For what it matters, I still use an MP3 player. I’ve had people look at it a bit bemused. It’s still the most useful way of listening to music I can imagine. Super simple, doesn’t stop working when my train is inside a tunnel, and isn’t as desperately battery-hungry as my phone (which I generally need charged for more useful reasons anyway). That’s an obvious case of a piece of tech that was really convenient and useful and only got phased out because it was a pain from the seller’s side to support (it would have been easy if anyone had said “fuck it” and started selling DRM-free music but of course can’t do that, what if you copied it).
I would still use an actual mp3 player, but ReplayGain (volume adjustment) has irrevocably spoiled me. And also, wireless earbuds have finally gotten good since then. So, phone-as-a-mp3-player it is.
For what it matters, I still use an MP3 player. I’ve had people look at it a bit bemused. It’s still the most useful way of listening to music I can imagine. Super simple, doesn’t stop working when my train is inside a tunnel, and isn’t as desperately battery-hungry as my phone (which I generally need charged for more useful reasons anyway). That’s an obvious case of a piece of tech that was really convenient and useful and only got phased out because it was a pain from the seller’s side to support (it would have been easy if anyone had said “fuck it” and started selling DRM-free music but of course can’t do that, what if you copied it).
I would still use an actual mp3 player, but ReplayGain (volume adjustment) has irrevocably spoiled me. And also, wireless earbuds have finally gotten good since then. So, phone-as-a-mp3-player it is.