That said, a lot of the digital audio players do consider aesthetics, which I really appreciate. I’m old enough that an MP3 player isn’t really nostalgic for me. So for me, it really is largely practical.

I’d much rather run the risk of my player dying on me than my phone. Plus, it’s handy for exercising because I don’t have to use data to stream or only have part of my music collection clogging my phone storage.

At home, I like to use one so my music doesn’t get interrupted by notifications or calls. My current employer allows us to listen to music with headphones, but forbids phones (and anything with a camera) on the production floor, so having a non-iPod, non-phone was essential.