iPod Your first MP3 player?

[PinkyMacGodess]

The Rio. I hated it. Putting music on it always seemed to be such drama, and the chips wouldn't hold that much music. When it did work, it was pretty good. I still have it somewhere around here. I also have a Nomad that I bought, and then got an iPod and never actually used it. I know, right...

I don't think there's much of a market for these old fossils, so I keep them in a drawer. Can't get new chips for them now, I don't think. I doubt they would support the larger chips that I could find now anyway.

I had several tape based Walkman players, but I really don't think they classify as 'MP3 players'. I do have a thin Sony Walkman FM radio that is cooler than the day I bought it. It takes 2 AAA batteries, and is waterproof. But anyway...

 

[MBAir2010]

iPod Nano, 2007 my fav non mac apple product still works this minute!
View attachment 1731394

and won't charge or accept any port today......oh well!

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

and won't charge or accept any port today......oh well!

That sucks. I lost one, and waited a month, and replaced it, only to find the old one after the return time had expired. Those were amazing little Nanos. I loved them. (That and the 'stick' shuffle)

 

[MBAir2010]

i think i can revive the iPod with some tinkering of the connection slot.
i hope

 

[Runs For Fun]

I had a Creative Zen Microphoto. A whole whopping 8GB! I loved it at the time. I wish I wasn't anti-Apple at that time and been more open to the iPod.

 

[Traverse]

A 5th generation iPod nano that I purchased in early 2010. Until then I was using CDs in a cheap CD player with the bundled headphones.

I still remember spending all evening installing iTunes and ripping my very small collection of CDs and marveling at the animations, user interface, and easy of synching, even on a $199 HP Compaq laptop.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

A 5th generation iPod nano that I purchased in early 2010. Until then I was using CDs in a cheap CD player with the bundled headphones.

I still remember spending all evening installing iTunes and ripping my very small collection of CDs and marveling at the animations, user interface, and easy of synching, even on a $199 HP Compaq laptop.

That was a gorgeous device, easy to use, stunning in appearance (and design) and ultra portable.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

I found the Rio player, and the Nomad II that essentially has never been used, both huddling in a box, depressed and useless?. The Nomad still in the factory pouch, and has the headphone wired remote, but alas, no factory earbuds.

I am bummed I returned the first gen iPod I bought. I couldn't see the physically rotating disc lasting long enough to make that a player I wanted to be stuck with. I should have kept it, danggit... BTW: How long did that spinning disc last for people that bought one? Curious how many failed...

 

[jessejesse]

The Compaq PA-1. Same size as a pager!

 

[ian87w]

The Reo. I hated it. Putting music on it always seemed to be such drama, and the chips wouldn't hold that much music. When it did work, it was pretty good. I still have it somewhere around here. I also have a Nomad that I bought, and then got an iPod and never actually used it. I know, right...

I don't think there's much of a market for these old fossils, so I keep them in a drawer. Can't get new chips for them now, I don't think. I doubt they would support the larger chips that I could find now anyway.

I had several tape based Walkman players, but I really don't think they classify as 'MP3 players'. I do have a thin Sony Walkman FM radio that is cooler than the day I bought it. It takes 2 AAA batteries, and is waterproof. But anyway...

View attachment 1754191

I think those used Parallel port to transfer data....

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

I think those used Parallel port to transfer data....

Yes it did. It had a proprietary parallel to Rio port adapter, but at the time, it was 'cutting edge', and, judging by the amount of time they spent in engineering and building it, they didn't think it would survive. The case was known to crack, and shatter. You *could* also load files onto the Compact Flash chip (slab?)... I honestly don't remember using it much. I think I have a slab or two around. I might try to use it, one last (first) time. It was prehistoric, but it was all the industry had at the time I believe...

EDIT: Did it spark the iPod's wheel control? Hmm...

