The average person doesn't want all of this technical stuff. This is why the iPod was the leader in MP3 players all these years.
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iPod RIP iPod Classic - 1000 Days Later
- Thread starter ajcadoo
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The average person doesn't want all of this technical stuff. This is why the iPod was the leader in MP3 players all these years.
Having these additional capabilities built into the software would not steer potential customers away, as long as it does not muddle the interface or design of the product.
Having a full EQ tucked into the software of my iPod would be awesome, as well as movie format support. However, I accept that supporting every movie format does not fit into the Apple way of doing things.
There are alternatives to iTunes that you can use for an iPod and that will accept other formats such as Ogg, FLAC. You are not forced to use iTunes, as you claim in your post.
And I really hate it when I want to listen to a specific audiobook only to find I do not have it downloaded yet, then I get to decide what to remove so I can wait 30 for it to download.Yeah, I really hate it when I hear a song twice, whilst going jogging for 12 weeks straight...
If you do not need 160gb of storage, fine. I won't critic your choices. But the iPod classic is the only thing that will keep me in books without waisting my time managing my files.
Listeners vs Techies
Jobs knew that 95% plus wanted simple convenience with great sound and he was right. Apple didn't make billions serving Heathkit fans.
I need a Classic with or without a WWDC upgrade (hopefully with a bigger HDD) because my 32gb Touch is approaching 5K song tracks and only has 1.7gb free filled with nothing but music.
If you only need 5GB for your music, you don't need a Classic - just appreciation that most folks like more music than you do.
Apple has always been for the rest of us. My 1984 124 Little Mac and a dozen or so other generations of iPods and Macs along the years were products of the same genius that supervised the Toy Story series. Get a life.
Jobs knew that 95% plus wanted simple convenience with great sound and he was right. Apple didn't make billions serving Heathkit fans.
I need a Classic with or without a WWDC upgrade (hopefully with a bigger HDD) because my 32gb Touch is approaching 5K song tracks and only has 1.7gb free filled with nothing but music.
If you only need 5GB for your music, you don't need a Classic - just appreciation that most folks like more music than you do.
Apple has always been for the rest of us. My 1984 124 Little Mac and a dozen or so other generations of iPods and Macs along the years were products of the same genius that supervised the Toy Story series. Get a life.
I love the iPod classic and it's actually my player of choice most of the time, but I'd be an idiot to argue you're points you are right. Though I don't agree with the battery thing, perhaps they don't offer the best life but anything they've made 2005 and on has been accurate in their marketing, in fact exceeds it in some cases.
Removable battery isn't much of a issue because by the time the battery wears you'll likely find yourself updating to bigger and better devices. Even then, battery replacement can be done either through Apple or through do it yourself websites. Admittedly the Classic (2007+ models) are pretty well designed to not open up so it takes patience.
The sound quality is significantly behind of even the other iPods the circus logic chipset is awful when using higher quality head phones, its so muddled and lacks balance and I wish Apple would have never switched from the Wolfson set. I do like switching to my Sansa Clip/Zune because some days I just cannot stand the SQ issues with the Classic, the Zune and Clip are just so much more clean sounding.
Video isn't that big of a deal to me I mean after all it doesn't even support high definition when outputing to a HD-TV and it only has a 2.5" screen. If video is someone's thing I'd probably wouldn't recommend anything less than a tablet or a device that supports outputs to HD-TV.
There are THREE big reasons why I like the Classic,
- physical buttions, no need to pull it out all the time I just clip it to my belt and use my fingers to navigate or adjust volume and don't need to look at it like you do with touch screens.
- capacity, I don't need to fiddle with external storage and the capacity is all right there, I don't need to worry about leaving songs that I want unsynced.
- iTunes smart lists destroy the competition, there are so many options you can work with iTunes vs the competition. With 160GB capacity you're gonna want good smart lists to effectively manage your music such as creating playlists of not recently played songs, recent additions, purchased songs, etc.
Those of you saying updates would defeat the classic name, I say bull. The click wheel is the "icon" of the classic name now that no other iPod device has it. They could bump the screen to 3", use glass, add HD support, add radio/bluetooth, improve sound quality and still have it look pretty much the same.
