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I was hoping the article was going to be about a physical device as well as the software to manage and play songs. A few years ago I wanted to get my 10 year ol

I was hoping the article was going to be about a physical device as well as the software to manage and play songs. A few years ago I wanted to get my 10 year old son an mp3 player – he's really into listening to music but wasn't ready (still isn't) for a phone. I was shocked by the state of the mp3 player options. When Apple discontinued the iPod they created a huge vacuum that no one seems to have filled. I think the iPos shuffle (usb stick form) is still the best mp3 player I ever had – it was small, pluggable without extra cords, and battery lasted a really long time. It didn't have a screen to browse music but that was part of the idea – just let the shuffle do its thing. Even this relatively simple concept has not been replicated in the hardware market. People will say it's not a hardware problem but a software/drm issue. I think that's a real shame. I wish there were a good, inexpensive, portable device that would just play my music.

TheDong 1y ago
> When Apple discontinued the iPod they created a huge vacuum that no one seems to have filled. I think the real shift here isn't the iPod vanishing. I think the existence of Spotify and smartphones is what killed mp3 players. Both of those just filled so much of the air in the room that it smothered everything else out.
MarcellusDrum 1y ago
I think its a demand issue, not a hardware/software one. Chinese manufactures are creating Mini IPhone 16 and Mini S24, devices that look good, can play music, have the functionalities of a smart phone, and sell for $50-$100. Parents will probably buy similar devices to their children instead of an MP3 Player. You have an unconventional parenting style not to get your son a phone at 14. Don't get me wrong, I respect that, but there isn't a lot like you to warrant a demand beyond what's currently available.
- brulard 1y ago
  OP says son is 10 years old. (not sure if it was edited)
  - MarcellusDrum 1y ago
    He said a few years back. I might have wrongly assumed 10 was his age back then.
cloudhead 1y ago
Fiio has a bunch of products in this category, eg. https://www.fiio.com/cp13 https://www.fiio.com/cp13 and https://www.fiio.com/jm21 https://www.fiio.com/jm21
- hexfish 1y ago
  Vouching for Fiio. They make really nice stuff! Never tried their audio players but the few Fiio DAC's I have used all felt really premium, especially for the price.
flobosg 1y ago
You just reminded me that I have a SanDisk Clip lying around somewhere in my flat.
stateofinquiry 1y ago
Sony still makes very nice players - under the "walkman" brand no less. https://electronics.sony.com/audio/walkman-digital-recorders/c/walkman-mp3-players https://electronics.sony.com/audio/walkman-digital-recorders... . Probably too pricey for a 10-y-old child, but you might be able to find a used one on ebay?
- videogreg93 1y ago
  This are just dumbed down phones in a sense: I don't want my mp3 player to be running android. I want a minimal piece of software that lets me quickly navigate to the songs that I want, and physical buttons to do it. I've look long and hard for something like this and cannot for the life of me find it. I'm really sad that I lost my Ipod classic 10 years ago.
  - TheDong 1y ago
    Surfans F20 HiFi MP3 Player / HiFi Walker H2 fits your description. Both are compatible with rockbox, so if you install that you can be sure they aren't running android: https://www.rockbox.org/ https://www.rockbox.org/
  - DocTomoe 1y ago
    Sony also has 'dumb' - and incidentally cheaper - MP3 players: https://electronics.sony.com/audio/walkman-digital-recorders/walkman-mp3-players/p/nwe394-b https://electronics.sony.com/audio/walkman-digital-recorders... That model looks a lot like what the iPod nano did.
voidUpdate 1y ago
Just buy a bag of nuggets from ebay :P
- theandrewbailey 1y ago
  Then make a YouTube channel out of it: https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv0k4pV5hufxLd70t1bN7ZjCGkIP-s8zh https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv0k4pV5hufxLd70t1bN7Zj...
zevon 1y ago
Maybe also an option and an educational little project about electronics and (re-)using "old" devices: There are lots of used iPods around and many of the old hard drive models are pretty easy to retrofit with flash-based storage (there are also lots of options for aesthetic customization as well as more involved modifications such as adding Bluetooth, USB-C and whatnot). As others have mentioned, the software side also still works well with iTunes on Windows and Finder/Music integration on MacOS.

TheDong 1y ago

> When Apple discontinued the iPod they created a huge vacuum that no one seems to have filled. I think the real shift here isn't the iPod vanishing. I think the existence of Spotify and smartphones is what killed mp3 players. Both of those just filled so much of the air in the room that it smothered everything else out.

MarcellusDrum 1y ago

I think its a demand issue, not a hardware/software one. Chinese manufactures are creating Mini IPhone 16 and Mini S24, devices that look good, can play music, have the functionalities of a smart phone, and sell for $50-$100. Parents will probably buy similar devices to their children instead of an MP3 Player. You have an unconventional parenting style not to get your son a phone at 14. Don't get me wrong, I respect that, but there isn't a lot like you to warrant a demand beyond what's currently available.

brulard 1y ago
OP says son is 10 years old. (not sure if it was edited)
- MarcellusDrum 1y ago
  He said a few years back. I might have wrongly assumed 10 was his age back then.

cloudhead 1y ago

Fiio has a bunch of products in this category, eg. https://www.fiio.com/cp13 https://www.fiio.com/cp13 and https://www.fiio.com/jm21 https://www.fiio.com/jm21

hexfish 1y ago
Vouching for Fiio. They make really nice stuff! Never tried their audio players but the few Fiio DAC's I have used all felt really premium, especially for the price.

flobosg 1y ago

You just reminded me that I have a SanDisk Clip lying around somewhere in my flat.

stateofinquiry 1y ago

Sony still makes very nice players - under the "walkman" brand no less. https://electronics.sony.com/audio/walkman-digital-recorders/c/walkman-mp3-players https://electronics.sony.com/audio/walkman-digital-recorders... . Probably too pricey for a 10-y-old child, but you might be able to find a used one on ebay?

videogreg93 1y ago
This are just dumbed down phones in a sense: I don't want my mp3 player to be running android. I want a minimal piece of software that lets me quickly navigate to the songs that I want, and physical buttons to do it. I've look long and hard for something like this and cannot for the life of me find it. I'm really sad that I lost my Ipod classic 10 years ago.
- TheDong 1y ago
  Surfans F20 HiFi MP3 Player / HiFi Walker H2 fits your description. Both are compatible with rockbox, so if you install that you can be sure they aren't running android: https://www.rockbox.org/ https://www.rockbox.org/
- DocTomoe 1y ago
  Sony also has 'dumb' - and incidentally cheaper - MP3 players: https://electronics.sony.com/audio/walkman-digital-recorders/walkman-mp3-players/p/nwe394-b https://electronics.sony.com/audio/walkman-digital-recorders... That model looks a lot like what the iPod nano did.

voidUpdate 1y ago

Just buy a bag of nuggets from ebay :P

theandrewbailey 1y ago
Then make a YouTube channel out of it: https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv0k4pV5hufxLd70t1bN7ZjCGkIP-s8zh https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv0k4pV5hufxLd70t1bN7Zj...

zevon 1y ago

Maybe also an option and an educational little project about electronics and (re-)using "old" devices: There are lots of used iPods around and many of the old hard drive models are pretty easy to retrofit with flash-based storage (there are also lots of options for aesthetic customization as well as more involved modifications such as adding Bluetooth, USB-C and whatnot). As others have mentioned, the software side also still works well with iTunes on Windows and Finder/Music integration on MacOS.