Original 2001 iPod in Sealed Box Sells for Eye-Watering Price at Auction

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.