3 iconic MP3 players as essential as the iPod

The iPod is probably what comes to mind when you try to think of an iconic MP3 player that has since become a relic of the not-so-distant past. However, those of us who are old enough to remember those early iPod commercials (we still can’t decide whether those dark silhouettes dancing against solid-colored backgrounds were awesome or confusing) know that the iPod was far from the only competitor in the mobile MP3 player arena. While it was perhaps the most popular, many other devices allowed users to carry hundreds (if not thousands!) of tunes in their pockets. Some of the iPod alternatives even featured unique designs and features that rivaled those of the best-known portable MP3 playing device.

Let’s go over a few of them. They may no longer exist, but for some, they can harken back to a time when your chosen MP3 player was something of a personal statement. We may remember the iPod best, but those who know better understand that it was just one of many devices that put music in the palm of our hands some twenty years ago.

If you were a young adult when the iPod began defining “cool” from “uncool” at your high school, you may remember that the Zune was the butt of a few jokes. For some reason, many decided that a Zune was a sign that you couldn’t afford an iPod, which Apple fans determined was the superior device by default.

However, when the Zune first hit stores, it’s worth noting that some professional tech editors and journalists considered it an improvement over the iPod. For example, some pointed out that the Zune’s screen was reasonably large and attractive. Additionally, the Zune offered features such as its own subscription service to compete with iTunes. According to some users in communities like Reddit’s r/nostalgia subreddit, Zune’s music store was actually “much better” than iTunes thanks to an interface that prioritized “artistry.”

Reviewers even claimed that the Zune device’s interface was more user-friendly than that of the iPod. They highlighted the fact that it was visually more dynamic and the buttons were more intuitive. Since the Zune’s screen (when initially released) was also half an inch larger than the iPod’s, it provided a more impressive experience for viewing photos and videos.

We all know the Zune didn’t last – but hey, neither did the iPod. Regardless, those willing to give it an honest try often found the Zune more deserving than the scorn it received from Apple elitists.

Even if you don’t remember the beginnings of the mobile MP3 player wars, you may have at least heard of the Zune. Rio Karma, on the other hand, is more likely to have been forgotten.

This makes reading old reviews of the device as well as nostalgia-tinged opinion pieces all the more interesting. It turns out that this little MP3 player offered a few unique features that, like the Zune, made it a worthy competitor to the giant Apple.

For example, at the time of its release, the Rio Karma offered approximately double the battery life of the equivalent iPod. This is a pretty significant technological achievement that should not be downplayed. Besides MP3s, it can also play tracks in other audio formats, such as WMA and FLAC. Although it didn’t offer its own subscription music service, it did allow users to rip tracks from CDs and transfer the files to the device – something early users would likely have been comfortable with, having probably spent more than a few hours burning CDs in the Napster days.

Other benefits of the Rio Karma include its easy-to-learn interface. Although the lack of traditional buttons on the iPod may have made Apple’s MP3 player sleeker and more modern, the Rio Karma was designed to ensure that virtually any user could easily learn their way around. Perhaps more importantly, it was significantly more affordable than the iPod. Although no iteration of the Rio Karma has ever achieved major commercial success, reviews past and present indicate that it offered more than many users could have imagined.

There was a time when Sony was the king of cool gadgets. After all, this is the company that made portable music players accessible to the masses with the Walkman. So it makes sense that Sony would try to compete with the iPod and Zune. One of its most iconic entries into the mobile MP3 player space was the NW-MS70D.

The most distinctive feature of this device was its size. Even though the Zune and iPod were already quite small, this MP3 player was only slightly larger than a fancy key chain. Luckily, the build quality means the device won’t break easily.

Unfortunately, while it was easily portable, it was less than ideal in other areas. For example, users had to download tracks to the device through software that first converted the files to Sony’s proprietary format. This may result in loss of audio quality. Unlike the Zune and iPod, the NW-MS70D also had a fairly small screen that limited users’ ability to easily scroll through and find their favorite tracks.

In an age where retro technology like vinyl records and minimalist flip phones are making a comeback, some might wonder if Gen Z is also likely to embrace these artifacts from an earlier era. Given that no one makes them anymore, this seems unlikely. Yet we should not rewrite history. It’s easy to claim that the iPod has always been the one and only iconic MP3 player, but these examples prove that the truth was and is (as is often the case) much more complicated.