Illustration of this model. Your unit may vary.
Refurbished iPod Photo (4th Generation) — Flash-Storage Modded
Model A1099
$240.95
- Used (Apple Original)
- 128GB flash
- New battery
- Tested by iMods
- 1-year limited warranty
Sold out
Not for sale right now
We are not selling this iPod at the moment.
- Apple original iPod, tested by iMods
- 1-year limited warranty · 30-day returns from delivery
- Built after you order: ships in 1 to 3 business days. Free US shipping on orders of $200 or more.
Questions about this iPod? Chat with us or email sales@imods.com.
Ships as the iPod only.
Your iPod
This iPod
What you get with this iPod
What we did
- Tested before sale: controls, display, sync and audio
- New battery fitted
- 128GB flash card and adapter fitted, formatted and restored
- Original Apple case with normal signs of use
In the box
In the box: the iPod only, no cables. The 1-year limited warranty is our own cover on this iPod and runs from the date of delivery.
Versions
How to identify the iPod Photo (4th Generation): model and order numbers
| Order number | Listing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| — | This listing | From $240.95 |
| M9830LL/A | Refurbished iPod Photo (4th Generation) — 60GB White (M9830LL/A) | From $125.95 |
| M9586LL/A | Refurbished iPod Photo (4th Generation) — 60GB White (M9586LL/A) | From $125.95 |
| PS493AA | Refurbished iPod Photo (4th Generation) HP Invent Edition — 60GB White (PS493AA) | From $312.95 |
| M9585LL/A | Refurbished iPod Photo (4th Generation) — 40GB White (M9585LL/A) | From $137.95 |
| M9829LL/A | Refurbished iPod Photo (4th Generation) — 30GB White (M9829LL/A) | From $125.95 |
| PS492AA | Refurbished iPod Photo (4th Generation) HP Invent Edition — 30GB White (PS492AA) | From $137.95 |
| MA079LL/A | Refurbished iPod Photo (4th Generation) — 20GB White (MA079LL/A) | From $112.95 |
| MA127LL/A | Refurbished iPod Photo (4th Generation) — 20GB U2 Color Edition (MA127LL/A) | From $347.95 |
Setup and reset
How to reset, turn off and restore the iPod Photo (4th Generation)
Reset: slide Hold on and off, then hold Menu and the center button until the Apple logo appears. It keeps your music and files; some settings may reset.
Something wrong with an iPod like this? Parts and free repair quote
iPod details
About this iPod
Overview
Refurbished iPod Photo (4th Generation) — inspected, function-tested, and ready to play. Confirm the exact capacity, color, and order number on this listing before you buy.
Model snapshot
About This iPod
The iPod Photo represented Apple's first step toward making the iPod a multimedia device rather than just a music player. Announced October 26, 2004, its 2-inch, 220x176 pixel, 65,536-color LCD was the first color display in the iPod line, capable of showing album art, photo slideshows, and TV output through Apple's AV cable (bundled at retail only with the 2004 launch models; sold separately afterward).
About This Variant
A complete, working iPod Photo whose mechanical hard drive has already been replaced with a flash adapter and a memory card. You choose the installed capacity at checkout — 128GB or 256GB — and the card of that size is already inside the iPod when it ships. There is no unnamed option: every build states the capacity it carries. Flash storage is quieter, draws less power and has no moving parts to fail.
What Changed
- Display: 2-inch 220x176 color LCD with 65,536 colors replacing the 160x128 monochrome LCD — the first color display in the iPod line
- Photo Support: JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PNG and — on a Mac — PSD photo viewing; TV output through Apple's AV cable (a 2004 launch-box item, later sold separately) for photo slideshows with music
- Interface: Same Click Wheel interface but with color UI elements and album art display during playback
What's Included
- Refurbished iPod
- 1-year limited warranty
Ships as the iPod only — no cable, wall charger, or headphones are included. A restore that stops at a picture of a plug must finish on a wall charger (Apple's A1070 power adapter is the ideal choice; a generic charger may not give the right voltage).
Model and specs
Choosing Your Installed Capacity
The capacity you pick at checkout is the size of the SD card already fitted inside this iPod: 128GB or 256GB. It is not an upgrade you carry out afterwards, and it is not a nameless option — the iPod ships with that card installed, formatted and restored.
| Installed capacity | What it means on this iPod |
|---|---|
| 128GB | More than twice the largest hard-drive Photo Apple ever sold. Apple rated the 60GB model at about 15,000 songs in 128-Kbps AAC; 128GB keeps a library that size at a higher bitrate, or mixes in lossless files. Past roughly this point the card stops being what limits you and the music database starts to be. |
| 256GB | The largest card we fit on this model. A sensible ceiling for an all-lossless library. |
The real ceiling is the track count, not the gigabytes. This iPod has 32 MB of memory and keeps its library in a database that has to fit in it, so the practical limit is somewhere around twenty thousand tracks whatever card is fitted. The limit is the size of the iTunes database and the memory on the iPod board rather than anything about the adapter, and pushing past it shows up as random resets, resets on large playlists, or the iPod hanging on the lit Apple logo. If you want a library larger than that, Rockbox is the usual answer — it is a stable port on this model (target name ipodcolor), it installs alongside Apple's software rather than replacing it, and it allows a far larger playlist than the Apple software does.
