The Gadgets Page

While we were in Las Vegas, we stayed at the Las Vegas Hilton. In the lobby by the elevators to our room, stood this machine, the iPod vending machine.

Here is a video of a girl buying an iPod from the same vending machine:

Just like buying a Diet Coke, you could punch up your order, swipe your card and you’ve got the newest 60MB Video iPod at your disposal. The prices weren’t even marked up. They were for sale at the same price as the local Fry’s.

We had all dismissed it as a novelty until we saw someone plunk down $250 for an iPod on the spur of the moment. The arm of the machine smoothly picked up the iPod and placed it in the bin (no dropping like they do with the bag of potato chips). The guy reached down and picked up his new, beautiful personal entertainment device and a whole new world opened up to me: a world in which I can buy an iPod in the hotel lobby like a candy bar or a bottle of Diet Coke.

This video shows how smoothly the machine delivers your product:

Apparently, there is also one in San Francisco:

And Atlanta: