire game (I’m partial to FlipFlop Solitaire - the two suit game) for that time. It’s a dedicated time to listen to music, relax, and prepare for bed all in one.

Right on. My Creative Zen Stone 1GB MP3 Player has served me well for at least 15 years.

My current middle ground is a KaiOS flip phone. It plays MP3's, has an FM Radio, and has Google Maps. The battery life is better than my iPhone's and has a headphone jack making it well worth the $20 I spent on it.

I had a few iPods but my main is a 5th gen iPod classic. I haven’t modded it yet, I’m fully maxed out now but it’s got plenty for now! I picked up a Sony mini hi-fi system at an estate sale and enjoy every minute of it!

Awesome! Still got my classic as well:)

I just bought an Ipod Classic with 80gb and I'm on same thinking as Spencer. Also it's smaller than an Iphone, and it fits very well on my pocket....mainly when I go to skateboarding... As more and more stream options comes out, your streaming bills gets higher....then it gets the time to choose what to pay to consume...and Spotify is not an cool option to keep paying for me (as I prefer pay for RU-vid Premium nowadays and have more benefits on it). 😎

Great video thanks info

Muchas gracias por tu contenido también tengo un iPod classic de 120 gb y lo uso al practicar deporte

Having Spotify helped me find some really good artist over time. But at the same time, we don't need all that music all at once. Its like you said. Growing up with my iPod, id get so excited to download my favorite songs & listen to them as much as I wanted. Ive definitely took it for granted. So I'm deleting Spotify & buying my music from iTunes, like the good old days!

I love the iPod. It is great for listening to music and avoiding distractions from a phone in the gym; the iPod becomes king when there is no internet or phone connection for music.

Still have my 5th gen iPod and still use it to this day. I have upgraded the storage to an SD Card with the iFlash adapter and added a new battery. My next planned upgrade for it is a bigger battery since there is room with the SD card!

I had the same one all through college 🙌🏻

RETROTECH! I have an RCA MP3 Player purchased from Target for $35 from 2012, Still runs everything on it, but it seems to have locked into a state where you can not add, only delete files. So, it is a tribute to what I was listening to when I built it! Trick is, it is survivor status instant 1 second charge, the reason I bought it. AA Battery swap. Outhinking the machines that will and are outhinking us! Bad Robots LOL Always a positive note on the physical vs digital front here. I have my channel running in Practice Mode, I am creating Sniper Shorts for now, help battle the Tik Tokers getting a 1080p Streaming cam for the next step and getting to where I can upload analog video for the VHS Collection. Keep on Huntin' Broski!

I recently dug out my old iPod Nano 3rd gen at 8GB. Considering I have over 117 GB of music, choosing the all-killer-no-filler essentials presented a challenge but in the end, it was a very fun challenge! I hit shuffle and it's all amazing. I love streaming services for the ability to discover music, but over time my collection has become extremely cluttered. I'm working my way up in storage size slowly and I think it'll be a fun project to keep only the music I truly love. The space limitation of 8GB means "Only 1,000" songs - which is absurd when you think about it because that's stilll.... a LOT of songs. It's crazy how practically unlimited nature of streaming has kind of warped that perception. Anyway, enough rambling. I too love the iPod!

I use an older android phone, which is small compared to newer phones, with my headphone amp velcroed to the back of it for a dedicated player. There's a 2 inch jumper connecting them. I've been collecting music on CD since the 90s. I've since digitized them using Exact Audio Copy and rip them to lossless. Mp3s are a bit pointless these days as storage is dirt cheap. My portable doesn't need my entire music collection anyway. When laying in bed, the phone is connected to my home network so I can access everything then. When on the go, ihave the essentials.

I’m doing the same thing but with a Lumia 800, only for the fact that I can use Bluetooth earbuds with that, which are much more convenient for me. Apart from that, the 800 too is a great small device - being a smartphone it means that it still has all the basic functionalities of Windows Phone 7.x, but I never use them, I always just power it in and go straight to Zune. And well, with the Zune software it’s the same - its syncing is automatic with the pc, and is far faster and far more reliable than MTP. It has 16GB, I have some photos on it together with I think around 800 songs, and I skip so many of them still! It’s always my favourite device to play music because I don’t get distracted as you said, plus I don’t have ads, I can choose whatever I want and have a better shuffle feature (maybe like, just on a set of songs), and I don’t have to use internet (since when I travel it’s essential - listening online while on a train where internet works bad isn’t a great thing).

