iPod iPod Classic.. Is this the last of it?

[GoSUV]

Instead of just discontinuing the iPod Classic, I hope Apple would release an ultimate audiophile iPod much like what the AK100/AK120 are targeting. It would have copious capacity to hold lots of uncompressed songs, be able to support high bitrate files (instead of just 44.1k CD-quality), and has a high quality headphone stage to negate the need of an external headphone amplifier, so when you connect a pair of high quality headphone to it, it would still drive them properly (instead of just playing them loud enough). Of course, a sleek design true to Apple's tradition and ease of use would be a given, plus acceptable battery life to last at least a transpacific flight would be expected.

Such a thing would keep the iPod going, and move the single-purpose iPod up the market to not overlap with the largest capacity iPod Touch. This will of course be a niche market item, but allows Apple to charge a premium to compensate the lower volume sales.

This sounds like a good business case. I hope Apple does make such a product in the future.

 

[YanniDepp]

That's odd, the 2nd Gen iPod mini had a Wolfson DAC, and is usually considered one of the better DACs used in portable music players.

I read an interesting discussion on an audiophile forum last week. I can't find the link, or I'd post it here.

Basically, the Cirrus chips reproduce sound more accurately. They're more precise than the Wolfson chips. It's that lack of precision that gives the Wolfson chips the warmth and smoothness that people seem to like. So, Wolfson chips "sound better" because they're not (technically) as good.

It's the same reason people still listen to vinyl. It sounds warm and fuzzy, unlike the extremely range-compressed music you get on every pop CD nowdays.

 

[weckart]

That's odd, the 2nd Gen iPod mini had a Wolfson DAC, and is usually considered one of the better DACs used in portable music players. This guy even upgrades them with larger capacitors for even better sound.

To be honest though, even if it's not the best, how bad can it be? Especially since I'll be plugging into the 30-pin connector on my car's headunit and using that as an amplifier.

Mine was also the 2nd gen and the sound stank to high heaven. Harsh and tinny. It isn't just the DAC chip, you also have to take into account the surrounding amp circuitry which takes the converted signals and turns those into something your ears can deal with. Apple has never really done well with those.

 

[Dulcimer]

The iPod Classic is one of the few products that Apple currently sells without a Lightning port. Soon, with the release of the new iPhone(s), it'll be the only one. This makes it pretty likely that it'll be discontinued.

Making a faster, lighter iPod Classic with an SSD would be expensive. A 128 GB SSD for computers costs about $130. This could be more with smaller sizes. Add onto this R&D with new case design, new screen, etc., the Classic would be fairly expensive. To keep with Apple's margins, the 128 GB version would be closer to $300, if not more. The Classic is a niche product, so such a price point wouldn't be too inconceivable.

I hope Apple updates the Classic. I'd love to own a scroll wheel iPod. I just don't know if I should buy one before the fall in case it's discontinued or wait till after in the case that a new one is released.

 

[ReanimationN]

I hope the Classic lives on in some form. You can't beat the scroll wheel for eyes-free music control, I still use mine in the car all the time.

 

[YanniDepp]

The iPod Classic is one of the few products that Apple currently sells without a Lightning port. Soon, with the release of the new iPhone(s), it'll be the only one. This makes it pretty likely that it'll be discontinued.

There's also the iPad 2. But it looks like Apple's going to replace the lower-end iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S with the new 'plastic iPhone', leaving the entire iPhone lineup with 4 inch screens and Lightning ports (they've already done this with the 16GB iPod touch).

It will be interesting to see what happens with the iPad later this year. Will we just have the iPad 5 and the iPad mini 2?

One thing's for sure. The end of this year is going to be interesting for iOS devices and iPods.

 

[12vElectronics]

Glad I'm not the only one that loves the iPod Classic.

Good discussion here guys..

 

[slu]

I could live without a classic, but I don't want to. Having my entire music collection available to me whenever I want it is something I value. And even though I have Google Play Music on my phone, I still need a data connection and battery is a concern. Not with my classic. Not to mention eyes free operation.

