A first-generation iPod in a sealed, never-opened box fetched a staggering $40,264 during an auction run by RR Auction this month.
This appears to be a record-breaking sale price for an original iPod at auction, with the previous known record being $29,000 in 2023. The latest price fetched does include a 25% buyer's premium charged by RR Auction.
In the U.S., the original iPod was priced at $399 at launch.
Introduced by Steve Jobs in October 2001, the iPod helped Apple to become successful again, after it flirted with bankruptcy in the late 1990s.
Jobs famously pitched the iPod as offering "1,000 songs in your pocket," and he unveiled the device by pulling it out of his own pocket.
"With iPod, Apple has invented a whole new category of digital music player that lets you put your entire music collection in your pocket and listen to it wherever you go," he said. "With iPod, listening to music will never be the same again."
Here are the features advertised on the original iPod's box:
Holds over 1,000 songs at near-CD quality on 5GB hard drive
Up to 10 hours of continuous playback with rechargeable lithium polymer battery
Super portable at 6.5 ounces and only 0.78 inch thick, 2.43 inches wide, and 4.02 inches tall
Automatically synchronizes music and playlists with iTunes on your Mac
Unique scroll wheel for simple, one-handed navigation
Plays MP3, WAV, and AIFF formats
Skip protection of up to 20 minutes (yes, minutes)
High-resolution backlit LCD display
Includes iPod, Apple Earphones, FireWire cable, and AC adapter
In addition, a sealed-in-box original iPhone with a rare 4GB of storage (8GB is more common) fetched $81,989 at RR Auction this month.
While that is not a record price for an original iPhone, it is still a staggering amount of money for a device that cost $499 when it launched in 2007.
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If you purchased $499 worth of $AAPL on October 23, 2001 at $0.27 per share (split adjusted), you'd have 1848 shares. That would be worth over $420,000 today.
One a couple generations newer with an SSD in it and a new battery is way better device, while still retaining the nostalgia
The buyer either has serious nostalgic desire or is betting on being able to resell later for profit. Not in the same league, but I used to have some quite rare CDs that I donated to a charity shop. A few of those have been selling well into the thousands lately. Bugger.
