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Rumor: Apple may discontinue iPod shuffle, classic this year - Page 2

post #41 of 82
9/27/11 at 8:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigBillyGoatGruff View Post

I got the point. I was fighting drama with more drama.

I think the problem most people have is that our data seems to swell to fit the size of the container we have. I usually buy the higher-capacity gadgets, because I don't sync very often. I'm trying to break that habit, though.

Understand. As an iPod Classic user for the Jeep, boat and other I can't upgrade to something that's 2/3s the capacity at twice the price with features I'll never use. I don't want to re-sync based on the event. Sheesh, I thought tech was supposed to save me time, hassle, and repetitive.
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post #42 of 82
9/27/11 at 8:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cvaldes1831 View Post

It's a shame the iDevices can't do 96kHz/24-bit audio playback though.


Agreed; what do you think the odds are of iTunes and my iPod supporting FLAC any time soon?
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post #43 of 82
9/27/11 at 9:01pm
0.001%

So yeah, there's hope, just not a lot.
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post #44 of 82
9/27/11 at 9:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChristophB View Post

Have a Classic in reserve and a replacement battery and display from ifixit just in case theY discontinue with no notice as is the norm. I use only lossless encodes and 160GB barely contains my current music library. I am not a member of Gen-MP3.

I think you'd be pleasantly surprised at the quality of "iTunes Plus" (256kbps VBR) encoded files. VERY good quality - totally acceptable for a portable player. Just keep the lossless files on your computer so you have them archived.

But...

Apple better have at least a 128GB iPod touch ready when they discontinue the 160GB classic (which I will probably buy in the next couple weeks).
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post #45 of 82
9/27/11 at 9:53pm
Good! The Classic is too big. Who needs all that media on the road, with that tiny of a screen? The Shuffle, is too small! Get rid of it. The future is touchscreen. Just like finally getting rid of all the Plastic Macs. Best. Decision. Ever. I won't miss these devices. Simplify your offering, make the core better, move on. Way to go Apple.
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post #46 of 82
9/27/11 at 10:00pm
This might happen:
iPod touch becomes just iPod in 16gb 32gb 64gb and 128gb size to cover the price range from $199 to $449.
iPod nano gains camera and drops to 8GB and 16 GB for $99 and $149.
No iPod shuffle, no iPod classic

iPhone 4S $99
iPhone 5 $199 and $299

This covers every price range that Apple made money with. There's a reason why Apple had to change it's product refresh schedule, to move away from iPods. It might be possible that iPhones will come out in fall just before holidays now and not in summer. iPads come in Springs and Macs come in summer. Apple tv might get it's own schedule paired with iCloud, iTunes news.
Apple had me at scrolling
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Apple had me at scrolling
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post #47 of 82
9/27/11 at 11:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cvaldes1831 View Post

Actually, an iPod touch with 64GB of NAND flash memory has been around for nearly a year. It's an old milestone.

That's accomplished with TWO 32GB modules for the last two years since Apple went from a pair of 16GB modules to a pair of 32GB ones in 2009. So it's not the old milestone you think it is.

We need a 128GB iPod Touch made with two 64GB modules to get to the next milestone. I sure hope this year's when.

Oct 3.2GHz 08 MP, 32GB, 512SSD, 15TB HDs
2.6GHz 6GB 17"HD LED MBP, Sony 52XBR6 HDTV
EyeTV 500, Hybrid 2G, EyeTV 3 HDTV Recorder
64 ATT iPhone 5, 64 ATT iPad 4, 64 Touch3G, 16 Nano6G

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Oct 3.2GHz 08 MP, 32GB, 512SSD, 15TB HDs
2.6GHz 6GB 17"HD LED MBP, Sony 52XBR6 HDTV
EyeTV 500, Hybrid 2G, EyeTV 3 HDTV Recorder
64 ATT iPhone 5, 64 ATT iPad 4, 64 Touch3G, 16 Nano6G

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post #48 of 82
9/28/11 at 12:16am


They look so much like iPod Touch's don't they?