Yes. I also have one just like yours and I have a Yamaha fancy radio with a doc for it. All of my music is in the higher apple lossless. I think it's great. You can also use it in a car that has a USB input

I just got a second, brand new 7th gen Classic over the weekend! Awesome device. Great content btw!

I agree with this whole heartedly. I got a custom 1TB one that is my everything. But I do have devices to use it with Bluetooth devices, I wish it were more common and streamlined to mod a classic Ipod to have built in Bluetooth. But aye, nothings perfect and I LOVE my Ipod to death. Good to see I'm not the only one out here

Yes! I miss it so much.

Glad you mentioned the Sandisk clip jam. Aside from the less than stellar UI, I love that device! Incredible portability and storage.

Nice video sir. We have a lot in common. I like to have separate devices for lots of things. I have an iPod Nano Gen 6/7. 7 is especially cool as it has Bluetooth for buds. New sub right here.

I just found my fat iPod from 2005, memory is way too small for my collection so I ordered the flash adapter mod for only $30 bucks to fix up my old guy! I've just been using the bandcamp streaming since I got rid of spotify so I am truly happy to be making this leap forward.

My new approach this year after years of only using Spotify is a sort of hybrid way. If there are any albums I want to specifically own then I will buy the physical version and rip it. Then every year buy the top 10 tracks from my Spotify Wrapped so I always have those tracks I quite obviously loved so much.

I’m 50 years old man!. I love it!.. 👊🏼👍🏻💪🏼

Still using my 120Gb & 160Gb Classics around home and in the car, all the time. The 6G 120 needs a new battery but the 7G 160 is still going strong. What surprised me was my new car even recognised the 10+yr old iPods. Best device ever. Pity it was discontinued.

I liked that device so much that I bought a 2nd one not long ago. I've been through a couple of hard drives with my first one, and that one now has a 2TB SSD installed. 😁

Great video, I’ve been using my iPod 5th Gen for music for 3 years now along with having Spotify, I think it might finally be the time to switch to iPod full time.

Went on a road trip with my sister and we listened to music on her iPod from 2007. Great experience!

I love the idea of owning my stuff again. There are some songs I would be devastated if I couldn't listen to for some reason, so I've been slowly gathering CDs and MP3s. Heck, I even found the Tarzan soundtrack at a thrift store, which is really cool to me. I do get some from Amazon when I have digital credit (I should really stop shopping there) and the MP3s there sound good to me, but I can't really tell if they're quality. But yeah, I don't want to lose my favorite media. I don't have a lot of favorites, so it should be easy to keep the physical clutter low. Except for books. Man, I love too many books xD

I’m totally agree with you, I bought the same model some years ago, I changed the battery and it’s an amazing experience to listen music (I was already an iPod nano’s user, and it was the first device that introduced me to Apple’s ecosystem). The iPod classic is beautiful, iconic, the storage is perfect, interaction with click wheel instead touch screen is so satisfactory. The only negative side, in my opinion, on Mac when Apple decide to switch from iTunes to app Music, the management of the device has become almost impossible, too limited. Which app do you use? Do you use windows or Mac?

I am also using thought of buying one but instead choose Nokia 215 which supports SD card of 32 gb and I have 400 songs that I have recorded using Spotify free and Spotify music converter, an application which provides me 320Kbps recording. This is how I am increasing my collection and also what you are doing I loved it and support it as well. As you said that people thought of you as mad, I also do realate with this now. But its the best way to not to distract while listening 🎧 music ❤

Great video, thanks. I totally agree with you, an although I am sitll paying for my Apple Music suscription, I am almost ready to leave that and jus tenjoy my iPod Classic 6th gen, which I just replaced its dying battery with a new one and works like a charm again.

Great vid!…I love my 128G iPod Touch for the same reasons!

Yep, I’ve also ditched streaming services in favour of owning my own music too. I’m using an iPod 5th gen and I agree, the listening experience is much better on a dedicated device :-)

I have an iPod classic 5th Gen and 6th Gen. They're great, Can't complain. but I recently got a Hiby M300 which has Android 13 on it. Not only can I copy my FLAC and MP3 music collection to a removable SD card in it, but I also have the benefit of using all Android apps. I listen to Audible for Audiobooks. I also have Apple Music to discover new music that I will potentially buy a CD or FLAC files to own later. And the device is half the size of an iPod.

