I’ve never been a fan of U2. I don’t have a single one of their albums. I’ll tell you what I’m a big fan of. I’m a big fan of discontinued Special Edition iPods in the box, in working order, with their accessories.

Say Hello to the 2004 U2 Special Edition 4th gen 20GB iPod.




I guess if you’re a U2 fan, this was a pretty big deal. Even if I was a fan, I don’t know if I would have spent the extra $50 bucks for it. It was $349 when it came out in 2004. Back then, I opted for the standard-issue white iPod which was $299. Not that I’m cheap, it’s just that, the U2 iPod came with a $50 coupon for the iTunes Music Store. It gave you all their music in one convenient download. I’m sure anyone willing to spend $350 on a U2 iPod, already had all their music. So it kind of does’t make any sense. You’re really paying and extra $50 just for the design and not the music. That’s cool and all, but I still wouldn’t have gone for it. I’d rather have an iPod that remains timeless versus and iPod from a band that I might hate 5 years down the road. I mean, what if it was a Hootie and the Blowfish iPod. How cool would you look now?

Then again. I’m probably a hypocrite, because I’d rock a Nine Inch Nails iPod any day.

So what’s included? Let’s have a look.



All the documentation is still included. Including the U2 poster, $50 iTunes coupon, and Apple stickers. I tried the coupon code just for kicks, but iTunes said it was invalid. (Hey you never know.)



The booklet on the top of the stack is actually a poster. It folds out to reveal a hand-written message from Bono, barely legible and full of spelling mistakes and cross-outs. I would have been a little neater about it, but that’s me.





Besides the documentation, there’s also a pair of headphones, FireWire charger, and FireWire and USB cables. They all look pretty new.



Now for the iPod. It works, although it has some rough spots. It’s definitely been kicked around.



The finish is OK. It has some small surface scuffs and a little ding on the back case.



The previous owner must have cracked it open at some point to do a battery swap. The side of the case has that “used a metal screwdriver instead of a plastic spludger” look.



In any case, it works. I powered it on and it had just enough power to start up. There’s no music on it. The previous owner wiped it clean.



I plugged it into my Mac and iTunes picked it up right away. Just like all iPods, iTunes knows exactly what kind it is and displays it with the appropriate icon.



As does the Finder. Looks like this iPod is in perfect working order.



I’ll keep my eye on eBay for a replacement front and back cover. Then it’ll look as good as new.

Nice, a little more color for the iPod shelf.