Samsung Galaxy Players hit U.S. in October, to rival Apple iPod

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/tech...ples-ipod.html
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post #49 of 82
9/28/11 at 12:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cvaldes1831 View Post

While Apple does not break out sales figures of the various iPod models, it is commonly believed that the iPod touch is now the number-one selling iPod. If I recall correctly, an Apple executive revealed this detail although did not get into specifics.

The iPod classic is no longer a top seller which is why the rumor of the iPod classic's imminent demise has come up several times. Apple did not update this device last year.

The iPod classic has a tiny market. If Apple upgrades the iPod touch to 128GB, the iPod classic is gone.

according to an old appleinsider article the classic is the 5th best selling ipod of all time

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...o_go_away.html

granted this was last year, and im not important enough to get this years, but they cant ignore the fact that the classic AND the shuffle was more popular than the nano and behind all of the ipod touchs.

granted the ipod touch made up 50% of all ipod profit in the last earnings call,

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...ence_call.html


if they want to carry on making as much money as they do then they can't kill it, i use my ipod classic and shuffle everyday and know many people who do (classic whilst at work & shuffle for the gym)
Life is like riding a bicycle - in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving. ~Albert Einstein
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Life is like riding a bicycle - in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving. ~Albert Einstein
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post #50 of 82
9/28/11 at 12:57am
Until Apple equip iPod Touch with at least 128GB (256GB, 512GB...etc) of storage, I doubt Apple will discontinue iPod Classic.
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post #51 of 82
9/28/11 at 4:15am
This is not good. Apple doesn't have any iPod which can compare with the Classic for storage. The classic is a great device for bringing a substantial amount of music with you on travel, and perfect for connecting up in the car.......two of my favourite locations for mine.
The iPod Touch, and especially the iPhone don't come anywhere close in capacity!
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post #52 of 82
9/28/11 at 4:51am
I think if the iPod classic is discontinued Apple will have missed an opportunity... I personally think that the iPod Classic and the AppleTV can be merge to create a great little portable media player that can be connected to your television to access Netflix and other AppleTV features...
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post #53 of 82
9/28/11 at 4:58am
I will only give up my Classic when the touch has over twice the storage that exsist now.
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post #54 of 82
9/28/11 at 5:43am
What a shame if true. There are lots of cases where a simple player that you don't have to be looking at when you use it comes in very handy. People that do activities like running must have plenty of scenarios where it's true. I've been out running when rain has started and pushed my shuffle into an internal pocket to keep it dry but still been able to press the buttons. Or just press the buttons by feel, without taking my eyes of the path in front of me. Something similar applies when I'm at the gym. A change to touch limits the access to the Apple ecosystem, rather than extending it.

I think it makes sense to have a device for each physical scenario and then decide what features it can support, rather than trying to make things more spacey at each generation.

Many of the most important software concepts were invented in the 70s and forgotten in the 80s.

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Many of the most important software concepts were invented in the 70s and forgotten in the 80s.

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post #55 of 82
9/28/11 at 5:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by macapptraining View Post

Good! The Classic is too big. Who needs all that media on the road, with that tiny of a screen? .

I do.

I like to have ALL of my music with me when I'm traveling. You never know what you might want to listen to when sitting in a hotel in some third world country. And I don't want to have to resync my music every time I return.

I do like the iPod Touch and think that it will eventually replace the Classic, but I don't see it happening until storage costs drop to the point where one can get Classic levels of storage without paying much of a premium.

Classic is currently 160 GB for $249.
The largest Touch is 64 GB for $399.

