News - Apple waves goodbye to the iPod Classic

[HEXUS]

The iconic MP3 player has been removed from the company's online store.

Read more.

[xslavic]

Good step in the right direction.We certainly hope that in the near future they will add a >115db snr and at least 100db chanell separation dac +flac support.

[burble]

I think it's an awful decision. I can't cram all my music onto the 160Gb Classic I've already got and I'm hopeless and choosing what to not put on there. I'd really like a larger capacity device than I've already got.

[crossy]

Did you own an old Apple iPod Classic? Please share your thoughts upon the demise of the Classic range.

I don't have a Classic - mainly because I bought a 5th Gen iPod "Video" and couldn't see a big deal in the move to the Classic, other than the jump from 80GB to 160GB storage.

Actually recently bought a "broken" iPod Video from eBay and used the iFlash upgrade to mod it from 30GB HDD (stock) to 128GB SD Flash. Unfortunately, the motherboard-mounted microswitch for pause/play turned out to be shot, but a Fiio E1 headphone amplifier turned out to be the solution - and a lot cheaper than a new motherboard. Only downside being that the hold-pause-to-turn-off gesture doesn't work.

If this announcement means a flood of cheap 160GB Classics then I might be tempted to have a go at a flash mod on one of those, if there's a suitable one on eBay. Other than that I think this is bad move - after all as burble points out there's folks out there who want to bring a large library with them. I was kind of hoping for a new Classic perhaps fitted with a large capacity SSD.

After performing at the iPhone launch event yesterday, rock band U2 announced that they are giving away their new album for free. Over half a billion iTunes customers will get the album free, it's said to be the largest album release in history.

Not unexpected, U2 have had previous tie-ups with Apple - remember the iPod Video "U2 Edition". Pretty sure I won't be rushing out to download the new album since I'm not a fan.

Good step in the right direction.We certainly hope that in the near future they will add a >115db snr and at least 100db chanell separation dac +flac support.

Not a chance - you're talking about audiophile type setup and Apple's not interested in that. And I don't see how killing the "proper" iPod is a "step in the right direction". If you're interested in good fidelity then - based on the comments on various sites - they should have killed the Touch with it's "sounds best with Beats" reproduction. And yes, I was being ironic with the Beats comment.

I think it's an awful decision. I can't cram all my music onto the 160Gb Classic I've already got and I'm hopeless and choosing what to not put on there. I'd really like a larger capacity device than I've already got.

Then basically you've got to look somewhere else. That said, Tarkan's supposedly working on a mod that'll let you have a 1TB iPod. Failing mods, there's stuff like the Fiio X5 that can support 256GB now (no internal storage - it uses uSDXC cards). And a quick look around shows that there's other "audiophile" players that might fit the bill - although some of these are at prices that would make a stock-trading banker wince.

[iworrall]

I think it's an awful decision. I can't cram all my music onto the 160Gb Classic I've already got and I'm hopeless and choosing what to not put on there. I'd really like a larger capacity device than I've already got.

It's pricey, but the Fiio X5 has no onboard storage, just 2 MicroSD slots, each capable of 128GB. When larger SD cards become available, a firmware update will let it accept them.

[burble]

Thanks for the tips guys, I'll do some reading.

[Unique]

with a 128gb iphone they will presumably do a 128gb ipod touch so not far off the 160gb classic, and who knows they might do a 256gb ipod touch or iphone the next time around. it's a shame they didn't do bigger capacity classics. the idea of flashcards inside a classic is pretty interesting, especially if you could swap cards on the go

[burble]

The difference between 128Gb and 160Gb is pretty significant I'd say, it's a difference of 25%. I realise that I'm likely in the minority though but 128Gb wouldn't be enough - 160Gb isn't enough for me.

[iworrall]

The difference between 128Gb and 160Gb is pretty significant I'd say, it's a difference of 25%. I realise that I'm likely in the minority though but 128Gb wouldn't be enough - 160Gb isn't enough for me.

That's why I pointed at the Fiio. It's already capable of 256Gb (2 slots, remember?), and once 256Gb cards arrive, a simple firmware update would let you plug in 512Gb! It's also a DAMN good USB DAC.

[crossy]

That's why I pointed at the Fiio. It's already capable of 256Gb (2 slots, remember?), and once 256Gb cards arrive, a simple firmware update would let you plug in 512Gb! It's also a DAMN good USB DAC.

Yep, the Fiio X5 looks like a darn good unit (for the price - apparently the A&K gear has better sound quality, but that's about £750!). Best of all it's got a scroll wheel driven UI* which is still the way that suits me best (really don't like the touch driven interface on the Touch).

Actually spent quite a lot of cash with Fiio this year - various cables, the E1 amp for my "Frankenstein" eBay'd Video and also a Kunlun DAC/AMP for the mobile phone.

(just like - ahem - the iPod classic)

[crossy]

The difference between 128Gb and 160Gb is pretty significant I'd say, it's a difference of 25%. I realise that I'm likely in the minority though but 128Gb wouldn't be enough - 160Gb isn't enough for me.

No I don't think you're in a minority - if you get a Classic then it's kind of obvious that either you need more than 64GB that the Touch goes to, or you prefer the old style UI. At the risk of "bigging up" Tarkan, you could use his iFlash unit in a Classic with a 256GB flash card - although given the card alone costs more than a new Classic, you've got to wonder about the feasibility of doing that. From the comments given it looks like the 6G Classic has "issues" with larger sized upgrades.

No, if I was looking for a 160GB+ size (which I might be given that I'm loading my iPod Videos with ALAC files at the moment), then Tarkan's iFlash-Sata makes a lot more sense. Especially given that you can get the Samsung 840EVO mSATA drive that Tarkan seems to recommend for around £105 from Amazon. Of course, the downside of this (other than having to open your iPod - which I found a trial) is that the iFlash-Sata seems to be in "beta" state at the moment. Wet-finger-in-the-air estimates would seem to suggest that a 250GB upgrade kit (SSD, adaptor and tools) could be had for around £150, maybe even less.

[Unique]

this has reminded me that i planned to put rockbox on my 120gb ipod classic that i've not used in ages as i usually just use my iphone as a walkman now. but i do miss being able to just grab an album quickly and sticking it on without mucking about with synching and i have a lot of stuff in flac so to have to convert to mp3 then synch is a pain. so i've basically stuck 110gb of flac on the classic, of favourite stuff, and it works fine. i'll use the iphone for newer stuff. it was dead easy and quick installing rockbox and getting it to work. took about 2 hours to fill it though

[Skyah]

My first ipod was an ipod mini i won in a competttion 8 years ago , I still have that bad boy!