iPod classic, iPod shuffle live on in Apple's holiday lineup

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Despite rumors that the iPod classic and iPod shuffle would be discontinued, Apple revealed on Tuesday that the two media players will remain available for sale.



The aging hardware for the hard-drive based iPod classic and the screen-less iPod shuffle were not updated Tuesday, and the devices were not mentioned by Apple during the company's keynote. But the devices were listed at the tail-end of a press release issued by the company, revealing that they will continue to remain available -- at least through the holidays.



"iPod is the world's most popular family of music players," the press release reads. "Apple's holiday lineup includes iPod shuffle for just $49, iPod nano with Multi-Touch starting at just $129, iPod touch available in black or white, including iOS 5 and iCloud, starting at just $199, and iPod classic in a 160GB model for $249."



The prices for the iPod shuffle and iPod classic remain unchanged. That's unlike the iPod nano and iPod touch, both of which were given minor updates with slightly lower prices.



A week ago, a rumor suggested that Apple would discontinue both the iPod shuffle and the iPod classic, as sales of the company's portable media players continue to dwindle as consumers gravitate toward multi-purpose devices like the iPhone. But during Tuesday's presentation, Apple said that the iPod is still a strong market for the company, with nearly half of iPod purchases coming from someone who has never owned an iPod before.







More evidence to suggest the end of the iPod classic was discovered by AppleInsider last week, when it was noted that Apple removed its selection of click-wheel games for the classic from iTunes.



Though they live on, Apple continues to de-emphasize the iPod shuffle and, in particular, the iPod classic as part of the iPod family. In addition to not being mentioned during Tuesday's keynote, the iPod classic is not pictured in a press image provided by Apple. That image (shown above), only shows the iPod touch, iPod nano and iPod shuffle.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 27
    I'm thinking we'll see iPod updates move to the Summer in 2012, and iPhone #6 which I'm thinking will be called iPhone 4G in Fall.
  • Reply 2 of 27
    Me personally - I love my 80GB classic - I keep in the glovebox in the car and that way, I have access to my entire iTunes library...



    Yes - there are clearly plenty of songs i haven't listened to in forever...but I don't want to clutter my iPhone or iPad with music since I want room there for apps...



    My two cents anyway...long live the classic! I may buy a new one around holiday time just to have the greater storage option...
  • Reply 3 of 27
    christophbchristophb Posts: 1,482member
    Apple needs to fix their calendar app cause they clearly don't know what century it is.
  • Reply 4 of 27
    Well, this means I don't need to buy a new Classic yet.
  • Reply 5 of 27
    yensid98yensid98 Posts: 311member
    I'm VERY glad the iPod classic is still available. I prefer a device with extra large capacity and physical buttons for easy control in the car and such. My current 80GB iPod is working fine, but it's no longer large enough for all my music, podcasts, audiobooks and video. I'll definitely be getting an iPod classic before the year is out.



    It's good Apple has kept the low priced shuffle too, but since I have a nano, I don't really have a need for a shuffle as well.
  • Reply 6 of 27
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jakevin. View Post


    I'm thinking we'll see iPod updates move to the Summer in 2012,



    I suspect what we saw today is the future for at least the next few years. The iPhone will release in the fall and dominate the keynote along with iTunes etc. The iPods will get a passing mention with little to no real updates on the Nano and nothing other than perhaps a price change on the shuffle and classic. The touch will get small changes to support iTunes but little else. Eventually the cost of the Nano could go low enough to have them nix the Shuffle. And perhaps at some point the Classic might get a solid state drive at say 128GB but that's all we might see there.



    Releasing the iPods in the Summer would mean either waiting a year for them to fully support the latest iTunes and service changes or trumping what is about to hit with the iPhone. And no matter how great the iPods sell I can't see them wanting to debut new features with them instead of the iPhone.
  • Reply 7 of 27
    christophbchristophb Posts: 1,482member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tonton View Post


    Well, this means I don't need to buy a new Classic yet.



    When I feel like it's close, I'm gonna pick up a gen5 and spare parts off ifixit. I miss the old DACs.
  • Reply 8 of 27
    I'm so happy that the rumours were, again, wrong and the iPod Classic will, for the time being, live on.