If Apple ever considered bringing back the Ipod Classic, only things I'd want them to change is, increase the battery, possibility to increase storage space (which is a stretch bc its Apple) and data transfer/charging with USB-C, and the addition of bluetooth(but leave the headphone jack, that's it like, leave the design and controls alone, I guess the wheel could be all touch but if it wasn't I'd still be happy with that. But I love my ipod rn and have been carrying it more with me, and my phone still on me, sure it's a little more bulk but the feeling of pulling it out and playing music through it

Same here converted to different hard drive after apples failed but still using it today

I haven't ever had paid music subscriptions, I do have a fairly large almost 5,000 song iTunes music collection some of which came originally from sources i.e. CD's that I no longer have access to. Way back when I had an iPod Classic I forget what happened to it honestly & while yes I sort of regret no longer having it, I totally understand, agree & the not getting distracted, due to my being physically disabled I wouldn't be able to physically mod an iPod Classic with new batteries etc. as needed & I listen to music a lot as I would probably guess is obvious by my library size. I am getting my first ever MacBook & I have wireless headphones & earbuds so I can listen that way, but I like you miss the days of simplicity.

I use an mp3 player by surfans. Nice compact design, displays the album or song cover. Really nice looking, and a classic mp3 player. Currently loaded 400 songs onto there, as I’m going through my Spotify and choosing which songs I’ll add to the mp3 player, and organising them into album folders.

I grew up in the early 2000s but wasn't really exposed to music at all, but recently I started collecting old stuff. I have a VCR and a Sony stereo in my room, and I have burned a few CDs that I keep in my stereo or my car. I'm into high end headphones, and I would get a MP3 player, but they don't have enough power for my headphones, so it just feels like a waste. I have a portable amp, but it requires USB input, so my phone or computer will work with it.

I am still using mine. Here it is 2024 and still play my 5 gen. Nothing has been replaced. Is still very brand new. I just wish I could have Bluetooth

Ive started using my old LG G8 ThinQ as a Media Device. Threw a gamesir X2 Pro on it, got some good Bluetooth ear buds, some SD Storage. Loaded in all my digitally backedup music files, Game roms, and did not install anything that wasnt for my music or gamimg needs. Kind of a single use device, just blocked all the extra "distractions" that come with smart phones

I’ve had a Cowon J3 since 2011 and I still use it almost every day.

I personally use my Apple Watch as my main music device with all my music that I own. The only exception is at work then I use my phone because I can’t use ear buds and use my speaker on my phone , which again is still all music that I own. It’s so nice knowing no matter what my music will have 100% uptime and will never be taken away.

I've always heard about the upgrades people use for their dead iPods but I don't have the confidence to do that myself. I had my original iPod that was I think 64GB and used it until maybe 2016 when the HD failed, then bought an iPod classic off eBay that was 160GB like yours but then it died a year later. I just went back to using CD's/MP3 CD's. But I always long for the day to resurrect my old iPods.

tbh i have a playlist on spotify with my go to songs and just listen to that. and will add new songs when they come out. it works for me. but i do collect vinyl so i can understand how owning your own music really makes you connect with it more

The classic is by far the best way to listen to music. A perfect tool dedicated to music and music only. Though they are really expensive now and break pretty easy too. You know you re done when you hear the hard drive making some afxtwin sounds by itself. After a few years of trying out spotify I had to go back to mp3 and the sandisk is really amazing, as said the interface is not the best but you get use to it. The battery power is great and it's so small, almost impossible to break too.

Ive still got an iPod shuffle. You know the white plastic stick? It's tough and I just put it around my neck. Still a great design.

I bought a broken iPod mini a few years ago and replaced the HDD with a 4 gb compact flash. I love only having a handful of CDs on it and changing them out regularly.

I got my old iPod classic 5th gen upgraded with larger storage, bigger battery and a new screen. I also have a Fiio M11s and Hidisz AP80 Pro X. I love standalone music players. 😁

Mine is still my prized possession too!

Still using my iPod Classic! It's plugged into its dock and into my home stereo system - providing jukebox music around our house. I reload it from my iTunes/Music collection (~91K songs - most at 320 kbps) every once in a while to randomly load different content - so the iPod always has >15K songs on it.

I have my 80GB iPod classic that I got as a Christmas present way back in 2007. The battery isn't what it used to be, and it's on my mom's iTunes account so the collection of media on there is somewhat static. When lockdowns started and I couldn't go to a gym, I bought a Fiio M6 to be a portable media player I could use separate from my phone.