World’s Most Expensive MP3 Players

MP3 players have taken the world by storm since Apple released their original 5 GB iPod in 2001. The iPod wasn’t the first MP3 player, though. The first of the modern successors to portable tape and CD players was produced in 1997 by SaeHan Information Systems. Their MPMan, later licensed to Eiger Labs for distribution in North America, held only 32 MB of music.

Since then, MP3 players have become almost as ubiquitous as cell phones—and they’re status symbols in the same way cell phones are, as well. A variety of expensive MP3 players have been released in the past decade. What follows are the most expensive MP3 players in the world.

TrekStore i.Beat Organix Gold – $20,000

Wowing attendees at CeBIT 2006, the TrekStor i.Beat Organix gold MP3 player was one of the first luxury MP3 players. Cast in 18 karat gold and covered with 63 one carat diamonds, the player’s technical specifications included a gigabyte of memory, a Lithium-polymer battery that allowed an operating time of twenty-five hours, an FM radio, SRS WOW surround sound and even an audio recorder for note-taking.

iDiamond iPod Shuffle – $40,000

This diamond-encrusted version of the iPod Shuffle was offered as part of an auction at the Feast of Albion. The auction also included a chauffeured Jaguar XJ and VIP tickets to see Roger Waters’ final performance of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. The iPod and accompanying headphones are made of 18k white and pink gold. There are 430 diamonds on the iPod and another 118 on the headphones. While its estimated worth is around $40,000, its exact value is up in the air since it is a unique item sold as part of a larger auction prize.

Meng Duo’s Douglas.J Presidential HD – $44,000

Over twice as expensive, however, was the Douglas.J Presidential MP3 player by London-based Meng Duo Ltd. When ordering your own Presidential, you needed to choose not only the gold used in the casing (white or yellow) but also the physical configuration of the diamond buttons set in the front of the player. This expensive digital audio player included a gigabyte of memory, a 65k color screen for video playback and support for a plethora of audio and video file formats. The price also included Class 85 membership that provided exclusive access to a small group of clubs as well as hand delivery of the blinged out MP3 player anywhere in the world.

Stuart Hughes’ iPod Touch Supreme Fire Edition – $330,000

The latest luxury gadget by Stuart Hughes, this iPod Touch—already a costly MP3 player—has been refitted with 125 grams of solid 24k gold and embellished with 124 flawless diamonds totalling 75 carats. That includes an Apple logo set with fifty-three diamonds, a border of diamonds around the face and a 2-carat diamond set in the center of the home button and surrounded by twenty-eight smaller diamonds. This luxury iPod is a limited item and only three will be made.

For the cash-strapped, Hughes also offers his standard iPod Touch Supreme for about $220,000