When Apple unveiled the original iPod back in 2001, the reactions weren’t universally positive. Indeed, some fan reactions on a MacRumors message board at the time have since taken on a life of their own.
As an illustrative example, one outraged Apple fan wrote the following nearly 18 years ago: “I still can’t believe this! All this hype for something so ridiculous! Who cares about an MP3 player? I want something new! I want them to think differently! Why oh why would they do this?! It’s so wrong! It’s so stupid!”
Of course, the iPod would go onto become monumentally successful for Apple. In addition to padding Apple’s bank account with billions of dollars, the iPod helped upend the music industry and, years later, would serve as the springboard for the iPhone. The iPhone may be a more revolutionary and impactful device, but it simply wouldn’t exist had the iPod not paved the way years ahead of time.
While some iconic products can still be found for cheap — with Apple’s original Bondi Blue iMac being one such example — others are wildly expensive. The original iPod falls into the latter category.
Hopping on over to eBay, someone is selling a completely unused and factory sealed original iPod for $19,995. And in a testament to how ancient the device is, the iPod in question features a mechanical scroll wheel and a paltry 5GB of storage. To be fair, though, 5GB of storage back then was more than enough for a world where the only media content people cared about was music.
Is forking over $20,000 for an original iPod completely unnecessary, if not downright insane? Of course. Then again, never underestimate the power of nostalgia.
