Apple's iPod classic 5th most popular media player in 2010, unlikely to go away

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Apple's black 160GB iPod classic was the fifth best selling media player in the U.S. for all of 2010, suggesting that the hard drive-based device won't be exiting the company's product lineup in the near future.



The NPD Group this week revealed to AppleInsider overall portable media player sales rankings in the U.S. in 2010. The black iPod classic came in fifth place among all media player sales in the U.S., showing that Apple's only remaining hard-drive-based media player still has some life in it. The silver iPod classic was not among the top 10 devices.



It should be noted that sales tracked by the market research group are based on individual models and colors, so a product lineup with multiple colors -- like the iPod nano or iPod shuffle -- can be come diluted due to the number of options. Regardless, the performance of the iPod classic among all media player sales is impressive for a product some have thought to be near discontinuation for years.



NPD's retail tracking includes sales in retail stores, as well as via online outlets -- including Apple's own Web store.



The top-selling media player in the U.S. in 2010, as tracked by NPD, was the third-generation 8GB iPod touch. In just a few short months on the market at the end of 2010, the fourth-generation 8GB iPod touch managed to secure second place among all media player sales.



Apple's higher-capacity iPod touch models came in third and fourth place, with the fourth-generation 32GB model taking third, and third-generation 32GB product in fourth.



Just behind those products -- and ahead of all colors of the iPod nano and iPod shuffle -- was the black iPod classic. The strong performance of Apple's legacy iPod in 2010 could quiet some rumors that Apple plans to cancel the product, even as availability at some stores has dwindled.







Instead, new 1.8-inch hard drives from Toshiba, with capacities up to 220GB, could extend the life of the product line, if Apple were to use them in an updated model. Toshiba released the hard drives, which weigh just 48 grams and measure 5mm by 54mm by 71mm, in late January.



First launched in 2001, the iPod initially relied on HDDs for storage capacity, as flash memory had not yet become viable or cost effective for gigabytes of storage. When the first flash-based iPod shuffle debuted in January of 2005, it only carried 512MB or 1GB of storage. But over time, flash products have come to dominate Apple's iPod lineup, and have extended to other products like the iPhone, iPad and new MacBook Air.



Just behind the black iPod classic in 2010 sales rankings was the 2GB silver fourth-generation iPod shuffle. Three 8GB iPod nano models followed, with the black fifth-generation model taking seventh, and gray and blue sixth-generation models coming in eighth and ninth, respectively.



Unsurprisingly, Apple was the dominant media player maker in 2010, representing the top nine devices in the U.S. The only non-Apple product on the list came in at No. 10: the 4GB Sandisk Sansa Clip+.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 54
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    A lot of people have insanely big music collections, I don't understand it myself. Also the click wheel is still a great UI.
  • Reply 2 of 54
    Because they each come in multiple colors, the shuffle and the nano could be way down on the list, even if, overall, they're selling like hotcakes. This kind of tracking skews the rankings a bit, doesn't it?
  • Reply 3 of 54
    If they throw a 320GB hard drive in there from Toshiba it will sell like hot cakes.
  • Reply 4 of 54
    antkm1antkm1 Posts: 1,441member
    I hope it won't. And I hope it won't go the route of the Nano, mainly because you really can't use a touch device in the car without looking at the device to navigate. There is something to be said about buttons.



    The Classic is probably the perfect MP3 Player. It's light, has a huge storage capacity, attractive and super-easy to use.



    I have my entire media collection on mine and I use it every day, in the car, at home, at work. In fact, it's the only Media device apple sells that could holdn someone's entire collection. I never put any media on iPhone.
  • Reply 5 of 54
    i think apple is keeping it because it sells, but deep down they want to ax it.



    it will go away when they can price a 128/256GB iPod touch under $300. i don't see that happening this september...
  • Reply 6 of 54
    finetunesfinetunes Posts: 2,065member
    I could see an upgrade with a larger hd, longer battery life and possibly larger screen and virtual click wheel. Didn't AI have a recent article on this?



