music orb: portable music goes back to nature

Ok, I’ll say it now. This music player only plays one tune, “Voi Che Sapete,” from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, but it sure looks cool doing it.

The Music Orb is a perfectly smooth wooden globe that contains a tiny mechanical music box. Artisans on the fringes of Germany’s Black Forest handcraft natural oak wood into a 3.5-inch diameter spherical player. While it won’t connect to my computer, stream digital files, or even play the music I want, I still want one.

It’s available from the MOMA Store for $90 (or if you’re a member, $81.)