Urban Outfitters is beginning to sell some of the earlier iPod models and the terminology being used to describe them has people talking, writes Emily Bloch for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

In one listing for a fourth-generation iPod Classic from 2004, Urban Outfitters describes the device as a “genuine piece of vintage retro tech.”

The iPod was first introduced in 2001 and officially discontinued in 2022. 

Urban Outfitters in South Philadelphia is no stranger to selling second-hand items, often utilizing its Urban Renewable brand to sell “vintage” clothes, furniture, and accessories.

The iPods are sourced by Retrospekt, a Milwaukee-based business that restores and sells various vintage electronics. 

Urban Outfitters is following a trend that is seeing younger generations pivot to less technologically advanced devices.

Whereas today, phones have access to various apps and streaming services to access music, iPhones only hold songs that were personally uploaded to the device. 

The latter may attract the younger generation. 

“While millennials had to adapt to technology over a period of time, Gen Z has had exposure from the start of their lives. Therefore, while millennials are enamored by new technology, Gen Z is driven to experience something more real,” said Arun Babu, manager of Fujifilm India’s optical devices and Instax division.

Read more about the iPod’s “vintage” status at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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The first iPod was introduced in 2001.