Last week, Apple quietly dropped the iPod Classic from its online store which marks then end of an era for MP3 players. To some, the Classic was probably their first MP3 player or their first MP3 player they absolutely loved. For me, it made me remember my first MP3 player which I received almost 10 years ago.
I received my first MP3 player when I was still in college around 2004 or 2005. It wasn’t a shiny new iPod though (Apple has probably introduced the 4th or 5th gen iPod Classic during that time) but a Taiwanese-made Clicker Pocki 5-in-1 MP3 player.
Heavily influenced by the iPod’s signature white color, my Clicker also came in white. The design has more affinity towards the flash drive and only has 128MB capacity with 117MB usable, which equates to around 20 songs give or take. It uses a USB 1.1 interface and powered by a AAA battery, which is costly if you don’t use rechargeable batteries. Aside from that, it also doubles as a USB drive, voice recorder, and supports SD cards which I believe is up to 1GB. The Clicker also became my go-to SD card reader for my desktop back then.
It was light years away from what the iPod can offer but it was affordable. Times were tough and college wasn’t exactly cheap so the Clicker became my constant companion. To add to its value, it was a gift from my mom so I’m not complaining. And yes, I still have it and here’s what it looks like now:
It’s pretty banged up. The rubber grip is gone, the player doesn’t work anymore, but the flash drive still does.
After the Clicker, I shifted to Nokia phones to be my dedicated music player, starting with their XpressMusic line. I had the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic, then upgraded to a Nokia 5800 XpressMusic for its touchscreen display.
I received my first Apple product in 2009 in the form of the iPod nano 4th gen. I fell in love with Apple’s design and simple interface that it encouraged me to upgrade to its iPod touch lineup. I bought the iPod touch 3rd gen in 2010 followed by the iPod touch 4th gen a year later. Both have been handed down in the family.
Fast forward to the present, dedicated music players are quickly being replaced by smartphones. Looking at my Clicker now, it amazes me how much technology has improved over the years. Right now my smartphone handles all my music needs and I don’t think I’d be needing a dedicated player anytime soon unless something remarkable comes along that will make me go back.
With this article I’m officially putting my first MP3 player to rest. I have no plans of throwing this away though. I would probably keep this for a few more years then show it to my son and tell him how we listened to digital music back then.
How about you? Do you still remember your first MP3 player? :)
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