    I've used one every day for the past 10 years and as far as I'm concerned they can't be beaten. The iCloud + 64gb is all well and good for the casual listener with a small music collection, but for music fans with large music collections the Classic is the only sure way to have your entire iTunes collection with you at all times.
  • Reply 9 of 27
    idaveidave Posts: 1,283member
    The click wheel lives!
  • Reply 10 of 27
    gmhutgmhut Posts: 242member
    I have over 6000 songs and over 18 days of music on the classic, before it repeats, that plugs into an after market radio in my car that operates all the functions of my iPod classic from the dashboard. It's only iPod classic compatible. One day my iPod C will die, and I will weep like a baby at the loss of my own personal radio station, sans annoying D-Jays and commercials, that plays all my favorites plus cool "deep, deep, deep" cuts I forgot I bought. Nothing like a long road trip and hearing..



    Miles Davis, followed by

    Johnny Cash's rendition of "Hurt"

    followed by Dvorak,

    followed by Cheech and Chong's "Earache My Eye",

    followed by Crack the Sky,

    followed by Funkadelic's Maggot Brain",

    followed by Elvin Bishop's "Struttin' My Stuff"

    followed by Floyd's "Lucifer Sam",

    followed by "Jesus Went Down to Chicago",

    followed by "Mississippi Queen",

    followed by the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs,

    followed by Foo Fighters,

    followed by Bowie's "Man Who Sold the World"

    followed by "For Emma"

    followed by "Tiger Mountain Pleasant Song"

    followed by "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

    followed by "Helter Skelter"

    followed by Patsy Kline's "Crazy"

    followed by Brandie Carlile's "Hallelujah

    followed by Primus's, "My Name is Mud"

    followed by "Nazareth's "Love Hurts"

    followed by Regina Spector,

    followed by...



    Ah, the ecstasy!



    Bowie was right. God's a young man too.
  • Reply 11 of 27
    Ever try to use a touch screen with your eyes closed?



    The nice thing about the shuffle is that I can work all the functions while at a full run without taking my eyes off the trail.



    You can't do that with the new nano or the touch. I use my Shuffle more than my Touch these days.
  • Reply 12 of 27
    gmhutgmhut Posts: 242member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pucenavel View Post


    Ever try to use a touch screen with your eyes closed?



    The nice thing about the shuffle is that I can work all the functions while at a full run without taking my eyes off the trail.



    You can't do that with the new nano or the touch. I use my Shuffle more than my Touch these days.



    Yes!



    Even more crucial riding a bike, on a crowded bike trail, going downhill.
  • Reply 13 of 27
    markmark Posts: 143member
    iPod Classic now $30 cheaper in Canada.
  • Reply 14 of 27
    Why wouldn't they keep the Classic and Shuffle? There's a distinctive use case for each product which ensures a steady, even if relatively low, demand. The production lines are all set up, suppliers in place, no need for new hardware or software design teams, making the device very low cost and likely very high profit margin after all these years with no major changes. They can just sit back and make money while making their customers happy with little to no effort. Seems like a win, win.
  • Reply 15 of 27
    Bring out my Bollinger! Classic lives!



    When parts of your stereo kits have names like Vivid Audio, Arcam, Dali, Cambridge and Kef and not pedestrians like Onkyo, Yamaha or Marantz, you will get why you need iPod Classic.
  • Reply 16 of 27
    shaun, ukshaun, uk Posts: 1,050member
    Well, well, well. Deja vu or what. Seems like nothing new was announced in the iPod line up. Long gone are the days when we all would wait eager to see this years new iPods.



    If they are going to retire the Classic they will probably wait until after the holiday buying season is over and quietly delete it in January or something. But who knows the way things are going maybe it will still be around next October.
  • Reply 17 of 27
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by GMHut View Post


    I have over 6000 songs and over 18 days of music...



    I agree. I'm at over 25,000 songs on my iPod Classic (over 85GB of music), varying from rock to folk, country to cast albums, calliopies to swing, a wide variety that is always entertaining (plus all the podcasts!). Much of this music is recorded from physical CDs or LPs, not from iTune. I treasure my iPod Classic, and dread the day they discontinue it without a replacement with equivalent storage. The cloud is not the solution; one doesn't always have access or bandwidth.
  • Reply 18 of 27
    shawnbshawnb Posts: 155member
    Only here is the absence of a rumored event an event...
  • Reply 19 of 27
    elrothelroth Posts: 1,201member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shawnb View Post


    Only here is the absence of a rumored event an event...



    Actually, that seems to sum up Twitter pretty well.
  • Reply 20 of 27
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jakevin. View Post


    I'm thinking we'll see iPod updates move to the Summer in 2012, and iPhone #6 which I'm thinking will be called iPhone 4G in Fall.



    Why would they call it an iPhone 4G when Phil himself said 'let others discuss that'?
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