I Upgraded My iPod for 2024 – and Now It's My Favorite Gadget of the Year

‘Y2K’ technology has been making a comeback for a while now, with Gen Z reportedly obsessed with the stuff. And while it may seem like just another image-conscious fad to some, I have to admit I can see the appeal. In today’s world of utilitarian glass displays and smartphone addiction, not to mention the endless content streaming services offer, those colorful but limited pre-iPhone days are starting to seem like a distant utopia.

In an effort to cut down on 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 live without: Maps and Music. I can’t do much about the former (other than walk around with a SatNav – yeah, no), but when it came to Music, I suddenly remembered my old iPod. Would such a device still be viable in 2024? The answer surprised me. We’ve been exploring next-gen tech at Creative Bloq this week, but there’s something particularly satisfying about bringing a twenty-year-old gadget kicking and screaming into the present.

The biggest problem with buying an old iPod in 2024 is that the battery will likely be so degraded that it either holds very little charge or is dead altogether. Fortunately, there’s a healthy iPod modding community out there – and some iPods are easier to mod than others. After a bit of research, I discovered that the 2004 iPod mini is one of the easiest models to mod, so I ordered a used 4GB model in bright green (brat summer, etc.) for next to nothing, along with a new battery and a flash card upgrade to bump the storage all the way up to 128GB.

In a few short weeks, my modded iPod has become my favorite gadget of 2024. First, there’s the retro aesthetic, which, given that I owned one of these 20 years ago, is extra nostalgic. (It helps that my music library is also frozen in time in 2014, since that’s when I made the switch to streaming.) To really get into the vibe, I also picked up a pair of ridiculously retro (and ridiculously good value) Koss Porta Pro headphones — a TikTok favorite for a reason.

But my biggest takeaway is that music consumption feels different on one of these, too. With so much music available on services like Spotify, choice paralysis is a real thing. And with algorithmic recommendations and playlists, it can feel like you barely choose what you listen to. Not only am I listening to full albums again, partly because it’s just a little more awkward to skip tracks on one of these, but I also feel like my music library is mine again. 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 noted that technology seems to have reached a strange juncture. The smartphone is almost 20 years old, and aside from bigger screens, bigger batteries and better camera lenses, it’s a little unclear where the hardware will go from here. The iPod feels like a throwback to a time when technology was fun. Single-use devices are limited by their very nature, and that arguably gives them more personality than the black glass rectangle that does everything. I’m not one to stare at the same device for hours on end – and judging by the amount of enthusiastic responses my little iPod has received from onlookers over the past few days alone, the retro-tech revolution has only just begun.

I Upgraded My iPod for 2024 – and Now It's My Favorite Gadget of the Year

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I Upgraded My iPod for 2024 – and Now It's My Favorite Gadget of the Year

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