I think we have a ways to go before it makes sense to drop the Classic.
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post #56 of 82
9/28/11 at 6:02am
another important issue that (i don't think) has been touched on, is that the iPod Classic will still charge via a firewire connection (not sync, charge). this is important to me, since my car's iPod connector cable supplies power that way. any other iPod won't charge while connected to my car through this cable. i can leave the iPod Classic installed in the car and not have to remove it to charge it back up, only to update if i add more audio to my iTunes library.
side note, i don't get the romanticism over vinyl. if one prefers the sound that's great, but technically it isn't better. digital and vinyl both have issues.
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post #57 of 82
9/28/11 at 6:44am
Apple wants all of us to move into the cloud at purchase iTunes Match. The days of larger capacity devices are gone. This allows them to further reduce their COGS and increase profits of devices like the iPhone and iPod touch while forcing us consumers to move into their service for our large libraries. A 3G iPod Touch makes sense for this new kind of business model Apple is clearly adopting. The shuffle was never a great product to begin with. good riddance
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post #58 of 82
9/28/11 at 6:48am
The battery on my original fat 160 Classic is finally starting to weaken. If the Classic is really discontinued, I may need to buy a new Classic next month.
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post #59 of 82
9/28/11 at 6:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Auric73 View Post

This is not good. Apple doesn't have any iPod which can compare with the Classic for storage. The iPod Touch, and especially the iPhone don't come anywhere close in capacity!

Quote:
Originally Posted by apwmel View Post

I will only give up my Classic when the touch has over twice the storage that exsist now.

And since you newbies can't seem to read the thread, I'll say again that 64GB chips have been available for some time.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dtoxin View Post

Apple wants all of us to move into the cloud at purchase iTunes Match.

Apple wants pirates to purchase iTunes Match. And since we get iCloud for free, people will already be there

Quote:
The days of larger capacity devices are gone.

Explains why they keep doubling capacities on both iDevices and Macs, then, huh.

Quote:
forcing us consumers

It's funny because you think you have to use iCloud.

Quote:
The shuffle was never a great product to begin with. good riddance

Now you're just being insane.
PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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post #60 of 82
9/28/11 at 7:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mbarriault View Post

I think the point is that they're not making enough money. classic and shuffle has their purposes, sure, but Apple generally doesn't aim for niche market.

Not enough? Does that equal a LOSS of $$$ or just not enough profit? If they are not losing $$$ on the sale of the shuffle and Classic, they shouldn't drop them. I am in the market for a new iPod Classic (my 4th gen was dropped from a moving car - don't ask). I guess I need to pick one up this weekend.
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post #61 of 82
9/28/11 at 7:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by WardC View Post

Apple might just make a dual 512GB blade SSD-based iPod with 1TB of RAID-0 storage, of course, that would be a $2000 iPod, but wouldn't it be coooool!?

EDIT: Flash is the wave of the future and where everything is going....iPods, iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and eventually all desktops will come with SSD as standard...physical spinning hard drives are going to be a thing of the past, they are much slow(er), they are crash/fault prone, and because of the moving parts they are not as durable...drop an iPod classic while music is playing, the music may stop, or you may damage the internal HD altogether and have to get a new one. Flash is light and durable, and you really don't have to worry about all the issues that plauge physical spinning disks. We see Apple did this with the MacBook Air, no longer offering a HD-based variant, they are all Flash/SSD now.

The only thing, they better not make the iPods out of glass like the iPhone 4, because you barely drop the thing and it shatters.

Drop a classic and maybe damage the HD if it is spinning, otherwise it should be fine. Drop an iPod Touch and watch the LCD shatter, whether it is playing or not. Each has its own weakness.
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post #62 of 82
9/28/11 at 7:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by macapptraining View Post

Good! The Classic is too big. Who needs all that media on the road, with that tiny of a screen? The Shuffle, is too small! Get rid of it. The future is touchscreen. Just like finally getting rid of all the Plastic Macs. Best. Decision. Ever. I won't miss these devices. Simplify your offering, make the core better, move on. Way to go Apple.

So you're that guy driving and playing with their phone/iPod Touch/touch screen device that nearly ran me off the road last week!
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post #63 of 82
9/28/11 at 7:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lamewing View Post

Drop a classic and maybe damage the HD if it is spinning, otherwise it should be fine. Drop an iPod Touch and watch the LCD shatter, whether it is playing or not. Each has its own weakness.

That's an oversimplification if I've ever heard one. And wrong, somewhat.