    Low inventory, new drives raise questions on future of Apple's iPod classic
  • Reply 7 of 54
    The classic is also good if you want to carry a large Movie and TV Show collection with you and yeah the screen is a lot smaller than the iPod Touch, but it's still good.
  • Reply 8 of 54
    gordygordy Posts: 1,004member
    Apple will keep the classic around. In addition to the iPod, it's the only portable hard drive in their product lineup.



    On a side note, I still have the original video iPod, but it's due an upgrade. I think its going senile.
  • Reply 9 of 54
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ascii View Post


    A lot of people have insanely big music collections, I don't understand it myself. Also the click wheel is still a great UI.



    Agreed, though I myself have an insanely big music collection. I'm sorry that is beyond your understanding (). The bigger the hard drive, the better. Also, with a big hard drive, some added functionality is in order. Not sure what that would be, but the Classic is for power users, so the functionality should be with them in mind.
  • Reply 10 of 54
    neilmneilm Posts: 985member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Undo Redo View Post


    Because they each come in multiple colors, the shuffle and the nano could be way down on the list, even if, overall, they're selling like hotcakes. This kind of tracking skews the rankings a bit, doesn't it?



    I'll say!



    Unless it's in the context of a discussion about colour trends in the market, do the car companies split up their sales this way? Of course not. It's meaningful to distinguish between, for instance, different storage capacities within a product line, since the price differences are significant.



    But to list Blue and Grey variants of the 8GB iPod nano as separate devices? That's silliness, and unfortunately it's silliness of a kind that's become the staple of AI.
  • Reply 11 of 54
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Quote:

    Unsurprisingly, Apple was the dominant media player maker in 2010, representing the top nine devices in the U.S. The only non-Apple product on the list came in at No. 10: the 4GB Sandisk Sansa Clip+.



    Where did the Zune place?
  • Reply 12 of 54
    iliveriliver Posts: 299member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lkrupp View Post


    Where did the Zune place?



    Who cares? This is an Apple discussion board- only Apple praise or diss allowed. No wannabes discussed/ no trolling.
  • Reply 13 of 54
    Next from apple, a steam-engine powered computer.
  • Reply 14 of 54
    This October will mark the 10th anniversary of the iPod's introduction.

    Perfect time to retire him.

    The new king of the hill is the iPod Touch.

    Long live the king!
  • Reply 15 of 54
    gustavgustav Posts: 827member
    The iPod mini was discontinued at the height of popularity. This could go in a number of ways:

    1. It just goes away.

    2. It gets a 128GB flash drive (with higher price and higher profit margin for Apple)

    3. It hangs around for another year and we start the speculation all over again.
  • Reply 16 of 54
    iliveriliver Posts: 299member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Johnny Mozzarella View Post


    This October will mark the 10th anniversary of the iPod's introduction.

    Perfect time to retire him.

    The new king of the hill is the iPod Touch.

    Long live the king!



    Forget it.

    The Limited 10th Anniversary Edition with Steve Jobs' signature etching will be available come this September- accepting orders now.
  • Reply 17 of 54
    insult removed
  • Reply 18 of 54
    ajmasajmas Posts: 597member
    I wonder whether the people with the iPod classics simply have large collections, or whether they are also storing their music in lossless format? I can imagine people who listen to jazz and classical music wanting a media player that reproduces the music in the best possible form.



    The only question remaining is whether the classic iPod reproduces the sound at an acceptable quality for audio-buffs?
  • Reply 19 of 54
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iLiver View Post


    Forget it.

    The Limited 10th Anniversary Edition with Steve Jobs' signature etching will be available come this September- accepting orders now.



    A 10 Year anniversary Beatles iPod might be ok
  • Reply 20 of 54
    drdbdrdb Posts: 99member
    I imagine as long as it keeps selling Apple will keep it. A product like this is basically free money as all the development costs are long recovered and the production lines are already set up for it.
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