>A retail price of $250 seems way over the mark for what it is.

There are, in 2026, dozens of models of mp3 players selling from around $120 to even up to $400 or so, from brands from Chinese OEMs to Sony, including a few that mimic the iPod interface. From iPod style to expensive DAC ones with impendance tailored to high end headphones.

>But seriously, who would be the target here?

People interested in mp3 players.

People who want to focus on music listening, and not have a constant distraction device at hand when doing it.

>Phones already do a great job of offline with downloaded music and movies so that doesn't seem like the right crowd.

Seems like you've missed the whole "back to focused use device" trend going on for the last few years and that general niche.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00lLrwHQPns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaTRhWazMPs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFVo1bmUXzw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viU9JhIsbl4

https://www.audiophileon.com/news/hd-music-player-top-10

https://www.whathifi.com/best-buys/portable/best-portable-mu...

https://www.techradar.com/news/best-mp3-players-techradars-g...