At Buyers HQ, we’re committed to the idea that more is better, especially when more is less!   The Memorex MI1003 iPod Speaker System with Remote Control was first featured on our site back in November 2009, our second month in business.  It also happened to be one of our most popular deals of the day ever, helping us to establish ourselves as THE headquarters for bargain seekers online.  When we found a new batch available from our distributors, a wave of nostalgia washed over us.  It only made sense to bring this deal back.

But here’s the kicker—today only, we’re offering the iPod Speaker System at an even lower price than we were able to originally!  The suggested retail price for these babies is $39.99, which, frankly, we find outrageous.  That’s why we sold ‘em for only $18.99 last year.  As a thank-you to our loyal buyers, we’re slashing that price even lower today, to $15.99!

All of  the features that made the Memorex MI1003 such a popular deal before are intact:  It plays any iPod, and it’s got an S-Video output to watch iPod video on your TV as well as an RCA subwoofer output to kick the bass into overdrive.  Enjoy the return of the Memorex mack, and if there’s another Buyers HQ deal you’d like to see again, head on over to our Facebook page and let us know!

I like the idea of my iPod having a little home of its own.  Today's deal of the day reminds me of the plush bed I bought for my dog, except it plays MP3s and doesn't smell awful.  Still, it's nice to be able to tuck my iPod in at night, content in the knowledge that's it's recharging while I sleep, relaxing me with its digital lullabies.  It makes my iPod seem almost like a pet.

You’d think I’d be a little uncomfortable with that notion.  After all, iPods are unfeeling machines who can’t show affection the way a dog or kitty could, and when they die, you can’t get a new one free at the pound.  I guess people are already treating their MP3 players like pets, though, what with buying them new clothes and ringtones and playing with them all the time to the detriment of their human relationships.  I’m sure Steve Jobs is working on a furry model as we speak.

The 1980s were the decade when portable music players really took off.  Not only did the 80s see the rise of the classic ghetto blastin’ boombox, but the game-changing Sony Walkman, as well.  In those days, cassette tapes were the only way to carry your tunes with you, and even though that format has been obsolete for nearly 20 years now, the portable stereo systems used to play cassettes have lived on as highly nostalgic collector’s items.

It’s enough to make one wonder:  Is that the fate that awaits our iPods and docking consoles today?  In another 20 years, will some new revolutionary portable music device have taken the world by storm, relegating iPods to the recycling bin?  And if so, will systems like today’s Memorex MI1003 Speaker System become as collectible as the iconic boombox has?  It’s tough to say for certain.  Just to be safe, though, I’m buying 30 of them.

What gadget or device today do you think has the most potential to become tomorrow’s prized collectible?

When did we make the change from a headphone society to an earbud society?  Growing up, everybody had a huge set of over-the-ear, noise-canceling headphones that plugged into the quarter-inch jack on the family sound receiver.  We’d listen to our dad’s Pink Floyd and Beatles records, transfixed in our own little inner space, nothing entering our minds but the music.  By the time we were teenagers, the stylish black headphones  that came with every Sony Walkman were the mark of a true music lover.  So what if they mussed our moussed-up do’s?  They delivered the portable punch of stereo sound.

Nowadays, we’ve got more portable music devices floating around than any time in history, and you never see headphones anymore.  Everybody’s got tiny buds crammed into their ear canals.  Sure, some (like the Kicker EB101s) are comfortable and offer the same sound fidelity as the priciest pro set of cans, but it’s just not the same.  Who’s to blame for this decimation of headphones?  Steve Jobs?  Nintendo?  I can’t say for sure, but I have every intention of fitting in.  That’s what music is about!  So goodbye forever, headphones!  You didn’t fit the jack in my iPhone, anyway.

I think we can all agree that compact discs are the greatest musical format ever to have been created.  Sure, the kids these days go for the mp3s, but what is an mp3?  Can you hold it in your hand?  Can you use an mp3 as a mirror to apply your makeup?  Can you use an mp3 as a coffee table coaster after you get tired of it and embarrassed that you ever downloaded it?  No, of course you can’t . 

Sure, CDs got scratched from time to time.  But vinyl gets scratched by the very device created to play it!  And at least you never have to try to rewind a busted CD with a pen cap like you had to with cassettes.  These little discs had the greatest sound fidelity of any format ever, and they were virtually maintenance free!  They won’t melt, they won’t warp, and they can’t get erased by a freaking refrigerator magnet. 

CDs may be extinct, but it’s high time we showed them a little respect.  They digitized music once and for all.  Without CDs, no one could have ever ripped those trillion mp3s you’ve got sitting around on your external hard drive.  CDs showed us the future of music.  Let us never forget.
Now, minidiscs? Yeah, those were lame.