Young people crave uni-taskers and it's not that deep
The resurgence of the iPod and analogue technology with buttons is not a coincidence. People crave for new experiences.
People forget that today's 20 somethings have not seen the era of Casette tapes, multi-button electronics, iPods, etc. They probably saw the tail-end of that when they were growing up. But it's been mostly touch-screen slabs for them.
Touch Screen slabs, with subscription laden services have practically not changed over the last 15 years.
People want new things, they are nostalgic about the past, and now see the iPod in a new light, it's not "one more device to carry", it's a dedicated device for music.
They also see its benefits. It's not got apps, services, notifications, etc. so they can listen to the music they like in peace. After all, dedicated hardware will always be better at certain things than general purpose hardware. So the iPod is coming back.
This is what happens when you raise a generation on nothing but touch screens. They get tired of them. They see the negatives more clearly than those who invented them.
As for me, the creator of The Unitasker Manifesto, I couldn't be happier. I love the iPod.