Goodbye, iPod Classic and Shuffle?
By Harry McCracken | Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 4:37 am
People have been expecting Apple to kill the iPad Classic–the last model recognizable as a direct descendant of the original 2001 iPod–for years. Now TUAW is reporting that Apple may discontinue it, along with the iPod Shuffle. If the company’s iPhone event next week also touches on iPod-related news, we might get the news then.
(My classic-style iPod and I were inseparable for eons, and I once looked down at the iPhone because of its comparatively small capacity–but it’s been a long time since I’ve so much as booted up an iPod. Do you use one?)
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September 28th, 2011 at 4:07 am
Ummmm….. I think you mean "iPod" not "iPad" in the first sentence there… Either that or you just invented a new product line… The "iPad classic"
September 28th, 2011 at 5:46 am
My bet's on inventing a new product line! 😉
January 18th, 2012 at 3:14 am
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September 28th, 2011 at 6:07 am
I still use my 160GB iPod Classic. and when it fails, I'll probably look to replace it via eBay rather than buy a newer, more expensive player with less capacity.
I have a 64 GB iPad, but I usually load that up with tons of other media, and wouldn't want to have to carry less books and comics in exchange for music.
September 28th, 2011 at 6:49 am
Count me in as a classic iPod user. I have 300 GB of music on my computer, and want as much of my collection accessible as possible at any given moment (particularly because I listen to it on "shuffle" most of the time and enjoy being surprised by what comes up). I have an iPhone as well, but don't carry any music there, as I save the minimal storage space there for video and apps.
An iPod Touch or an iPhone with an enormous amount of storage would also fit my needs. I'm not particularly tied to the form, what matters to me is the volume of music I can carry.
January 4th, 2012 at 6:06 am
Yea, have the same problem here. Needs more space. Muay Thai Combinations | Muay Thai Kick | Martial Arts for Children
September 28th, 2011 at 7:12 am
I still use my iPod Classic when I work out – there's enough flailing of limbs with this uncoordinated body that I prefer something that's not a hassle to replace if I break it. I've had this for almost 3 years and have beat the ever-loving tar out of it over the years and have not had a problem. Apple purists would be aghast at the cosmetic condition it's in, but the display, controls and internals all work as good as they did they day I got it.
September 28th, 2011 at 9:12 am
I leave my iPod classic plugged into my Bose sound system, leaving my iPhone free for other duties. It also has more capacity, so I've added stuff from my collection that I didn't put on my iPhone to save space.
September 28th, 2011 at 9:13 am
Believe it or not, I still use an iPod Mini (the hard drive forbear to the Nano). It has 4GB of storage and a black and white screen, but it works for playing music on the train ride to work. That's all I need it for.
September 28th, 2011 at 9:51 am
I use my iPod every day when I commute to work.
September 28th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
The classic iPods are still better for driving, because with the tactile buttons you can operate them without looking.
September 29th, 2011 at 5:14 am
If the iPod touch had more capacity I might consider using it. However, my wife and I have 120GB of music so nothing beats the iPod classic especially for trips. I don't want to have to pick which songs from my collection I want on my device at any given time. The price would also have to come down on the touch for me to want to buy one. So when my classic dies I'll probably do like Ray and get one off eBay.
September 29th, 2011 at 7:37 am
I use my iPod 3G Nano every darn day. For me, the iPhone is mostly for reading and the iPod is for listening. I use the smaller iPod when working out and walking — I'm not going to strap on something as massive as the iPhone for that (besides I usually use an old Nano neck lanyard). And since I use the Nano for that, then for continuity listening to podcasts and audiobooks, I use it also at home and in car. Besides, after my recent upgrade to iPhone IV, I found I can't use it with my ipod docking speaker, nor with my RCA Audio cable mini-plug in the car.
I find the form factor of the old 3G Nano is perfect for exercise.
September 30th, 2011 at 4:59 pm
I drive a lot for work and the 160gb classic is my go to device for long trips. Having my entire music/podcast/audible collection (mostly, anyway) is a great comfort to me when I’m away from my Mac. I’m considering picking up another as back-up if these are about to go away.
I also rip most of my music as Apple Lossless to give me the best experience with my higher-end headphones. Streaming’s a decent option, but I’m afraid the degraded quality will be noticeable when I use the better amp/headphones.
Personally, I’m hoping for a 250gb (or 320!) classic Tuesday to go along with my new 64gb iPhone 5. 🙂
October 1st, 2011 at 6:34 am
I use my 160GB iPod classics (two of them) in my cars. I have about 450GB of music so I can't have it all with me, but I can have most of my favorites accessible whenever I want. If there were an app to pull down what I want when I want it on my iPhone, that would be ideal. Maybe that is the end goal Amazon is working toward with their cloud drive offering. I imagine Apple will unveil something similar too. Once your entire music collection is available in cached form from the cloud, I'll be ok with not having my iPod classic anymore. Until then, I am looking for a small form factor 320-360GB HDD to upgrade it.
October 4th, 2011 at 10:42 am
There is no practical replacement for the classic as a high capacity portable and juke box . As more users rely on lossless formats capacity demands will go up, not down. . Flash pricing can't meet that demand econmically. Ipads and Iphones use great deal of their more limited capacity for apps and video
I dont know why they would kill a well established product – and probably a profitable one – that has little need for expensive engineering innovation or production tweaks. It may not generate hockey stick growth, but I'll bet it puts out cash flow