After reigning for years as a symbol of contemporary design, with its minimalist white finish and chrome accents, the iPod is going retro.

For most the iconic music player's white earbuds are a fashion statement enough, but Brisbane graphics designer Josh Darrah has always thought modern stylings were crass compared to old fashioned wood.

So he took matters into his own hands, gutting the electronic innards of his iPod mini, iTrip FM radio accessory and iPod dock and putting them into his own chassis, handmade from Australian red cedar.

The reaction from friends has been so positive that he is now investigating how he could mass produce the wooden casings and sell them online as part of a do-it-yourself kit.

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Photo gallery: The iPod goes retro
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Darrah said he was even researching whether he could create a wooden iPhone, but would first try to master the craft with the regular, simpler iPod range.

"I'm working out how to streamline the process of making it using routers and a bit of program machinery to carve the wood, so I don't have to do them by hand," he said in a phone interview.

Darrah, 29, who works as a graphics designer for the University of Queensland, said the whole process took him about four weekends and cost about $16.

He simply carved out and hollowed front and back plates for the iPod and separately created a thin wooden click wheel, which replaced the original plastic version without issue.

Darrah also carved and shaped brass end plates, and opted for screws instead of glue to hold everything together.

"Some people have thought it's ironic and harking back to the old days but I guess I just like wood," said Darrah.

"It wasn't a big social comment on my part."