IPod classic gone now

The thing I think you're missing is that many of us do not listen to music the way you do. For instance your suggestion number two is to convert songs to a lower quality format; specifically songs that we like the least. That kind of thing doesn't exist in my mind. That's like a CD with the title " Beethoven's 5th Symphony – the good parts". I can honestly say that my iPod - which has now been replaced by a FiiO x5 - contains no music that I like better than others. But I am not the same as others. I was for a while a full-time professional musician, and I have a music degree from the New England Conservatory in Boston. I have no rock music or pop music on my iPod. It's not that I think that pop music is bad; actually I take that back; I have some Steely Dan. But my taste is different and that's because well I have a different musical background than most people. And I have plenty of music on my iPod that is not streamable. For instance one album that I have was digitized from an LP no longer in print. Chuck Mangione Alive, recorded at the Monterrey Jazz Festival. I ripped it to AIFF. So at least now I have found some alternatives to the iPod classic and there will be more - for instance the pono which was just released. I think if you go to ponomusic.com you will see that there is a different type of listener and that person, such as myself, is no longer of interest to Apple. which is fine, especially since their format doesn't lock me in to their player.

I agree 100% with kylexile & rick frank above - Apple are missing the point so much with those of us who need ultimate flexibility (which it created with the ipod Classic) & do not want to have to rely on spending time creating playlists on finding wifi or other connection to 'the cloud' - and to be honest the solution already exists in the Classic with a huge music collection in one place - nothing needs to be created, just left alone!! I will say that I have actually had a call from Apple and they are trying to help me find a new or recon Ipod at the moment, and if they do I will be delighted and very happy customer - of course, they could just introduce a 250Gb Ipod classic and find themselves with a small-ish but very loyal customer base who will never go anywhere else - over to you Apple

I trust Apple - at least I did up to now. Now my faith is being thoroughly tested. I missed the announcement about the discontinuation of the iPod Classic, lost as it was amid the hoopla surrounding the Watch and the super-thin iPad. Was that deliberate? I've only found out today.

My 120 gig Classic has reached capacity and I was planning to upgrade at Christmas. Now that option hs gone, unless I pay almost twice the price to someone who saw an opportunity to cash in. Thanks a heap, Apple.

I'm retired and use my iPod all the time, mostly while walking. I know I'm not going to listen to everything at one go but I like the idea of having my full collection of music, podcasts and audiobooks with me all the time. It allows me to choose what I want, when I want. And that is an important freedom.

So, Apple, please either restore the Classic (unlikely, I know, since it would mean admitting you were wrong) or bring out a much, much higher capacity new version. Come on, restore my faith!

They didn't make an announcement - like you I went to buy a new one and they just weren't there anymore!

kylexile wrote:

1. Do you have any reading comprehension skills? Some of the files are 320 Kbps and take up less space once converted to 256 kbps.

Yes actually, I do. It is totally irrelevant that any your files are at 320Kbps. All I suggested was that you could use a lower bit rate to solve your problem. And that's the point - it's your problem, not mine. There was no need for you to be so rude.

In response to my point about using Smart Playlists, you asked:

3. What does any of this matter anymore when Apple isn't going to support the device?

It makes no difference whether Apple continue to sell the Classic and there has been no mention of discontinuing support. Quite the opposite in fact. This forum for one thing. The purpose of this forum is to enable users to receive support for their products from their fellow users and I was trying to offer you possible solutions. The fact that you don't like the advice offered does not entitle you to be so rude to me.

(said last comment before... I lied. Now I'm done.)

It's true.

No Announcement.

No Alternatives.

(I mean iPod Touch Pro: 128GB / 256 GB)

(( I'd Buy the 256 GB Version ))

I get the reason for retirement of the 30-Pin connector,

Sales down.

(Probably because that everyone who wants them and has them,

is carrying their model going on 5-7 Years. Most of these units only die as a result of the Hard Drive

finally giving its last breath. It's to be expected.

I don't want to move forward without an alternative.

And I have spent a long time organizing my music in the iTunes Library

From Playlists to changing/adding information in "Get Info"

to better allow me to create "Smart Playlists" based on information

that I attach to each Album/Song... and so forth.

I have noticed that NOT ALL information that I have applied to the music

stays with the SONGS, rather is stored in the encrypted Library File(s).

Thus transferring this information to another program will not transfer

this information... (Unless someone has an iTunes Library Converter... doubtful)

Perhaps we only exist in the Millions and not Billions...

However, if only the iPod was Traded Out for the Newest Model every Year...

Maybe then people would be buying iPod Classics more frequently.

However, when there's only one model, and it hasn't seen an upgrade since 2011,

It's hard to imagine, but your sales steadily drop, on the account that we who have

them aren't going to the Apple Store in the Middle of the Night waiting for the next

iPhone 6 release.

The biggest killer for Apple, is that they made a product that has longevity built into it.

Every device that they have built since (admitted by an Apple Store Rep) is that all

Apple Products going forward are being built with the "2-5 Year Life Span" as emphasis.

This means that no matter how much you like your iPhone, iPad, Macbook Pro Retina.

It is now being built to "Not Be Repairable" as in one it breaks you "Simply throw it out."

