Gen Z thinks iPods are cool again

Each generation feels a sense of nostalgia for eras gone by. But now, technology is evolving so dramatically that Gen Z’s pining for the past is being condensed into shorter and shorter time cycles.

While a 30-year interval for the vinyl revival makes sense from an “I was born in the wrong generation” standpoint, young people today are nostalgic for things that happened only a few years ago, having grown up in a culture where they’d only just gotten their first smartphones before it started being able to do their math homework for them.

Indeed, the use of AI on devices is one reason that many schools across America are banning cellphones in the classroom. One upshot of that, as reported by The New York Times last week, is that some students are working around that embargo by pulling out one of the youngest tricks in the book: using iPods instead.

Google searches for different iPod models — particularly the iPod Nano and the original iPod, which was launched almost a quarter-century ago — have spiked over the past month, despite Apple’s entire iPod product line being discontinued for more than three years. Searches for “ipod ebay” have also peaked recently as kids scramble for a secondhand gadget to listen to music on while they’re at school… or just to wear as an accessory.

A (short) trip down memory lane

Gen Z’s propensity for nostalgia isn’t limited to wanting just 1,000 songs in their pockets, rather than the hundreds of millions available on music streaming services. 

In the last few months alone, we’ve seen the resurrection of early 2010s fashion, apparel adorned with childhood characters, and collectible plushies — with Kodak even recently marrying the blind box trend with vintage cameras for the ultimate sentimental hit.