 

[klpribula93]

I think my first mp3 player was the 3rd Generation iPod Nano. I think it was either the red or the black one but I'm pretty sure the black square ipod nano was my first mp3 player, then I was gifted the red iPod nano. I used my iPod nano relentlessly throughout middle school until I got my first iPhone in high school as a sophomore which I then was able to listen to music through my phone. I loved my iPod Nano so much that I practically wore it out from listening to music too much!

 

[klpribula93]

This is mine and still with me through the years. Sad to say it is just 2GB so I can only keep less than 2hundred of songs.

I actually have this — the 4th generation iPod shuffle though. A funny story: I was talking with my mother a few months ago about how I liked the old ipods where they were just simple and easy and nothing fancy. I told her about how I liked the apple shuffle and then all of a sudden she walked away for a minute and came back with the 4th generation iPod shuffle in pink. She told me that my Father had gifted this to her for Christmas a few years ago when this came out and my Mother actually never took it out of the box, so it's basically still brand new and still works! She gave it to me to use for my workouts. Since she gave it to me, I've been trying to figure out how to load a few songs on the iPod shuffle, but my computer doesn't recognize the iPod shuffle as an iPod since it's an old device. But I just thought it was funny that she still had it. Still would like to use this for my workouts or while I'm doing my errands around my apartment, Just can't figure out how to get it to work on my computer!

 

[SuperMatt]

I actually have this — the 4th generation iPod shuffle though. A funny story: I was talking with my mother a few months ago about how I liked the old ipods where they were just simple and easy and nothing fancy. I told her about how I liked the apple shuffle and then all of a sudden she walked away for a minute and came back with the 4th generation iPod shuffle in pink. She told me that my Father had gifted this to her for Christmas a few years ago when this came out and my Mother actually never took it out of the box, so it's basically still brand new and still works! She gave it to me to use for my workouts. Since she gave it to me, I've been trying to figure out how to load a few songs on the iPod shuffle, but my computer doesn't recognize the iPod shuffle as an iPod since it's an old device. But I just thought it was funny that she still had it. Still would like to use this for my workouts or while I'm doing my errands around my apartment, Just can't figure out how to get it to work on my computer!

Did you look for the device in the Finder? What version of Mac OS are you running? Even an original iPod from 2001 is recognized on the latest Macs using the correct adapters.

 

[cucafcp]

Not my first, but this one still stands today.

 

[Royksöpp]

This post is making me nostalgic, so I'm just going to reminisce a little bit

I remember the Summer of 2005, I had a choice between a PSP and an iPod Mini for my birthday. I wanted an iPod simply for the cool factor, then I realized how boring it would be in the long run. I went with the PSP and never looked at an iPod ever again. Eventually after a couple of years I grew out of the PSP. That's when I got my first proper MP3 player which was a ZUNE! The white Zune which was gorgeous. I believe that was in late 2006. I still have it in mint condition. I loved it! I had Zune Pass which was $15 a month. It really was ahead of it's time. I upgraded to the Zune 80 in 2008 and I used that until 2012 when I got my first iPhone, the 4S. I parted ways with my PSP and Zune 80. I held onto my 4S and my white Zune. I'll never get rid of those.

 

[Analog Kid]

My first MP3 player was actually an accident. What I bought was a camera (a 2.4MP camera!) and it had an MP3 player built in. I really liked Fujifilm point and shoots in that era, but man did I think the whole MP3 thing was stupid. They sounded horrible! Why would anyone give up sound quality when portable CD players were so compact? I was sure that MP3 was going to be a fad until iPod came around and the idea of carrying thousands of songs on a little device really did make it more convenient.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

My first MP3 player was actually an accident. What I bought was a camera (a 2.4MP camera!) and it had an MP3 player built in. I really liked Fujifilm point and shoots in that era, but man did I think the whole MP3 thing was stupid. They sounded horrible! Why would anyone give up sound quality when portable CD players were so compact? I was sure that MP3 was going to be a fad until iPod came around and the idea of carrying thousands of songs on a little device really did make it more convenient.


