Last weekend, I met a group of friends to watch the India vs. New Zealand cricket match. Amid the excitement of the game, one moment stood out—a quiet, almost unnoticed interaction that made me reflect on how quickly technology evolves. One of my friends had brought his 4-year-old daughter along, and she was engrossed in a painting book. The book had outlines of various objects that kids could fill with crayons or paint. Among the drawings of cars, animals, and household items, there was an outline of an iPod with its iconic wired earphones. It struck me that this little girl, born in the 2020s, would likely never see or use an iPod in her lifetime. For her, it was just another shape to color, but for us, it was a relic of our past.
The iPod was once the epitome of cool. In school and college, owning one was a status symbol. It wasn’t just a music player; it was a statement. I remember saving up for months to buy my first iPod, and the excitement of loading it with songs, creating playlists, and sharing earphones with friends. The click wheel, the sleek design, and the way it fit perfectly in your pocket—it was a marvel of its time. Yet, here we were, decades later, sitting with a child who would never know what it felt like to hold one. The iPod, which once defined an era, has now become a footnote in the history of technology.
This moment made me think about how technology grows and fades. The iPod, once revolutionary, has been replaced by smartphones that do far more than play music. Streaming services have made physical music players obsolete, and wireless earbuds have replaced tangled wires. What was once cutting-edge is now irrelevant, and this cycle is only accelerating. The kids of the 2020s are growing up in a world where technology is seamlessly integrated into their lives. For them, concepts like wired earphones or standalone music players are as foreign as cassette tapes were to us. It’s not just about the iPod; it’s about how every generation has its own defining gadgets, only to see them replaced by something newer and better.
As I watched the little girl color the iPod drawing, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia mixed with curiosity. What will the next generation’s “iPod moment” be? What gadgets or technologies that we consider essential today will become obsolete for them? The pace of technological change is relentless, and it’s fascinating to think about how these shifts shape our experiences and memories. The iPod may be gone, but it serves as a reminder of how quickly the world moves forward—and how important it is to appreciate the tools and toys of our time before they become history.