Yesterday, I acquired something that I did not expect to find. I've become increasingly fond of the click wheel based iPods as of lately, having spent considerable time dissecting and repairing iPod minis and attempting to find a decent 4th Gen iPod to use as my primary music player after retiring my iPod 1G 5GB to the collectors cabinet.
I believe it was a discussion with one of the other forum members about iPods and the benefits of the Wolfson Microelectronics DAC chip inside many of the older ones in comparison with the newer Cirrus Logic based iPods that had me thinking about an iPod that I'd spotted in a storeroom during my travels about a year and a half ago (it amazes me what I remember sometimes). I went back and checked to see if it was still there, and to my surprise, it was. It was in the box, with accessories, still wrapped in its protective plastic. The price was right, so I decided to get it.
It's an iPod (5th Generation) 30GB. It's since been marked as a Vintage product in Apple's internal systems, so I had to turn to Chipmunk.nl's Serial Number Decoder for the full details:
Aha, it's a Refurb! The serial number on the box is very similar to the above, with the exception of being manufactured a few months earlier, so presumably it was sold, the original unit failed and was returned within the warranty period, swapped with another iPod out of the store stock and the dead unit was swapped through the regular service channels with a replacement. The replacement refurbished unit was placed back in the original box, where it proceeded to sit on a shelf.
For the next 5 years.
I didn't expect it to turn on and run after sitting for so long, but surprisingly the battery kicked over without any hesitation and the iPod presented me with its initial setup and language selection. This unit is basically brand new! I believe the accessories are as well, I haven't checked but the compartment of the box containing the headphones, manuals, USB cable and setup CD is still sealed, so presumably they are.
I absolutely love it. I decided that instead of leaving its battery and drive to deteriorate, I would start it up, run it and possibly even use it as my daily use player, but it would have to be cared for as well as my iPod 1G 5GB was when I used that actively. Therefore, I've already started shopping around for protective sleeves and cases for it, which is a bit difficult when it's been out of production for so long. Until I find one, it stays in its protective plastic wrap.
Overall, very cool! It's not exactly a "new in box" unit considering it's a refurbished iPod in the defective iPods box, but it's about as close as it gets to it - complete with the "Don't Steal Music" labels.
Cheers
Mic.
I believe it was a discussion with one of the other forum members about iPods and the benefits of the Wolfson Microelectronics DAC chip inside many of the older ones in comparison with the newer Cirrus Logic based iPods that had me thinking about an iPod that I'd spotted in a storeroom during my travels about a year and a half ago (it amazes me what I remember sometimes). I went back and checked to see if it was still there, and to my surprise, it was. It was in the box, with accessories, still wrapped in its protective plastic. The price was right, so I decided to get it.
It's an iPod (5th Generation) 30GB. It's since been marked as a Vintage product in Apple's internal systems, so I had to turn to Chipmunk.nl's Serial Number Decoder for the full details:
Code:
Name: iPod with video (Generation 5)
ModelCode: ipod_video
Model Number: MA002
Group1: iPod
Group2: nothing
Generation: 5
Model introduced: 2006
Production year: 2006
Production week: 45 (November)
Production number: 2372 (within this week)
Colour: White
Capacity: 30GB
Factory: 2Z (Refurbished)For the next 5 years.
I didn't expect it to turn on and run after sitting for so long, but surprisingly the battery kicked over without any hesitation and the iPod presented me with its initial setup and language selection. This unit is basically brand new! I believe the accessories are as well, I haven't checked but the compartment of the box containing the headphones, manuals, USB cable and setup CD is still sealed, so presumably they are.
I absolutely love it. I decided that instead of leaving its battery and drive to deteriorate, I would start it up, run it and possibly even use it as my daily use player, but it would have to be cared for as well as my iPod 1G 5GB was when I used that actively. Therefore, I've already started shopping around for protective sleeves and cases for it, which is a bit difficult when it's been out of production for so long. Until I find one, it stays in its protective plastic wrap.
Overall, very cool! It's not exactly a "new in box" unit considering it's a refurbished iPod in the defective iPods box, but it's about as close as it gets to it - complete with the "Don't Steal Music" labels.
Cheers
Mic.