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I used to watch video podcasts (TED Talks) on a 5th gen. Before I got an iPhone 3G. It was excellent for this use case, the video is usually only additive to the narrative in TED presentations.
It's a sad day for iPod Classic fans. Today marks the 1000th day without an update to the product.
Very sad indeed
What is there to improve on perfection?
It's a great product, they still make it, it still sells. It's brilliant.
I have a 5th gen with 30gb, still use it every day. 30gb of music is a lot of music.
The only real thing they could do is add more HD space or convert it to SSD. Adding more HD space right now is pretty pointless as 160gb is way more than enough, and if you want SSD you can get the iPod touch.
I much prefer the click-wheel over a touch screen for my ipod.
As for equalizers, the audio technician who recorded the song knew exactly what he was doing, I don't claim to know more than him. I'm not a DJ, I don't need to manipulate the levels.
Targeted for audiophiles. Not the average consumer. Looks like they just focused on the sound quality, which does make it a better device IN THAT DEPARTMENT. Calling it vastly superior just sounds like another angry person taking a swing at Apple.
I purchased an iPod Classic even after I owned the 32gb 3GS because of the physical buttons and high amount of storage. I have used it less now that I have the 64gb 4S. It still remains a great music player which I always pack when I go away.
http://www.trustedreviews.com/Cowon-J3_Portable-Audio_review_video-sound-quality-performance_Page-3
"Excellent sound quality and now-rare audio recording features make the Cowon J3 a top buy for sound quality enthusiasts. However, navigation's not particularly intuitive and the additional "app" style features are gimmicky."
I purchased an iPod Classic even after I owned the 32gb 3GS because of the physical buttons and high amount of storage. I have used it less now that I have the 64gb 4S. It still remains a great music player which I always pack when I go away.
http://www.trustedreviews.com/Cowon-J3_Portable-Audio_review_video-sound-quality-performance_Page-3
"Excellent sound quality and now-rare audio recording features make the Cowon J3 a top buy for sound quality enthusiasts. However, navigation's not particularly intuitive and the additional "app" style features are gimmicky."
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iPod Classic is on sale at BestBuy. Seriously thinking of picking one up. I have 99GB of music and I miss being able to have my entire collection with me in the car. I also have audiobooks and podcasts that I like to bring along.
What would be your most favourable answer if it meant admitting a superior product exists?
If you have an old iPod that you no longer use and are near an Apple store they offer a 10% discount on a new iPod if you recycle the old one through them, which is a slightly better deal than Best Buy's current sale. I did that not too long ago, trading in my iPod Video that I've had since December 2005. It was kind of sad handing over my first Apple device, but it had a good run and it was time for me to upgrade to more storage.
Source?
Pretty sure your typical person cares about this. Presets are fine.
Pretty sure most people don't care about these file formats.
iTunes works great. People complain that it sucks on a PC, but for me it's fine on my PC.
What's your point? They promise 8 hours. If you get more, great.
While I see your point, I've had my iPod for 8 years. Battery isn't what it used to be, but still gets the job done.
I wouldn't be so sure.
This files are not a concern for your typical person.
It's funny you said earlier not many people use the maximum capacity of the iPod, yet now you say it should have external memory storage. Besides I think current offerings are fine for your typical customer.
I only look at my iPod when choosing a song. Themes are useless. It's an iPod not a computer.
If you want to record sound, get one of those adapters. Not having these things doesn't make the iPod "obsolete."
And many have challenged it.
Why don't you tell us?
Nearly all of your rebuttals were based on assumptions of what a user 'probably' wouldnt care for. How would you know? Your the second person in this thread that negates the possibility to add a few software tweaks that does NOTHING to hinder the performance of the iPod. Youre exhibiting EXACTLY the behaviour that Apple fanboys are stereotyped as;
1) Apple omits standard features
2) Criticism is given for the lack of said features
3) Apple fanboys deny the criticism and praise apple's choice to omit said features
4) Apple then updates the product WITH the features people asked for
And what happens at 5?
5) Fanboys completely forget their previous stance, ignore the past criticisms and act as if Apple never did anything that warranted the criticism, thereby sweeping everything under the rug.