Also, the iPod touch would likely still work. Screw your HDD in your classic and you're, well, screwed.
PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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post #64 of 82
9/28/11 at 7:15am
How about a hybrid iPod Class which uses flash memory? I don't know if they can keep the cost reasonable, but I would love the form factor of the Classic and the inclusion of flash versus a HDD. It would give the Classic a longer life and would speed up the menu system of the Classic.
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post #65 of 82
9/28/11 at 7:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lamewing View Post

How about a hybrid iPod Class which uses flash memory?

And cut the capacity by 32 gigabytes. That makes no sense unless it's an iPod touch doing it.
PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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post #66 of 82
9/28/11 at 7:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta View Post

I like to have ALL of my music with me when I'm traveling.

Do you forget that Apple makes products for the REST OF US?

Your special-use scenario is like .00000001% of the market.
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post #67 of 82
9/28/11 at 7:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dtoxin View Post

Apple wants all of us to move into the cloud at purchase iTunes Match. The days of larger capacity devices are gone. This allows them to further reduce their COGS and increase profits of devices like the iPhone and iPod touch while forcing us consumers to move into their service for our large libraries.

Give this man a cigar.
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post #68 of 82
9/28/11 at 7:32am
I agree with dtoxin, if Apple really believes that iCloud is the future and wants to push the issue, I can see them cutting the Classic and saying that iCloud makes it unnecessary.

I never understood the Shuffle, it's slick and solid, but functionality-wise it always struck me as something Coby should be selling at Walgreens for $10. The newest Nano seems like what the Shuffle should have been.

I'm surprised that they they never replaced the Classic with a Touch with a hard drive. I guess that's technically a step backwards and would be too thick for the futuristic Touch, but it seems like a reasonable compromise to me. Caching music so that the hard drive only spins a fraction of the time makes me far less concerned about the fragility of the physical drive.

I'm also surprised that the Classic hasn't increased capacities to keep up with advances in hard drives. Although I guess you could say the same about the solid state iPods too.
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post #69 of 82
9/28/11 at 7:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta View Post

I do.

I like to have ALL of my music with me when I'm traveling. You never know what you might want to listen to when sitting in a hotel in some third world country. And I don't want to have to resync my music every time I return.

I do like the iPod Touch and think that it will eventually replace the Classic, but I don't see it happening until storage costs drop to the point where one can get Classic levels of storage without paying much of a premium.

Classic is currently 160 GB for $249.
The largest Touch is 64 GB for $399.

I think we have a ways to go before it makes sense to drop the Classic.

My exact thoughts. I also like to have most, if not all, of my music with me wherever I go. I love my 160gb Classic - it's the perfect size. And I just don't have the time to sync it regularly.

I hope Apple keeps the Classic in its iPod lineup....perhaps make it available as BTOs??
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post #70 of 82
9/28/11 at 7:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

That's an oversimplification if I've ever heard one. And wrong, somewhat.

Also, the iPod touch would likely still work. Screw your HDD in your classic and you're, well, screwed.

You do realize that a 160GB ATA hard drive costs like $65?
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post #71 of 82
9/28/11 at 7:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by shawnb View Post

You do realize that a 160GB ATA hard drive costs like $65?

You can still find 1.8" drives? Interesting.
PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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post #72 of 82
9/28/11 at 7:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

Explains why they keep doubling capacities on both iDevices and Macs, then, huh.

Except recently they haven't been. Hopefully this year they get back to it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lamewing View Post

So you're that guy driving and playing with their phone/iPod Touch/touch screen device that nearly ran me off the road last week!

Same goes for the idea of dropping the shuffle and replacing it with the touch screen nano. Did Apple not learn its lesson from the buttonless shuffle fiasco? Do they not understand how people use the shuffle (working out). If I have to stop and unclip my iPod to look at the screen to able to operate it (possibly requiring two hands given the current nano size), it's useless as a workout tool. And just how robust is a touch interface when it's covered in sweat and rubbing against sweat soaked workout clothes? With the shuffle I can be at a full run and have complete access to the controls without ever unclipping it and without breaking stride. No way you can do that with the nano.
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post #73 of 82
9/28/11 at 7:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

You can still find 1.8" drives? Interesting.

