'Y2K' tech has been making a comeback for a while, with Gen Z supposedly obsessed with the stuff. And while to some it might seem like yet another image-conscious fad, I have to admit I can see the appeal. In today's world of utilitarian glass screens and smartphone addiction, not to mention the infinite content offered up by streaming services, those colourful yet limited pre-iPhone days are starting to look like a distant utopia.
In an attempt to reduce my smartphone usage, I've been experimenting with dumbphones this year. But while the digital detox aspect is refreshing, there are a couple of features I just can't do without – Maps and Music. There's not much I can do about the former (aside from walking around with a SatNav – yeah, no.) but when it comes to Music, I suddenly remembered my old iPod. Could such a device still be feasible in 2024? The answer surprised me. We've been exploring next-gen tech here at Creative Bloq this week, but there's something particularly satisfying about bringing a twenty year-old gadget kicking and screaming into the present day.
The main problem with buying an old iPod in 2024 is that the battery is likely to have degraded to the point that it either holds very little charge, or has died entirely. But thankfully, there's a healthy iPod modding community out there – and some iPods are easier to mod than others. After some research, I discovered that 2004's iPod mini is one of the easiest models to mod. And so I ordered a used 4GB model in bright green (brat summer, etc.) for a pittance, along with a new battery, and a flash card upgrade to bring the storage all the way up to 128GB.
All I had to do was remove the top and bottom bezels, and slide the iPod's body out of the aluminium case. From there, it was a case of simply removing the old battery and 4GB hard drive, and replacing them with the new versions. For an Apple product to be this easily customisable is pretty much unheard of.
In a few short weeks, my modded iPod has become my favourite gadget of 2024. First there's the retro aesthetic, which, since I actually owned one of these things 20 years ago, is dishing out extra nostalgia for me. (It helps that my music library is also frozen in 2014, since that's when I made the jump to streaming.) To lean into the vibe as strongly as possible, I also picked up a pair of the ridiculously retro (and ridiculously good value) Koss Porta Pro headphones – a TikTok favourite for a reason.
But my main learning is that music consumption also feels different on one of these. With so much music available on services like Spotify, choice paralysis is a real thing. And with algorithmic recommendations and playlists, there can be a sense that you're hardly choosing what to listen to at all. Not only am I returning to listening to full-length albums, partly because it's just a little more awkward to skip tracks on one of these, but I also feel once again like my music library is my own. There's something satisfying about knowing that the entire selection of music has been curated for me, by me.
With the launch of the iPhone 16 this week, I've already commented that tech seems to be at a weird juncture. The smartphone is almost 20 years old, and aside from bigger screens, bigger batteries and better camera lenses, it feels somewhat unclear where the hardware can go from here. The iPod feels like a reminder of the days when tech was fun. Single-use devices are limited by their nature, and that arguably gives them more personality than the black glass rectangle that does everything. I'd rather not stare at the same device for hours on end – and judging by the amount of enthusiastic comments my lil' iPod has garnered from onlookers in the past few days alone, the retro tech revolution is only just getting started.
