Filed under: Humor, iPod Family, Cult of Mac, Odds and ends
Want a 1st generation iPod? They're still available from the Apple Store
In 2001, the same year the Game Boy Advance was introduced, Apple brought the iPod to us (and not to universal enthusiasm, either). When I was doing some Google searching last night on Apple model numbers, I found something quite strange. It includes a 5GB iPod (for Mac only, the Windows-compatible versions came later) w/rechargeable lithium battery, original scroll wheel, headphones, an Apple iPod Power Adapter, an Apple FireWire Cable (2 meters), a Manual (iPod Getting Started), CD-ROM Disc w/iTunes (version unknown, but let's take a guess and say "old"), and a One Year Limited Warranty that by rights should have expired eight years ago.
Are you going to take the plunge? Will it look good next to your G3 iMac? If you do or don't, feel free to leave a comment below!
Update: Before this post was written, I did order the 5GB iPod linked on this page, but it looks like they will now send me a 10GB 2nd generation iPod instead for some reason.
We are also getting reports of confusion as people try to order over the phone.
Plus, there's a brand new 1GB iPod shuffle available.
Gallery: Refurb Apple gear at Apple
Update 3: I just got an email from Apple stating that this iPod is no longer available.
Update 4: I just got refunded by Apple for this iPod. Case closed.
Etched 80GB - White
iPod 10GB Refurbished
Etched iPod 20GB
Etched iPod, 30GB - Black
Etched iPod, 30GB - White
iPod U2 Special Edition 30GB Black - EDU Demo
Refurbished 2GB White iPod nano + Free Apple iPod nano Lanyard Headphones
Refurbished 2GB Black iPod nano + Free Apple iPod nano Lanyard Headphones

![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)


Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
TheCastro said 11:54AM on 8-20-2009
I had one of those iPods. And to tell you the truth if it was like $50-$100 I'd probably get one.
Then I remembered how big they were, but it would be nice to use my FireWire connection for something other than my external hard drive.
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gadgetgav said 11:55AM on 8-20-2009
These only worked with Firewire 400, so you'd have to have a port (or adapter from 800) to use it.
They did come with a dock though, and a sleeve if I remember correctly...
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Brian said 2:20PM on 8-20-2009
no dock connector on the 1st gen.. that came with the 3rd gen. 1st and 2nd just have a full size firewire 400 connector on the top next to the headphone port.
Nik said 11:57AM on 8-20-2009
Wow I almost want to buy that just to say I have one...
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robogobo said 12:25PM on 8-20-2009
I'll sell you mine. It's in four pieces and totally dead, but you can still say you have one.
Mike said 11:58AM on 8-20-2009
It's strange that the product description seems to fit the original 1st generation iPod (it's the only 5GB iPod ever), but the image on that page is very clearly a 3rd generation iPod with a touch-wheel and the four touch-buttons above it (pre-click wheel).
What's also strange is that this model proports to have a touch-wheel, when the original 5GB iPod came with a scroll-wheel that physically moved, rather than a touch-wheel. The scroll-wheel iPods we're only available in 10GB and 20GB (according to Apple's "Identify iPod models" page: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1353)
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Travis said 11:58AM on 8-20-2009
Wonder if it would be a collectible one day. Especially if these come in original packaging and are not refurbs.
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Joe said 12:03PM on 8-20-2009
Collectible? Yes. Valuable? No.
Moose said 12:39PM on 8-20-2009
@Joe: I don't know... I sold my gen 1 iPod a few years ago on eBay and got almost $200 for it. So it was a collectible for the buyer, and valuable for me since I got quite a bit more than I expected for it.
robogobo said 12:39PM on 8-20-2009
apparently worth $129.
ATARO said 11:58AM on 8-20-2009
The listing in the Apple Store has conflicting information.. it shows a picture of the 2G iPod with the touch wheel (not physical scroll wheel). The description also says touch wheel, but the headlines says "original scroll wheel"
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john said 12:00PM on 8-20-2009
I've still got a working version of this, bought on the day of release in France for something around 3200Francs. I still use it from time-to-time as it is stcked full of the tunes I was listening to in 2003, when I last used it regularly.
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Fred said 12:00PM on 8-20-2009
Quick! Pull out your iPhone and then hold it next to that picture. Pretty wild, huh? Who would have thought.
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macinjosh said 12:01PM on 8-20-2009
Bought it
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Anna said 10:40PM on 10-20-2009
Hi macinjosh
Would you consider selling the first generation ipod you bought from the apple store recently?
Cheers
Anna
Mike said 12:03PM on 8-20-2009
Wow! Do they have any of the 3rd Gen iPods left? In my opinion, that was the coolest iPod ever. Back then I couldn't afford one and I'd love to buy one now.
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robogobo said 12:36PM on 8-20-2009
yeah, it was the red lights. absolutely the coolest.
Faust said 12:28AM on 8-21-2009
I'll sell you my 3rd Gen 40GB for $129... That's 8x as much storage for the same price! A bargain you can't pass up.
Victor said 9:47PM on 8-20-2009
agreed man. that was my first ipod. lasted me about 5 years too. Loved that thing. Paid like $400 when it came out, but I felt pretty cool being one of the few at the time with a real ipod, they were fairly rare outside of big cities and such. Makes me wish mine still worked.
Christina Warren said 12:09PM on 8-20-2009
I still have the box for my 2nd gen 10GB somewhere. Unfortunately, I don't have the model because it started sparking when I used the AC adaptor and I exchanged it for a 30 GB 3rd gen, which then got exchanged for a 40 GB 3rd gen when a Mac broke my iPod (it's still a funny story -- the Mac literally killed my iPod). That, believe it or not, is still around.
Ahh, memories. I almost bought the 5GB model and got MacDrive to use with my Windows PC, but I waited for the PC 10 GB to come out and spent $500 on it in September of 2002. It's so funny, I remember people asking me if it was a tape player or something at school, totally perplexed by the white device. Fastforward a few years.
Damn. Almost makes me want to buy one. But we did that nostalgia train recently and now my fiance and I have 3 G4 silver-white towers and absolutely nothing to do with them.
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