Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPod The Fate of the iPod Line

H

HenryJobs

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 20, 2012
57
0
The iPod has gone from Apples biggest hit to the outskirts of their product lineup. With the September 12 iPod, iPad mini, and iPhone event coming up, what will happen to the lineup?

Will the classic be discontinued? Nano gain a home button and iOS? I'd like to hear what you think.
 
Last edited:
Let's hope they continue the Classic. A larger 256gb HD would be a welcome addition. The Classic is small, portable, and great for listening to tunes on the go. The same can't be said for the iPad mini.
 
it's tough to say really.

i still use my 30GB 5th gen classic in my car. it never leaves my car and it works great. they will always hold a special place in my heart.

that being said, the simple fact is the product is getting elbowed out of the market. there is really not much left to improve upon the device itself... and no longer are people buying new devices to carry around separately. the ipod touch line has a few years more of a shelf life because not everyone has embraced (or can afford to embrace) smartphones.

but why would anyone really want to carry around a separate music player when there are perfectly capable ones lumped in to their cell phones (along with broadband internet access, games that rival the newer portable game consoles (also, imo, a dying breed), 8 megapixel cameras, and so on and so forth.

if the ipod is discontinued, it would only be surprising in the sense that it really is the device that "saved" apple. people can say the Mac did, but everyone knows that windows/pc were crushing the mac through the early/mid 2000s when the ipod brand took off. it was then, and its seamless integration with itunes (bloatware, not very good, but people ate it up anyway) that their laptop market began to take off... first with the college-aged crowd, and later with others. the iPhone and then iPad came later.

in my opinion, the iPod classic line has run its course. there may be another generation or two of the touch models, but that too will soon give way to smartphones exclusively.
 
HenryJobs said:
The iPod has gone from Apples biggest hit to the outskirts of their product lineup. With the September 12 iPod, iPad mini, and iPhone event coming up, what will happen to the lineup?

Will the classic be discontinued? Nano gain a home button and iOS? I'd like to hear what you think.
Click to expand...

To put things into some perspective: Apple sold five times more iPods in the last quarter than Microsoft sold XBox 360s. So while the iPod is not a big part of Apple's revenue or profits anymore, it is absolutely a highly profitable business, and you'd have to be a complete moron to leave that business to others.

If you look for a music player (and nothing else), iPods are the best music players around. They are better music players than the iPhone. And as iPods get old and start breaking, many people will just go to the store and buy a new one - even if they have an iPhone. Not selling to these people would be stupid. And consider this: If you have a brand new iPhone, and a three year old iPod, which one would you use in the London Underground late at night to listen to music?
 
My iPod Classic is the best because right now I don't want to pay extra to store all my music in the cloud (I have over 80gb) or pay for iTunes music match. Also I don't have unlimited data and with all the music I listen to on a daily basses I would run through all my data on my phone in like three day lol. So please apple let's not get rid of the iPod line up. I like having all my music and not haveing to worry if I go over my data limit or running the battery down on my phone.
 
I think Apple would make a smart move by keeping the iPod Classic but making its memory solid state. It would be great to have an 160GB SSD iPod Classic because it wouldn't be damaged by falls like the current ones are. It just makes sense since Apple has pushed the majority of their products into the world of flash storage.
 
yeah, that's exactly what I want. 160GB SSD iPod classic, I'd buy one in a second. If they don't announce anything, I'll just get the existing classic. But I feel stupid paying full price for that thing, it being so old. It'll do what i want it to do, but I just feel like the technology has improved and gotten cheaper since it was released, and I'd like that reflected somehow.
 
Now with iTunes Match and things like Spotify for iPhone or iPad... I can't imagine ever needing or wanting an iPod classic. I know a stack of people who have this religious obsession with having all their music with them at all times. I'm thinking the next DSM will give it a name.
 
sakau2007 said:
the ipod touch line has a few years more of a shelf life because not everyone has embraced (or can afford to embrace) smartphones...there may be another generation or two of the touch models, but that too will soon give way to smartphones exclusively.
Click to expand...

Not sure I agree with that. I bought an iPod touch specifically because I wanted the features of an iPhone without the recurring cost of a data plan - not because I can't afford it, but because it's not something I want to spend my money on.
 
Hard to say really. iPod's success has been dwindling compared to its other iOS buddies. The shuffle is probably the weakest in the line up however it's also the cheapest which allows someone looking for just a basic iPod can get one without the fancy bells/whistles. That said, you can also get other cheaper MP3 players instead of the Shuffle if you're just looking for a basic music player.

The nano is probably due for something new/updated. Personally I'd like to see the old iPod fatty (3rd gen) get a larger touch screen.