Yeah, great idea Apple. Out the Repair Man, Out the Recycling Program, and yet you'd

still insist on using the Aluminum Frames (which were introduced to show that Apple

was going green.)

I am having one of my iPod Classics restored, and then putting it into a storage unit

until I need it. I will allow my currently running model to wear itself out. Then when I have to,

I will bring out my refurbished model out of the closet.

I will proceed to use it until it has no more life in it. (Hopefully that will buy me the next 10 years.)

At which time, I will look at what remains available.

If Apple has by then, come out with something comparable, I'll look into that.

If not, I will consider my other options.

I'm hoping that iFIXIT.com will be around for a while... maybe they will have the parts I need,

as it seems that they've been ahead of the game with all the other older Apple products.

Apple:

Consumerism has gone to the head of a semi-trillionaire. Who would have thought?

Interestingly, iPod Classics will retain their value, because they are about content, unlike the seemingly-thousands of Mac (various classic models) machines which litter the floors, walls, and showcases of fixit shops and restaurants. I have my iPod Classic and miss it already.

FYI for all like minded music fans out there - Apple UK have confirmed to me that there is not a single iPod Classic out there to be bought, refurbished or new - if you want one, you will have to get one from the entrepreneurial individuals on ebay who have bought up all of the old stock - and there is absolutely nothing that Apple can do to help! World has moved on apparently, music fans who need the features that the Classic offers (and are now not available) will have to keep soldiering on with the used market until such time as they are all dead or a more suitable competitor offering is launched into the market - very disappointing

The ponomusic.com store just went up in beta/demo mode. Check it out.

While millions search for an iPod Classic replacement. I don't think this is it. The player reminds me of a Dewalt power tool.

While this is arguably true (numerous iPod Classics showing up in the Amazon.com marketplace), I'd have to note that there are still tens of thousands of the things still out there - not yet claimed by a music fetishist.

Apple has to be taking note of the run on these devices. It is, if anything, a valuable marketing study. Don't be surprised if a high-capacity Apple player comes out soon - with network and revenue stream attached, of course. That's the curse of dying, as Jobs must have realized. You can't control too much stuff from the hereafter.

steveoasis wrote:

FYI for all like minded music fans out there - Apple UK have confirmed to me that there is not a single iPod Classic out there to be bought, refurbished or new

and yet I can find them in Argos, Currys, my local Tesco and Sainsbury's.

Agreed, wholeheartedly. The ipod was one of Steve Jobs' "insanely great" products. It did one VERY IMPORTANT thing, and it did it very well. Personally, I am not interested in an ipod touch at all (though I could be persuaded by a 256 gig version). I suspect the classic was viewed as being geared toward an aging and ultimately dwindling market segment -- people who grew up owning their own music by purchasing albums and CDs (or, alternatively, people who really loved music). They are gearing their products toward delivery of streaming services. Now that Steve Jobs is dead, Apple's commitment to music extends only as far as the bottom line. I agree, the way the ipod classic was un-marketed amounts to a giant middle finger from Apple, waved pointedly at our segment of the market. Apple will gradually slide from prominence to obscurity, and it is missteps such as these which will squirt oil under Apple's market footing.

Fortunately for me, my six year old 120 gigger is still alive and belting out the tunes. Ebay might deliver me a nearly new 160 gigger in about an hour.

But, can you blame them?

Record profits on iPhone. Why bother with the iPod classic?

If you want to think different, you're going to have to find (a) different player.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/21/technology/iphone-6-propels-apple-profit-to-re cord.html?_r=0

Yes I can blame them. Is there someone else to blame? I don't blame them for coming out with the new phone, and cheers to Apple for the successful new product launch. But it's a false choice you posit. Prior to last month, Apple carried both the latest iphone (at the time) and the ipod classic. And they made money on both.

Apple is definitely missing the market by discontinuing their dedicated music player. The touch and the iphone don't meet the needs of many music lovers. I have an iphone, and I discovered the discontinuation of the classic when I went to buy one and the price was twice what I paid to buy one as a gift a year or so ago. After a little research I discovered the discontinuation, and also discovered that all my local retailers had no stock available, and at double the original retail price I can't afford one from Amazon. One of the problems with using your phone as your music player is space, the other is battery life. When I play music on my phone I need to charge it before the day is over, with a classic you can listen to music for a couple of days straight before you need to charge and it leaves my phone available for use as a phone or for apps. Merging the two devices makes sense for the casual listener or the person who wants to stream their music; but for people who are serious about their music a dedicated player makes much more sense. I personally hope that apple comes out with an 8th gen classic or something very similar. The pono looks interesting, support for flac and SD cards is very nice, but I doubt it will sync with my itunes as easily as an apple product and it's a little pricey for my tastes It would be nice to see apple update itunes to support flac as well as coming out with a player that supports it with twice the space of the old classic. I hope that they see the feedback from these forums and take it to heart by creating a new dedicated music player. I'm tempted by the new iphone, but I would have already bought an ipod classic this month if they were still available at the original price, and I still would even if I get the new iphone. I already have a phone, but I don't have a dedicated music player currently and I need one.