March 8, 2026, 3:34 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
No question, technically it’s long outdated: a device that does nothing but play music. Today, you can easily use your smartphone for that. And not despite this, but precisely because of it, the iPod is experiencing a surprising comeback. This is indicated by increasing search queries that have recently been picked up by the media. The reasons for this development say a lot about our handling of music and multifunctional devices.
Interest in dedicated music devices is growing again. According to data from the U.S. media company Axios, based on user behavior on eBay, various iPod models were searched for significantly more often in 2025 than the year before. This is now also reflected in rising prices for used models of the iconic media players. The colleagues at COMPUTER BILD delve deeper into this economic-technical perspective. Behind this development is certainly a large portion of nostalgia, which should be put into context in this case. Overall, it is much more complex.
The Cultural Reasons for the iPod Comeback
Apple permanently discontinued the production of the iPod in 2022. A logical decision, really: Hardly anyone seems to need a device today that plays only music. After all, the smartphone has long taken over this function–along with countless others. But this multifunctionality is, in a way, a double-edged sword. The fact that iPods are being used again seems to be a direct reaction to digital overstimulation.
Do you use Spotify or another music streaming platform on your smartphone? Then you are surely familiar with the convenience of modern services. One click is enough, and the algorithm suggests endlessly new songs. This is practical if you want to be entertained on the side. On the other hand, constant algorithmic suggestions can also be overwhelming.
“It’s no longer an art, it loses its soul”–so quotes the creative platform “Dazed Digital” a young user in this context. She is one of many who wish to have more control over their music experience again. Not least, those who grew up with CDs can probably empathize with the desire to “own” music again. The outdated iPod may not do much–but it conveys this feeling much more than multifunctional devices.
Symptom of the New “Friction-Maxxing” Trend
On the iPod, users have to consciously select, organize, and manually transfer songs to the device. What initially seems unnecessarily cumbersome from today’s perspective is paradoxically trending for that very reason. Trend researchers refer to this as “friction-maxxing,” as explained in the business magazine “Forbes.” The term can be translated as “friction maximization” and describes the conscious return to more effort in using technology–with the assumption that more cumbersome actions can increase satisfaction and autonomy.
Friction-maxxing explicitly opposes a digital culture geared toward maximum convenience. In the case of the iPod, this leads to a changed music experience: Music becomes less of a casual background, and decisions are made more consciously. The entire listening behavior changes. It becomes more attention- and control-oriented.
This old technique is currently experiencing a revival.
Editor on Blu-rays and DVDs: “Did I Cry Too Soon?”
iPod as a “Distraction-Free MP3 Player”
Most people who have ever listened to music on an iPhone are likely familiar with this. A favorite song is playing, you’re already looking forward to the best part that’s about to start–and suddenly the music stops, an incoming call interrupts. Annoying! Maybe you’ve even activated airplane mode to avoid interrupting the music experience. But being offline permanently is, of course, not a solution.
This is where the iPod comes in: a “distraction-free MP3 player,” as users write on Reddit, which becomes all the more attractive in a world of constant notifications. In another discussion on Reddit, a person emphasizes that they love their iPod precisely because it is solely intended for music. They don’t have to worry about streaming, connections, or ads, but simply access their own music collection. The physical buttons are also praised–they allow for a more direct, less distracting operation than touchscreens. It has nothing to do with nostalgia–the person was too young during the iPod’s heyday. But what they apparently don’t realize: That means nothing.
Nostalgia Product–Even Without Personal Memory
So back to the nostalgia mentioned earlier. Remarkably, the comeback is mainly driven by young people who never experienced the iPod’s heyday themselves. It is not nostalgia in terms of personal memories, but rather an imagined past. The followers view it as a less cluttered time compared to today. Devices from back then, in this case the iPod, become an “artifact” of a possibly simpler digital order. Music on it is a collection, not an endless and intangible stream.
Such “aspirational nostalgias” for the aesthetics of the 1990s and 2000s are typical for Generation Z, as the colleagues at BILD explain in more detail here.