You know I'm glad there are alternative and superior products like the Cowon J3 and S9, because I as well as others don't have to believe that the choice of digital audio players ends with iPods, nor should anyone be more or less forced into the realm of the closed apple iOS system (because it is locked down, with the FACTS that I stated in my initial post).
But here lies the problem, members of the macrumors community would rather downrank valid criticisms of a product thats lacking great potential than to actually improve upon it, if only to ride the Apple bandwagon and never question Apple's motives, as if this corporation was some kind of God. Showing your allegiance to a BRAND (of all things) is nothing short of irrational.
You wanted to know where I got my source for the fact that iPods are known for poor audio quality? Search for the Cnet blind audio test between Sony, Apple, Cowon and others. Its an old review done by a few people in a blind test. Sony came out on top with the warmest sound while iPods came dead last.
I have to ask;
1) is there something wrong with me or anyone else pointing out flaws with the iPod?
2) does choice or options give you people the hives as much as it did for Steve Jobs?
I think you're missing the point.
You have some specs that you clearly dislike on an iPod, and you're free to point these out. But you're calling another device "far superior" based on personal preference of features. I'm sure the audio quality is better on your device, and it probably supports a million more formats, etc. But truth is that a great deal of people don't care about these features. They just want to listen to their music (which is for 95%, if not more, all mp3). No more, no less.
To prove my point, just look at the amount of iPods sold each day. Most people aren't bothered with the "inferior" sound quality, or lack of all kinds of exotic formats. They just want something that works for them.
Clearly, you look for something more in a portable audio player, and i'm happy for you that you found something that suits your needs. Thank god there is enough choice for everyone. Just don't think it's superior because it does more. At the end of the day, (for most people) it still is about playing your favorite music on-the-go.
Regards, Z
I'm still loving my original 160GB classic which my parents bought me from the USA in September 2007.
It's used every day while I'm at work for 8+ hours a day and still gets 40+ hours playback per charge.
I think it's one of my favourite ever presents. Long live the classic.
It's used every day while I'm at work for 8+ hours a day and still gets 40+ hours playback per charge.
I think it's one of my favourite ever presents. Long live the classic.
The Cowon website says the J3 only goes up to 32 GB, so why bring it up in a Classic discussion?
Exactly. I love how simple the iPod line is. I've used other MP3 players, minidisc, CD and cassette in the past. I hated all the fiddly things that came with those devices, I hated the cheap interfaces and feel to them.
Just let me listen to my MP3s, don't throw a confusing menu at me or give me options I don't need for a device on the go (renaming songs... really?).
"Keep it simple, stupid"
I'd imagine the real world to mean the "majority of people", in which case they have already made their choice. For better or worse.
So back on topic...
I'd love a Classic 160gb to replace my 80gb 5.5G. It's getting on a bit now, picked it up in 2007 - the battery life is still incredible (it only gets used for videos for a 45 mins a day), only need to recharge it once a week.
The moment rumours start that they will cease production of the Classic; I'll get one.
They are on sale at BestBuy at about $220. I may be heading there today to get one. I have 99GB of music plus several podcasts and audiobooks I like to have with me. Nothing else can carry them.
Not in England they're not
.I don't mind paying Apple prices for one. I swear by my 5.5G, after all
.I don't own a classic. Last classic I bought was a 3rd gen, when it still had a black and white screen. I used that as my car player (hardwired, steering wheel controls and ID3 info going to the nav display) for 9 years before finally updating it to an iPod touch 64gb (which I did so that it will sync wirelessly ever night when I pull into the garage, the 3rd gen classic was still going strong).
That said, on the EQ front...
If you set the iPod eq to "flat" then it uses whatever eq settings you set up in iTunes-- including custom EQs.
I only use it for ~30 tracks of the 10,000 in my library, but the feature does exist if you want it!
That said, on the EQ front...
If you set the iPod eq to "flat" then it uses whatever eq settings you set up in iTunes-- including custom EQs.
I only use it for ~30 tracks of the 10,000 in my library, but the feature does exist if you want it!
It's a sad day for iPod Classic fans. Today marks the 1000th day without an update to the product.
Very sad indeed
I can't really think of any updates which would fit with the product though. Perhaps an SSD but that would skyrocket the price.
It's still a solid product if you want to carry around that much music/video. Buy one on ebay for $150 secondhand and you can't go wrong.