The iPod has been dead for years, and nobody has filled the hole it left. Now, people are getting desperate.
Fans of Sony’s MiniDisc hacked together a new program that allows anyone with a player to load it up with new music using their smartphone.
- The first MiniDiscs, which looked like floppy disks and promised a cool, tactile, futuristic aesthetic, launched in 1992 and were particularly popular in Japan.
- MiniDiscs produced better audio than cassette tapes and were easily rewritable, unlike CDs.
- The format struggled to woo Americans, especially once the iPod came out and made it easy to simply download audio files.
- The battle between cool and convenience had a clear winner, and the MiniDisc was killed in 2013.
People just want the basics
Audiophiles are searching for things that just play music — with no web browser or apps.
- If this craving for more devices doing fewer things feels familiar, allow us to recall the “dumbphone” movement.
This shared desire to rewind time is also seen in rising cassette sales, and CD sales aren’t shabby either, basically on par with the cyclically trendy vinyl format, though they’re all miles behind streaming.
But how do you even play cassettes and CDs in 2024?
- Nobody sells cars with CD players anymore.
- Playing a CD at home often requires something used or a pricey bespoke player that’ll make you feel like an ‘80s yuppie.
- Playing cassettes is harder, also involving more money than you’d expect.
- Sony still makes a Walkman, but it’s a digital audio player (DAP), and even for a premium price, it might not scratch the itch left by the old click-wheel iPod.
The hunger for simplified music products is there, though until more retro hacks like the MiniDisc program come along, settling for Spotify remains the easier solution for many.
In the meantime, maybe start stockpiling MP3s in case that becomes the next retro trend? The vintage file really makes Songs of Innocence pop.