I would be disappointed if Apple discontinued the classic. I might buy a new one as backup device. Part of the problem might be that these things last too long. I don't remember when I bought mine. I know it was one of the first release of the 160GB version.

 

[asidexo]

I really hope the classic sticks around. I keep meaning to buy a new one as mine doesn't hold all my music anymore, but after having it for over six years I feel attached. after all, 5 laptops and three phones later it's still working as fine as ever, just quite bet up.

I at least hope they give a warning before they discontinue it so I can make sure to grab one before they go out of stock if I haven't replaced mine already.

 

[iMacBooked]

I love my iPod Classic too. Its battery still lasts very long, compared to my iPhone 4S. And the clickwheel games are nostalgic to me. So please Apple, don't discontinue a product designed for music-only lovers.

 

[12vElectronics]

I really hope the classic sticks around. I keep meaning to buy a new one as mine doesn't hold all my music anymore, but after having it for over six years I feel attached. after all, 5 laptops and three phones later it's still working as fine as ever, just quite bet up.

I at least hope they give a warning before they discontinue it so I can make sure to grab one before they go out of stock if I haven't replaced mine already.

Just be around for major Apple announcements. That's when you will know if it will be discontinued or not. Just do what I'll be doing.. run to the store the day I find out it's being discontinued..

 

[Beeplance]

Just be around for major Apple announcements. That's when you will know if it will be discontinued or not. Just do what I'll be doing.. run to the store the day I find out it's being discontinued..

Ha here I am, thinking I'll be the only one running to the nearest apple store to grab an iPod classic the moment new of any discontinuation is announced.

The click wheel has got to be one of the most striking legacy left behind by Steve.

 

[superstarmc]

My 60 gig from 2005 finally died. Trying to decide if I should snag one from Ebay for $210.

 

[oneMadRssn]

The iPod Classic is one of the few products that Apple currently sells without a Lightning port. Soon, with the release of the new iPhone(s), it'll be the only one. This makes it pretty likely that it'll be discontinued.

Making a faster, lighter iPod Classic with an SSD would be expensive. A 128 GB SSD for computers costs about $130. This could be more with smaller sizes. Add onto this R&D with new case design, new screen, etc., the Classic would be fairly expensive. To keep with Apple's margins, the 128 GB version would be closer to $300, if not more. The Classic is a niche product, so such a price point wouldn't be too inconceivable.

I hope Apple updates the Classic. I'd love to own a scroll wheel iPod. I just don't know if I should buy one before the fall in case it's discontinued or wait till after in the case that a new one is released.

I think your points are valid, but it seems Apple had no problem just swapping out the 30-pin for the lightning port when going from iPad3 to iPad4. Maybe they can change nothing but the port, and possibly update the drive.

 

[Dulcimer]

I think your points are valid, but it seems Apple had no problem just swapping out the 30-pin for the lightning port when going from iPad3 to iPad4. Maybe they can change nothing but the port, and possibly update the drive.

They also upgraded the internals of the iPad, but I would be fine if they simply changed the port and added an SSD (although such a move would require a slimmer body).

 

[12vElectronics]

I think your points are valid, but it seems Apple had no problem just swapping out the 30-pin for the lightning port when going from iPad3 to iPad4. Maybe they can change nothing but the port, and possibly update the drive.

Wasn't the main purpose of the lightning adapter because Apple devices kept getting slimmer meaning the 30pin wouldn't work? Unless the Classic gets a redesign, I don't know if they would implement the lightning cable?

 

[iOzzie]

Wasn't the main purpose of the lightning adapter because Apple devices kept getting slimmer meaning the 30pin wouldn't work? Unless the Classic gets a redesign, I don't know if they would implement the lightning cable?

For the people posting in this thread though, it's fairly safe to assume that they have large music Libraries, I would welcome a Thunderbolt/USB3/SS interface more than the lightning adapter, but agree they should do both. Would make re-transferring an entire 140GB+ allot faster!

AirPlay would be great, new OS interface would be welcome too, but please, keep the click wheel!

I'll keep waiting, had 6 iPod Classics and still my #1 Apple Device to date.