Whichever size you choose, the iPod itself is the same: the same A1099 color-display Photo, the same Click Wheel, the same 30-pin dock connector, the same parts. Flash also draws less power than the hard drive it replaces, so the iPod plays longer on a charge than it would on its hard drive.
Exact Model Identification
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Apple Model Number | A1099 |
| Capacity | Flash: 128GB or 256GB, as chosen at checkout |
| Color | White |
| EMC | EMC 2022 |
Every variant in this generation shares the Apple model number A1099 — the order number is what identifies the exact unit. The order number is not engraved on the case: the back carries the model number (A1099), the EMC number and the serial number.
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Storage Type | IDE flash adapter + SD card (solid state) |
| Installed Capacity | 128GB or 256GB — the card is fitted before the iPod ships |
| Display | 2" Color TFT 220x176 |
| Audio CODEC | Wolfson WM8975 |
| Battery (Original) | Li-Ion, Apple-rated 15 hours music / 5 hours photo slideshow (616-0206 family) |
| Model Numbers | A1099 |
| RAM | 32 MB |
| Processor | Dual ARM7TDMI, 80 MHz |
| Available Capacities | 128GB, 256GB |
Compatibility
Sync it with iTunes on a Windows PC, or with the Finder on a Mac (macOS Catalina and later). Step by step: How to put music on an iPod.
Questions
Buyer FAQ
What should I check when it arrives?
Confirm the capacity, color and Apple model number against Exact Model Identification. Then test charging, sync/restore, controls, audio, hold switch, display, and several full tracks before loading your library. Two sequences are worth knowing before you need them: to reset, hold Menu + Select until the Apple logo appears; for Disk Mode, reset and then hold Select + Play/Pause. This iPod has no Volume Limit setting in its menus — Apple added that to later models — so there is no volume lock to hunt for. This listing is for a white flash-modded unit at the capacity you selected; check that Settings › About reports the size you ordered.
Does this work with my Mac or PC?
On a Windows PC use iTunes for Windows — often the simplest way to restore it. On a Mac with macOS Catalina or later sync in the Finder (iTunes on older Macs); if a current Mac will not see the iPod, fall back to an older Mac or a Windows PC.
How long does the battery last on a used one?
Runtime depends on battery age, capacity, storage type, and backlight use. For scale, Apple rated this iPod at up to 15 hours of music and up to 5 hours of photo slideshows without video out from a full charge, and put a full charge at about 5 hours. A new replacement cell in the 616-0206 family is fitted before the iPod ships, unless the listing says otherwise. It is the standard new 750 mAh pack, or the new extended-life 1,200 mAh pack if you pick it under Battery above. A flash build draws less power than the original hard drive, so it plays longer on a charge.
Should I buy stock or Flash-Storage Modded?
Choose stock if you want the original hard-drive experience and the lowest complexity. Choose a flash build if you want solid-state storage, lower power draw and no spinning drive. On this generation the flash build uses a single-card IDE-to-SD adapter in place of the 1.8-inch hard drive; our ready-built flash iPods name the installed capacity you are choosing, and our flash mod service fits one in an iPod you already own (installed by mail).
Will it work with my car's USB port?
Sometimes, and it is the car that decides. Owners report modern car USB ports answering "unsupported version", or doing nothing at all, with this iPod — one names an iPod photo on software 1.2.1 refused by a 2009 car. This iPod syncs and charges over USB with a computer, so a car port that refuses it is an accessory-support limit in the car, not a fault in the iPod, and there is no software update that bridges it: this model's software ended at 1.2.1. What does work: the car's aux input with a headphone cable, or a dock/line-out cable into aux, and a USB wall adapter or the car's 12V socket for charging. If you are buying for a specific car, check that car's iPod support before you plan on the USB port.
More questions, answered step by step:
Refurbished and custom
Your music. Your kind of iPod.
Pick your iPod, then its color, storage and battery. On the iPod Video 5th Gen and the iPod Classic 6th and 7th Gen you can also choose a new case in your colors and, with flash storage, the 2000mAh extended-life battery. Every iPod we sell is cleaned, tested, fitted with a new battery and covered by a 1-year limited warranty.
Want a silent iPod? Choose flash storage: it has no moving parts to wear out, and it goes up to 1TB on the 60GB and 80GB iPod Video 5th Gen and the iPod Classic 7th Gen.
