The great clickwheel in the sky just keeps on a-turnin’ as, three months after Apple quietly killed off the iPod Classic, the discontinued media players are being sold for hugely inflated prices online. Besides being an elegant solution for ironic flip phone types who are too lazy to commit to cassette tapes, the iPod Classic is notable for its massive amount of storage space—up to 160GB on the seventh-generation model—which makes it desirable to music lovers with huge digital libraries. (The iPod with the biggest capacity currently in production is the iPod Touch, which has 64GB of flash storage.)
As part of the continued dilution of the word “vintage,” a quick search of eBay reveals that new, factory-sealed iPod Classics are being sold for up to $899.99 apiece on the auction site, some labeled “VINTAGE” or “RARE.” Prices on Amazon are relatively more reasonable, with a black 160GB model going for $493.99 ($269.99 if you’re willing to settle for white). That’s cheap compared to iPod Classic prices in the U.K., where The Guardian reports they can go for up to £670 ($1,052.70 at today’s exchange rate). One crazy person even shelled out $90,000 for a “RARE UK MODEL” U2 version.
The casual observer might conclude that all this demand might make Apple bring back the iPod Classic. But, according to CEO Tim Cook, that’s not possible because Apple “couldn’t get the parts anymore, not anywhere on Earth,” so until Apple starts a mining operation on the moon or something prices will likely continue to rise. Meanwhile, one optimistic soul is attempting to sell a Sony Walkman for $499.98 on Amazon.