GRID Studio is known for creating unique wall art showcasing the history of iconic devices, ranging from the original iPhone to the original Game Boy. Each device is disassembled and the components are artistically displayed and labeled in a frame.

GRID Studio iPod Touch 1
The company recently sent me their iPod touch frame for review. The original iPod touch was the first Apple product that I ever owned, and led me down the path of becoming an Apple reporter, so the device is very meaningful to me. However, note that the frame contains the second-generation iPod touch, released in September 2008.

Priced at $139 in the United States, the iPod touch frame is one of GRID Studio's more affordable options and would make a great gift for an Apple fan this holiday season, especially after the final iPod touch was discontinued earlier this year. It also offers frames for several iPhones, the iPad mini, the iPod classic, and the Apple Watch.

The frame is nicely packaged in thick black paper with a ribbon and a wax seal. Inside, my frame was in good condition with the exception of two small scuffs on the rear side of the black border near the clips that keep the backboard secured. While unideal, this damage is very minor and is out of sight when the frame is hanging on the wall.

GRID Studio iPod Touch 2
The front plastic cover is covered in protective film that needs to be removed. I immediately started tearing off the plastic film, but this resulted in pieces getting stuck under the black border, at which point I realized that it would have been a better idea to take off the back cover and remove the plastic film in one piece, so keep that in mind.

Components in the frame include the iPod touch's front panel with a printed screenshot, Home button, 3.5-inch multi-touch display, logic board, rear shell with a headphone jack and 30-pin dock connector, various flex cables and buttons, and more. The frame also includes the original iPod touch's wordmark and September 5, 2007 introduction date, along with a quote from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

There are some scratches and a tiny dent on the rear shell of the iPod touch, as the device is used, but this isn't an issue to me and the frame would be much more expensive if it contained a brand new device. I do wish it were the original iPod touch, but the second-generation model is still old enough to capture the nostalgia of the device.

GRID Studio iPod Touch 3
There are two small hooks on the back of the frame for hanging the artwork on a wall, and an additional pair of hooks in the box.

All in all, the frame is high quality and is a very cool piece of wall art. Beyond two tiny scuffs on the back of the frame, which may have arisen during shipping, I have no complaints. There is certainly cheaper wall art out there, but GRID Studio frames are worth considering if you are a devoted Apple fan or know someone who is.

GRID Studio's frames can be purchased on its website, with many options still available for delivery before December 25.

Note: GRID Studio provided MacRumors with a framed ‌iPod touch for the purpose of this review, but no other compensation was received. This is not a paid advertisement.

Related Forum: iPod touch and iPod

Top Rated Comments

The Cappy Avatar
19 months ago

This is not art.
It is a form of art. It may not be something you like, but there is definitely art involved. There's a presentation and a style. There's composition. Another poster said it seemed more like taxidermy. Possibly that. But taxidermy is also a form of art. The people who articulate and pose the dinosaur bones in museums are performing a similar art. The people who create dioramas in museums are creating art.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Dee Avatar
19 months ago
This was also my first iOS device. Still have it running iOS 5, won it in a Twitter Giveaway (remember those)?



Attachment Image
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Eitherone Avatar
19 months ago
Looks more like taxidermy than “lives on”
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dockgaze Avatar
19 months ago
Still use mine as a music storage/player using this fine ‘Designed in California’ direct line audio out iPod stand from Apple lol (still sounds great)

Attachment Image
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iPod’s Gateway Avatar
19 months ago
I liked the reviewer’s note that this was a first device. Maybe more affordable if I could get a nice iPod nano framed, my first Apple product!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bwillwall Avatar
19 months ago
The 2nd gen iPod Touch was the first iPod I ever had when I was 13, seeing this definitely brings back memories for me
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Apple Silicon AI Optimized Feature Siri

Apple Releases Open Source AI Models That Run On-Device

Wednesday April 24, 2024 3:39 pm PDT by
Apple today released several open source large language models (LLMs) that are designed to run on-device rather than through cloud servers. Called OpenELM (Open-source Efficient Language Models), the LLMs are available on the Hugging Face Hub, a community for sharing AI code. As outlined in a white paper [PDF], there are eight total OpenELM models, four of which were pre-trained using the...
iOS 18 Siri Integrated Feature

iOS 18 Rumored to Add These 10 New Features to Your iPhone

Wednesday April 24, 2024 2:05 pm PDT by
Apple is set to unveil iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, so the software update is a little over six weeks away from being announced. Below, we recap rumored features and changes planned for the iPhone with iOS 18. iOS 18 will reportedly be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, with new ChatGPT-inspired generative AI features, a more customizable Home Screen, and much more....
Apple Vision Pro Dual Loop Band Orange Feature 2

Apple Cuts Vision Pro Shipments as Demand Falls 'Sharply Beyond Expectations'

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:44 am PDT by
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations." As a...
iPad And Calculator App Feature 1

Apple Finally Plans to Release a Calculator App for iPad Later This Year

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:08 am PDT by
Apple is finally planning a Calculator app for the iPad, over 14 years after launching the device, according to a source familiar with the matter. iPadOS 18 will include a built-in Calculator app for all iPad models that are compatible with the software update, which is expected to be unveiled during the opening keynote of Apple's annual developers conference WWDC on June 10. AppleInsider...