The Apple iPod caused a revolution in the music world when it came out. The technology was advanced and represented a real leap from the previous portable CD carriers! It’s funny to think back to those devices and how cutting-edge they seemed at the time, but still everyone wanted their own iPod and since then many of us have bought into each subsequent release!
The line has seen many upgrades and each new primary release is called a new ‘generation’. When you go to an Apple store, you can always buy the latest release for each model – but many of us still have old versions of these popular lines:
The original iPod Classic
The very first mainstream MP3 player; something which we all aspired to own at the time now seems incredibly chunky and outdated. If you have an original iPod Classic or mini, then the technology will be over ten years old now!
The first iPod Nano
Released during a time when we all craved our gadgetry to be as small as possible – the Nano went the way of many smartphones of its day – tiny! It’s crazy to think that even the first Nano dates back to 2005!
Any iPod Shuffle!
A brightly coloured clip and go model, the shuffle was well priced and ideal for runners. For some reason people still buy this despite its ridiculously limited functionality.
New features with each release
Each generation release will have new refinements and features and typically is lighter and smaller than its predecessor. You’ve only got to look back over the previous releases to see how they have changed over time! Some of the main changes included a new touch-sensitive round wheel which was an upgrade on the old mechanical scrolling wheel, a new use of colour displays and a replacement of hard disks with flash memory.
Have you got old models?
Unless you want to keep them as museum or nostalgia pieces, you might want to do what I did and recycle an out of date ipod for a bit of cash.
The easiest way to recycle is to do it via one of the online recycling websites. The process is very simple. You simply gather up your old models and enter them into the online database, which will tell you how much they are worth. If you then want to sell them, simply register your account which just takes a few minutes. You can print out a postage and delivery slip and box them up – there’s no postage fee – and then drop them off at one of the local drop off points. I found that my local drop-off was my local newsagent, which made the job very easy! The money will be in your account in a few weeks, or you can choose to receive a cheque or even donate the money to charity.
Jane Graves is a huge fan of consumer gadgetry and writes regularly about mobile phones for a range of websites and consumer publications. She believes that it is great to recycle an out of date iPod for cash and environmental benefits!