 

[oneMadRssn]

They also upgraded the internals of the iPad, but I would be fine if they simply changed the port and added an SSD (although such a move would require a slimmer body).

Why would it require a slimmer body? It might allow for a slimmer body; but they could use an off-the-shelf 1.8" SSD that is of the same size as the current 1.8" hard drive, or they could use any saved space to increase the battery size.

I think it's entirely likely Apple might just change the connector to lightning, increase it to a 240GB spinning disk hard drive, and call it a day. That would give them the benefit of phasing out the 30-pin connector, but it would also be the least expensive engineering change.

Wasn't the main purpose of the lightning adapter because Apple devices kept getting slimmer meaning the 30pin wouldn't work? Unless the Classic gets a redesign, I don't know if they would implement the lightning cable?

Again, the iPad3 > iPad4 received a lightning connector without being thinner at all. Same dimensions as the 30-pin version, same screen, same ID.

 

[Dulcimer]

Why would it require a slimmer body? It might allow for a slimmer body; but they could use an off-the-shelf 1.8" SSD that is of the same size as the current 1.8" hard drive, or they could use any saved space to increase the battery size.

I think it's entirely likely Apple might just change the connector to lightning, increase it to a 240GB spinning disk hard drive, and call it a day. That would give them the benefit of phasing out the 30-pin connector, but it would also be the least expensive engineering change.

I thought the SSD would be smaller or that they would use flash memory (like in the iOS devices). I would be disappointed if they simply increased the hard drive space and updated the connector.

 

[12vElectronics]

I thought the SSD would be smaller or that they would use flash memory (like in the iOS devices). I would be disappointed if they simply increased the hard drive space and updated the connector.

I wouldn't for 3 reasons:
-Means the Classic lives on
-Means I don't have to have 2 different charging cables anymore- lightning for everything
-Increased hard space would be great to store more music

 

[mtneer]

I believe changing from the 30 pin to an 8 pin lightning connector would require significant changes to the internal PCB, if not a complete redesign to reroute signals. This maybe more demanding of an engineering task than changing the casing and getting a vendor to stamp out parts.

 

[silvershamrock]

Unfortunately I suspect all the pessimism about the future of the Classic is probably justified.

When I had to replace my old iPod last year I considered getting a Touch, but decided in favour of more storage and better battery life (especially since I already had an iPhone). And I love that Classic. It has fewer bells and whistles than the Touch, and it's bigger and bulkier than the Nano, but as far as I'm concerned it's got the best of the bunch with its high storage and long-lived battery charges.

Personally, I hope Apple will see that there will always be a market for a large-storage and fully-dedicated music/video device. It's true that you can't do as much on the Classic as you could on the Touch; however, if what you want is music and TV/movies, you can have considerably more selection (enjoyed for considerably longer stretches of time) on the Classic.

But if they were planning to keep it in their product line-up, they'd probably have named it something other than "iPod Classic". We're talking about tech here - not cars (where the word "Classic" is a compliment). Let's be honest here: who, aside from a handful of dedicated technophiles who collect tech devices as if they were stamps or coins, is attracted by the word "classic" as it applies to technology?

And, connotations of the name aside, Apple does seem to be moving in the direction of iOS everything .... and if you try to install iOS on the Classic, it wouldn't _be_ the "Classic" anymore (such a move would mean completely redesigning the device).

 

[antony617]

I always wish they will update iPod Classic to iPod Pro. However as Apple now gets profit from cloud service, huge local storage space will be a obstacle for them.

 

[AppleDApp]

I bought a used classic in march to be sure to have one when its discontinued.

Seems like the end is approaching but that's also been the case since 2010.

 

[0007776]

I would be disappointed if they simply increased the hard drive space and updated the connector.

Well if we get an update I'm pretty sure that's all it would be, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was just the connector, and not even a capacity bump.

What else would you want them to do with it anyway? It seems to me like Apple has done most everything that you can with a stand alone music player, you get the classic if all you want is a music/video player with a lot of capacity and you get a touch or iPhone if you want more.