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- 1The rise, fall, and rise of portable MP3 players●The rise, fall, and rise of portable MP3 players This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential s
A new edition of The Stepback, Terrence O'Brien's weekly tech newsletter, traces the story of portable MP3 players — their rise in the late 1990s and 2000s, their decline after smartphones absorbed music playback, and their recent resurgence. The piece explores why dedicated media players are finding new life among listeners who want to unplug from their phones.