Rumor: Apple may discontinue iPod shuffle, classic this year

124

Comments

  • Reply 61 of 81
    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!
  • Reply 62 of 81
    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.
  • Reply 63 of 81
    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.
  • Reply 64 of 81
    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.
  • Reply 65 of 81
    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.
  • Reply 66 of 81
    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.
  • Reply 67 of 81
    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.
  • Reply 68 of 81
    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??
  • Reply 69 of 81
    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?
  • Reply 70 of 81
    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.
  • Reply 71 of 81
    wigginwiggin Posts: 2,265member
    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.
  • Reply 72 of 81
    wigginwiggin Posts: 2,265member
    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
  • Reply 73 of 81
    elrothelroth Posts: 1,201member
    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.
  • Reply 74 of 81
    elrothelroth Posts: 1,201member
    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.
  • Reply 75 of 81
    elrothelroth Posts: 1,201member
    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.
  • Reply 76 of 81
    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!!!
  • Reply 77 of 81
    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.
  • Reply 78 of 81
    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
  • Reply 79 of 81
    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.
  • Reply 80 of 81
    Actually, this is a brilliant idea. If Apple discontinues the Classic in the morning, they will sell more in a week than they would probably have sold all year, then by next year they will have a viable high capacity replacement device.
Sign In or Register to comment.