Shock As Grandma's iPod Has Been Playing 'On Loop' for a Decade

Walking into your grandparents' house can often be like a time machine portal to the past, but this woman got the ultimate throwback when she discovered her grandma's iPod Classic.

While visiting her 90-year-old grandma recently, Sydney Utendahl could hear the faint sound of music coming from the retro iPod Classic in the corner of the room. Not only did the iPod still work, but it had been hooked up to a Sony speaker dock for the last 10 years and hasn't stopped playing once.

In her amazement, Utendahl shared a video of the nostalgic device on TikTok (@sydneyutendahl) on October 12, claiming that "this has to be some sort of world record." The video quickly went viral and generated over 1 million views and more than 131,000 likes in a single day.

"She doesn't know how to pause it or anything...she turns the volume up and down," said Utendahl. "It's been playing on shuffle she said for over 10 years."

The iPod was Apple's first major step into the world of handheld devices when it was released in 2001, and it led to a total revolution of the way we listen to music. Gone were the days of carrying CDs everywhere or rewinding tapes to get back to the start—the iPod had all the music you could possibly want in the palm of your hand.

Following the success of the iPod Classic, Apple expanded its catalog with a whole range of different models, including the iPod Nano, Touch, Mini, and Shuffle. But as the new models continued to get smaller, the bulkier iPod Classic remained a firm fan favorite until it was discontinued in 2014.

In 2008, sales of Apple iPods amounted to more than 54 million units, according to Statista. As the rise of the iPhone took over, and streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music broke through, iPods became a relic of the past. In 2014, after a sharp decline in sales, Statista said that iPod sales represented 1 percent of Apple's revenue.

The black iPod Classic that Utendahl discovered still looked in near-perfect condition, but she admitted to being "scared to touch it" for fear of breaking the device. Instead, she left the speaker to play the couple hundred songs that her grandma has on her library, as Utendahl explained that they "just play on loop."

The blast from the past has delighted many social media users, with more than 1,400 comments on the post already. A lot of TikTok users have shared in the nostalgia and disbelief that it's still working.

One comment reads: "How has the battery not exploded from the constant charge?"

Another person responded: "Hardest working iPod in the game."

While another TikTok user wrote: "Props to her for knowing how to adapt in an ever-changing world."

Newsweek reached out to @sydneyutendahl via Instagram for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.

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