View attachment 1763078

I never knew someone had an MP3 player camera. Weird... I guess I can see the utility in it, but wow... Yeah, I thought MP3 would be a slow growth fad, but saw where it could have some popularity. And now, after the iPod, everything Apple, pretty much, plays MP3s. I thought the first iPod was a disaster, having that physically spinning disc for a control. I saw it as a 'dust magnet', and a problem when it got junked up. And yet the iPod ruled the world for quite a long time.

I get the audio deficiencies of the MP3 music files, but since at the time I was flying a lot, I didn't care. I plugged my Bose QC's into my iPod, and drowned out the screaming kids, and chatty seat mates. 100% fidelity, or even, what, 80% fidelity is kind of overkill. *shrug*

I loved the guy that tried to put 100% accurate files on an MP3 player. He got, what, 6? And it took them a lot of time to get that in it. Tradeoffs... So much of life is about tradeoffs...

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

This post is making me nostalgic, so I'm just going to reminisce a little bit

I remember the Summer of 2005, I had a choice between a PSP and an iPod Mini for my birthday. I wanted an iPod simply for the cool factor, then I realized how boring it would be in the long run. I went with the PSP and never looked at an iPod ever again. Eventually after a couple of years I grew out of the PSP. That's when I got my first proper MP3 player which was a ZUNE! The white Zune which was gorgeous. I believe that was in late 2006. I still have it in mint condition. I loved it! I had Zune Pass which was $15 a month. It really was ahead of it's time. I upgraded to the Zune 80 in 2008 and I used that until 2012 when I got my first iPhone, the 4S. I parted ways with my PSP and Zune 80. I held onto my 4S and my white Zune. I'll never get rid of those.

View attachment 1763066

View attachment 1763067

I have a pink Zune. Haven't plugged it in in years. Should probably sell it. At least it's not the brown one. I thought that was so funny. A brown Zune. As if it looks anything remotely like leather. Looks more like a... What it was...

 

[Apple_Robert]

I think I had a Panasonic tape player.

 

[SamRyouji]

My very first MP3 player is the 4th gen iPod Shuffle, silver with black pads. Ditched the earbuds right away and used my Senn CX200 because the sound quality is meh compared even to my cheap Senn.
Bought in late March 2012 and sold it 3 months later because I can't stand the staring eyes from people literally everywhere I'm out and about. Back then in my country Apple still considered as a huge status symbol. Now I deeply regretted my decision as it's now discontinued and the price of used one is the same as the new one back then ($49).

Honorary item:
Brandless cylindrical mp3 player (the pink colored one) that I almost bought back on late 2011 for only $12. I almost bought it because of Persona 3 looking but cancelled it at last minute because I was very broke back then lol.

 

[SamRyouji]

I have a pink Zune. Haven't plugged it in in years. Should probably sell it. At least it's not the brown one. I thought that was so funny. A brown Zune. As if it looks anything remotely like leather. Looks more like a... What it was...

Like that...brown emoji that people used to put after the ??
??

 

[klpribula93]

Did you look for the device in the Finder? What version of Mac OS are you running? Even an original iPod from 2001 is recognized on the latest Macs using the correct adapters.

I'm running on the latest version of Mac OS (big sur). The computer recognize the device, but for some reason it wouldn't allow me to add anything on it. Not sure what the issue is.

 

[SuperMatt]

I'm running on the latest version of Mac OS (big sur). The computer recognize the device, but for some reason it wouldn't allow me to add anything on it. Not sure what the issue is.

Are either of these pages helpful?

Syncing an iPod with macOS Catalina

With the breakup of iTunes, the USB-based syncing of iPods and iOS devices has been moved into Finder. While I am fully on the Apple Music train, there are many users who still plug in their devices to move media onto them, and I'm glad macOS Catalina has been engineered with those users in...

512pixels.net

Use the Finder to sync your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with your Mac - Apple Support

The Finder is one of the ways that you can sync your device with your Mac.

support.apple.com

 

[cbautis2]

Here's mine. Nano 3rd gen from 06-07. The earbuds below is my first earbud with balanced armature drivers. I currently own an earbud with 5 balanced armatures per side and an iPod Touch 7th Gen