Apple's iPod classic survives another year, but sees no changes

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Though it went unmentioned at Apple's media event, the iconic iPod classic remains available from Apple at the same $249 price point for 160GB of storage.



Apple last year increased the capacity of its sole hard drive-based portable media player to 160GB. And even that increase was minor, considering that two years prior Apple had introduced a 160GB model, only to ax it in 2008.



The 2009 update to the iPod classic gave the device the same slim profile as the 120GB model released in 2008.



While the iPod classic earned a brief mention in 2009 due to its capacity bump, it went unmentioned by Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs on Wednesday. That isn't because Apple discontinued the device, however.



The iPod classic remains advertised on Apple's site, and is still available for sale in the company's online store. It touts that the device can carry 40,000 songs, 200 hours of video or 25,000 photos on its internal hard drive.



Given the legacy of the device, with a design largely unchanged for years, and its lack of solid state storage and reliance on the iconic click wheel, some believed Apple would finally put the nail in the coffin on the device in 2010.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 46
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    It would have been nice to see the Classic at US 199.99... Oh Well
  • Reply 2 of 46
    Give it another year or two, it will be gone. Flash is coming down, it's only a matter of another year or so before we see 128GB in an iPod Touch. The Classic is still great I think for someone that wants to carry an entire library with them. It will be phased out as soon as 128GB is available in an iDevice. Great updates overall today, very impressed. Still trying to grab an iTunes 10 download, but it's not up yet.
  • Reply 3 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaHarder View Post


    It would have been nice to see the Classic at US 199.99... Oh Well



    Or keep the price but bump it up to 320 GB.
  • Reply 4 of 46
    joe hsjoe hs Posts: 488member
    It won't survive another year. 10 years Of the classic iPod formfactor. end it on a high note.
  • Reply 5 of 46
    just because the thing is still advertised and is being sold doesn't mean it survived another year. It could be just as likely that apple is trying to sell their remaining stock
  • Reply 6 of 46
    I agree with JohnnyB0731.



    Notice that Steve Jobs said that they're revamped and redesigned their entire line of iPods (paraphrasing). That means that the Classic, which did not get updated in the slightest, is not included in the lineup because it wasn't updated, much less redesigned.



    I surmise they're just allowing people to buy the last of their stock before they take it off of the store website.



    Daniel
  • Reply 7 of 46
    nkhmnkhm Posts: 928member
    It would be very, very bad to lose the classic. Bigger storage for those who want to play music. Not forgetting this is the only ipod that can be operated by the visually impaired. It really should be kept, storage upped, price dropped a little.
  • Reply 8 of 46
    "...the iconic iPod classic remains available from Apple at the same $249 price point..."



    Is there some statement in the AI style guide that requirse the constant (mis) use of the term "price point" in all blog postings*? Lose the buzzword and get back to basics.



    *Same goes for the ever-popular "form factor" phrase.
  • Reply 9 of 46
    I hope they never kill it. I'd buy a 1TB model if they made it. I could take my whole library in ALAC. Add a nice portable amp (such as a Ray Samuels Hornet) and a good set of headphones (such as Sennheiser HD650 or AKG 701) and you'd have an amazing personal sound system.



    Seems like there should already be someone modding the older, thicker 160GB units to at least 320GB, if not higher. What's the largest size drive anyone makes now that will fit in the older 160GB?
  • Reply 10 of 46
    Apple has to come up with at least gb for me to give up my Classic. My library is too large for a Touch, although I have one.
  • Reply 11 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Joe hs View Post


    It won't survive another year. 10 years Of the classic iPod formfactor. end it on a high note.



    I agree. I bought one, just to be on the safe side.



    I know that the word is overused, but what a truly iconic product! It changed the course of Apple - and popular entertainment - forever. (Moreover, there's nothing better for the car).



    [Sniff].
  • Reply 12 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nkhm View Post


    Not forgetting this is the only ipod that can be operated by the visually impaired.



    This is a very good observation. Now that you bring this up, I have a feeling that Apple is going to hear about this one, and may have to rethink.
  • Reply 13 of 46
    Check out Amazon...it's one of the top sellers in MP3 players. People still buy it. Not as many, but Apple still makes money off it, so it's worth keeping around.



    The only thing that will shorten its life is now the nano uses different system software.
  • Reply 14 of 46
    No reason to kill a good-seller unless you have a better one.



    The new iPods are nice but none come close to Classic in capacity. My library won't fit on any of the flash-based ones (64 max)



    Yes - I have a nano and like it for certain things, but the Classic holds everything.



    I expect it will be here for many years. Until there's something better.
  • Reply 15 of 46
    They'll keep selling them as long as they have inventory to sell. And they'll keep making them as long as people keep buying them, or until they become too expensive to manufacture.
  • Reply 16 of 46
    19841984 Posts: 955member
    I was hoping they would bump it to 250gb when Steve said all iPods were being updated. How hard would that have been? After that POS nano was introduced and then the touch that can't take decent photos it was starting to become a potential highlight of the event for me.
  • Reply 17 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by johnnyb0731 View Post


    just because the thing is still advertised and is being sold doesn't mean it survived another year. It could be just as likely that apple is trying to sell their remaining stock



    Doubt that since they went to the trouble of updating all the ipod product pages with the classic info.
  • Reply 18 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nkhm View Post


    Not forgetting this is the only ipod that can be operated by the visually impaired.



    I suppose you have heard of the "iPod shuffle", right?
  • Reply 19 of 46
    I absolutely LOVE the iPod Classic. I can load it up with everything I have and plug it into my car's media interface and use the car's controls almost exactly like an iPod. A Touch isn't the kind of iPod you hide and a nano is still too small.



    Though my Classic will last for many many years to come I hope it is not discontinued.
  • Reply 20 of 46
    A good amount of my friends have bought the iPod Classic 120GB and recent 160GB (including myself). I think most hardcore music lovers not only want all of their library with them, but they want a device dedicated to music. It seems to still be accepted that the iPod Classic has higher quality sound output, and I don't want to fuddle around with a touch screen while running or driving. I want to know where the pause button is, and just hit it without looking.



    If the Classic keeps selling, they'll keep making it. I've upgraded every two years to keep up with my expanding music collection (30, 80 Classic, now 160 Classic). I'll buy a 200 - 320GB Classic if they make it a year or two from now.



    I won't go from having a 160GB Classic to a 128GB iPod Touch, nor will I pay $400 for a device when a $250 one does exactly what I want. I hope Apple keeps the Classic.
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