Still using two Nanos permanently installed in our cars. With inconsistent cell service, streaming in the car is impractical. About a thousand of our songs in each car ready to go. Only bring them in when it's time to change or add songs.
This article vastly overstates the "difficulty" in using an iPod. There are hundreds of 30-pin cables and 3.5mm headphones for sale on Amazon and eBay, and syncing can be done via Finder in macOS Catalina. Also, iTunes was removed from Catalina, but is still available for download for earlier versions of MacOS.
Using an old iPod is not more challenging than it was 10 years ago.
Amazon even sells the excellent In-ear earphones. I bought a pair, at .com since that was cheaper than buying locally in Europe. All buttons work with the iPhone and my iPod Shuffle.
Just one thing with the Shuffle; it doesn’t pop up on a Mac. Any Mac, any version. Any iTunes version. I’m literally stuck with the music that’s on it...
Was the author being humorous or deliberately clueless?
30-pin cables are easy to get. Amazon has many. So do every retail store I know of.
Compatible headphones? Apple still sells headphones with 3.5mm plugs. And there are literally thousands of third-party headphones that do as well.
I think it is nothing short of amazing that Apple still provides software support for these old iPods. My minis, nanos and Classics all sync just fine. No problems at all.
The only problem with these old units is that the batteries can't hold much of a charge anymore, but even that's not insurmountable. There are many aftermarket batteries. Installation can be tricky, but it's quite doable if you're careful (and handy with a soldering iron, for some model iPods).
Want more capacity? The mini is based on a MicroDrive, which means you can replace it with any CompactFlash card. A quick Amazon search shows you can get a 128GB card for about $65-100. More expensive than an SD card, but not too terrible.
Maybe they were thinking of the special USB-3.5mm charge cable for the iPod Nano?
I think you're thinking of some of the Shuffle models. As far as I know, the nano has always used a 30pin Dock connector (1st through 6th gen) or a Lightening connector (7th gen).
The Shuffle, on the other hand, was always a special snowflake. The first generation used a built-in USB-A connector. The latter ones all used a proprietary 3.5mm connector that can only connect/sync via the device's proprietary dock.
Want more capacity? The mini is based on a MicroDrive, which means you can replace it with any CompactFlash card. A quick Amazon search shows you can get a 128GB card for about $65-100. More expensive than an SD card, but not too terrible.
You could bring these up to date .... I still get comments on it wondering why I’m using a 2004 Mini in 2020 only to explain that its been heavily modified.
I would love someone to do these kinds of mods to the final touchscreen iPod nano. It's my favorite iPod of all time, but the limited 16 GB capacity and aging battery make it less than ideal to use.
I would love someone to do these kinds of mods to the final touchscreen iPod nano. It's my favorite iPod of all time, but the limited 16 GB capacity and aging battery make it less than ideal to use.
I know it's not the same, but Apple is still making the iPod Touch. Not quite as nice as the nano's UI, but it works well as a compact music player, and they're available with up to 256GB of storage.
The current Touch is functionally equivalent to an iPhone 7, with respect to CPU and memory. But with a small screen and no cellular/GPS connectivity, of course.
Comments
Just one thing with the Shuffle; it doesn’t pop up on a Mac. Any Mac, any version. Any iTunes version. I’m literally stuck with the music that’s on it...
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MA591G/C/apple-30-pin-to-usb-cable
Maybe they were thinking of the special USB-3.5mm charge cable for the iPod Nano?
I've found that the iPod Mini is the easiest iPod model to replace the batteries and upgrade storage. I've upgraded several.