The Classic, the poor Classic, could definitely get a boost in storage capacity as well as, perhaps, flash storage. I think that would breath new life into that model.

With my MBP, iPhone and iPad my iPods don't get used much except for certain occasions. I think Apple will continue to moderately update their iPods however I think they've seen their hay day so I'm not expecting much from the iPods with the exception of minor updates here and there.
 
jeffy.dee-lux said:
yeah, that's exactly what I want. 160GB SSD iPod classic, I'd buy one in a second. If they don't announce anything, I'll just get the existing classic. But I feel stupid paying full price for that thing, it being so old. It'll do what i want it to do, but I just feel like the technology has improved and gotten cheaper since it was released, and I'd like that reflected somehow.
Click to expand...

What exactly would the advantage of a 160 GB SSD iPod classic be that justifies the price difference? Price difference between iPad 32 GB and iPad 64 GB is exactly $100; at that rate that SSD Classic would be about $400 more (if we assume the hard drive that it currently has also costs $100).
 
I think there is still a market for iPods. A classic could almost fit all my music on it. A song doesn't get interrupted by an incoming email, text, or call. This is annoying. I own a 5th generation iPod that I got for graduation in 2007. It has been dropped, the front of the device is covered in cracks, yet it still works flawlessly. I do find it bulky for working out, running, biking, etc. So, I will be buying a shuffle because it is small, light, and I can clip it to my shirt. I might buy a couple, actually. Each one could have a different play list for a different activity. Easier than reloading a new playlist each time.
 
Elbon said:
sakau2007 said:
ithe ipod touch line has a few years more of a shelf life because not everyone has embraced (or can afford to embrace) smartphones.
Click to expand...
Not sure I agree with that. I bought an iPod touch specifically because I wanted the features of an iPhone without the recurring cost of a data plan
Click to expand...
Well, technically you could still have that even if Apple dropped the iPod touch as a separate product category tomorrow: nowadays, even here in the U.S., you can buy an iPhone unlocked and contract-free, and use it as an iPod without being required to activate any kind of account with a cellular provider whatsoever.

It's just that the price gap right now between an iPod touch ($199/8GB) and an unlocked iPhone 4 ($549/8GB) is pretty drastic, although some would argue that for the money, you get a much superior device (true IPS display, double the RAM, the option of cellular data instead of just WiFi, GPS, way better camera, arguably better battery life)...the question is whether those features are worth 350 extra smackeroos to you or not. (Of course, it's also interesting to note that if you want more than 8GB of capacity, the price delta increases to $450, but then you are comparing to a 4S, which has a dual-core CPU, an even better camera + 1080p video, and Siri.)

So it probably makes sense for them to keep the iPod touch as a separate, lower-priced version of the iPhone, at least for a while, but looking ahead 5 years into the future, they may not feel the need to do so indefinitely.

-- Nathan
 
Last edited:
I don't think the iPod Classic is going anywhere. EVERY TIME I look at the Amazon Top MP3 Players the classic is always the 2nd highest seller as far as iPod sales go.

I think the Classic has been a cult success that Apple has tried to downplay for the last couple of years. I think we might get a hard drive update this year but I am not sure.

I don't see a reason to remove it from the line-up, I bet they are dirt cheap for Apple to make now and yet they stay at the same price point for 3 years now.

The iPod Touch will probably get a nice upgrade this year on the basis that there is competition in that market right now. The Samsung Galaxy Player has become quite a competitor to the iPod Touch.

I don't see them getting rid of the line but I do see them starting a 2 year update cycle with minor updates in-between.
 
One thing that the Classic will always perform better in is battery life. That's very important, and those iPhones and iTouches will never be better. Personally, I'm not particularly concerned whether they kill the Classic off or not. It'll almost always be cheaper just to get a dying, old iPod with a dead HDD and find the cheapest storage option possible. But most people want something that works right away, and that they'll have dependable support for, and many also want to store videos as well. I'll always like the ClickWheel interface much better.

Updates that I'd like to see in the iPod Classic line are:

• 2 HeadPhone jacks
• Higher Quality HeadPhone jacks
•Better battery life
 
Last edited:
mrsir2009 said:
What more can they do on the shuffle...? What more can they add?
Click to expand...

Nike + support combined with VoiceOver to track running. Yes, I know there is no screen, but the Voiceover feature would allow you to know how long you've run, and your times. Then you could sync it and see all your workouts.

If Apple was to do this, I think it would be cool for them to include a sensor that worked with the shuffle (or just make the Shuffle support the Nike+ sensor). Back in the day Apple used to include things like clips and other things, and they could raise the price marginally to accommodate the included items. $69 or $79 for a more functional shuffle with an included adapter...I'd buy it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back