Not that difficult to find:

http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/Tos...00_THD-HDD1F14
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post #74 of 82
9/28/11 at 8:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cvaldes1831 View Post

What are you talking about? The biggest capacity iPod that isn't a classic has 64GB, not sixteen.

Still not nearly enough.
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post #75 of 82
9/28/11 at 8:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChristophB View Post

Have a Classic in reserve and a replacement battery and display from ifixit just in case theY discontinue with no notice as is the norm. I use only lossless encodes and 160GB barely contains my current music library. I am not a member of Gen-MP3.

I totally agree (except my Lossless library is over 500 GB). I hook my Classic into my car stereo, put it on album shuffle, and have 420 hours of non-repetitive music. It's like having a radio station where everything they play is something I know i like. I can'timagine being without an iPod Classic.

I keep hoping they make a Classic with a larger hard drive.
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post #76 of 82
9/28/11 at 9:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Error601 View Post

I think you'd be pleasantly surprised at the quality of "iTunes Plus" (256kbps VBR) encoded files. VERY good quality - totally acceptable for a portable player. Just keep the lossless files on your computer so you have them archived.

But...

Apple better have at least a 128GB iPod touch ready when they discontinue the 160GB classic (which I will probably buy in the next couple weeks).

I can't agree with you - my iPod Classic is for my car stereo. While 256kbps files don't sound horrible, they're just not there.
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post #77 of 82
9/28/11 at 4:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChristophB View Post

Have a Classic in reserve and a replacement battery and display from ifixit just in case theY discontinue with no notice as is the norm. I use only lossless encodes and 160GB barely contains my current music library. I am not a member of Gen-MP3.

I agree....nothing like a 13 hr flight and being able to choose from 900+ CDs at 320kps quality on a 160 gig iPod....I will buy 2 backups that should suffice for the next 15 years!!! After that...who cares!!!
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post #78 of 82
9/29/11 at 3:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by macapptraining View Post

Good! The Classic is too big. Who needs all that media on the road, with that tiny of a screen? The Shuffle, is too small! Get rid of it. The future is touchscreen. Just like finally getting rid of all the Plastic Macs. Best. Decision. Ever. I won't miss these devices. Simplify your offering, make the core better, move on. Way to go Apple.

I have a classic in my car hooked up with an iPod connector kit to view tracks on the Sat/Nav screen. I have it filled (160GB) with lossless audio for weeks of repetition-free shuffling. The unit is stashed away in the center console. I never need to touch it except to reboot it!

Capacious iPods have usefulness. I'd rather pay for capacity than a touch screen and crud i'll never use.
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post #79 of 82
9/29/11 at 4:47pm
Let's not forget that even if you buy several classics to go for 15 years until they figure out something other than this cloud bullshit- do you really want all your personal information and data stored remotely at some corporations server farm?! Because that's where we are headed.. But Apple will likley insert little "fixes" in updates that neuter our devices. Problems with cloud computing:

1.) Access- ever taken your ipod camping, hiking, or kayaking? Maybe not, but a lot of people do and I like to have the choice, not be tethered to the 8G network or wi-fi or whatever

2.) Security- do you really think server farms are completely immune to any kind of virus, glitch, hardware failure, or even fire earthquake etc? The only reason I don't have my original iPod is because the old ones failed..

3.) Privacy- yeah, this is a separate issue. Eventually that picture that you took of your wife and you, or that letter you wrote your dying grandma, or your bank account information will cease to be in your physical possession. Period.

I'm all for technology, but cloud computing is the worst idea since shin splints
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post #80 of 82
9/29/11 at 5:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by macapptraining View Post

Good! The Classic is too big. Who needs all that media on the road, with that tiny of a screen? The Shuffle, is too small! Get rid of it. The future is touchscreen. Just like finally getting rid of all the Plastic Macs. Best. Decision. Ever. I won't miss these devices. Simplify your offering, make the core better, move on. Way to go Apple.

I have a classic in my car hooked up with an iPod connector kit to view tracks on the Sat/Nav screen. I have it filled (160GB) with lossless audio for weeks of repetition-free shuffling. The unit is stashed away from view. I never need to touch it (except when it crashes! heh).

Capacious iPods have usefulness.
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