Buy refurbished Classic?

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Buy refurbished Classic?

Hi,

I've a 32GB iPhone 4 which I use plugged into my car via USB and this is fine but my iTunes library is 54GB and so I have to only sync certain songs/playlists etc and adding new albums is a nuisance. I have a iPod Classic in my other car which I bought years ago and works fine and is easy to sync being larger sized.

I'm looking to replace my iPhone4 with a player which will hold all my music. I could get an iPod Touch but I will never use the touch screen, camera or any function on it, it will only ever be used as a HDD with music selection etc being made via the car controls and perhaps for backing up photos too.

I see there are some refurbished 80GB classics for sale around the £150 mark on eBay so I'm wondering whether to save myself the extra money and go for one of those. The Classic seems bullet proof, when I used to use it with ear phones rather than just in the car, I once lost it and found it over a year later in my garden shed and after a recharge it worked perfectly and even the battery didn't seem to have been affected.

Just wondered if anyone would like to make recommendations and if you have any input on which generation may be best? I suppose I'm most worried that these may go unsupported for syncing to iTunes in a year or twos time.

Thanks

Liz

iPod classic

Posted on Feb 13, 2016 5:24 AM

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Answer 1

turingtest2

Level 10

278,547 points

Feb 13, 2016 1:32 PM in response to JER840

The problem with a second-hand classic is that you have no real insight into the health of the hard drive until it is in your hands. Hard drives can and do fail. See my post Re: Corrupt iPod classic for some background. If you use a store like CEX that provides some kind of warranty, and ideally will let you check the stats before you buy, you may be in a better position than using eBay.

tt2

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Answer 2

Feb 13, 2016 6:14 AM in response to JER840

An iPod classic has a fragile hard drive inside, so it is hardly "bullet proof." 🙂 Most broken iPods (with a hard drive) are broken because of the hard drive.

My recommendation is to get common USB flash drives for use with your cars. Check the audio system documentation for compatibility information such as capacity, formatting, and supported audio file types. You can get them at 32GB and even 64GB, for a low price these days, assuming the car audio system supports it. Fill them with your songs files, and leave them connected to the car audio system all the time (except to update the songs). They are very sturdy, compared to an iPod, which has parts that are sensitive to heat and cold. You'll save wear-and-tear on your Apple device, from the constant connecting and disconnecting. And you can retrieve that iPod classic in the "other car," and use it as an iPod (not a dumb storage device for your car).

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Answer 3

JER840 Author

Level 1

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Feb 13, 2016 7:28 AM in response to JER840

Thanks for your quick replies.

It sounds like I was lucky that my lost Classic wasn't damaged with cold as it was in the shed over the winter. I hadn't been expecting it to work and was quite surprised when it did.

I don't much like the idea of buying from eBay either but the ones I was looking at had 12 months warranty and free return postage with 100% positive feedback for similar items which was what tempted me to consider this option. I guess I could take a punt and then check the stats as soon as it arrives.

I agree I'm under utilising my classic in the car, I used to listen to music outdoors via headphones when I bought it (probably about 7 years ago) but now only listen to music in the house or the car and am unlikely to use it for its intended purpose.

I had thought of getting a USB flash drive but I like the simplicity of just plugging it in now and again when I get new music and using the iTunes sync. Also I create playlists in iTunes and the car shows these for selection as well as artist and album lists. I'm not too sure how the car would show the songs from a USB stick, I do have a small one so will give it a try.

Thanks

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Answer 4

Feb 13, 2016 9:53 AM in response to JER840

Depending on the car audio system, it may recognized folders on a USB flash drive as playlists. You can load song files directly from the iTunes window, by dragging songs (or albums, artists, etc.) off the iTunes window to the Desktop showing the USB flash drive icon, or to a folder on the USB flash drive.

I can see how using an iPod would be more convenient, if you are no longer using the iPod for its intended purpose. 🙂 But are you sure you want to get another one (of unknown reliability) to also use only as the song file storage device for a car?

FYI - If the hard drive on your current iPod fails while you are still actively using it, this web site has interesting info about replacing the hard drive (in the iPod) with a standard (now more affordable) compact flash card or SD card on an adapter.

https://www.iflash.xyz/

My "classic" iPods are older, so I cannot use these particular adapters, but I have done the equivalent modification (using different adapter) to put a 64GB compact flash card in my 4th gen iPod (originally 20GB hard drive). I also put a 64GB SD card (using another adapter) in an iPod mini (originally 4GB tiny "micro hard drive"). At today's price, that 64GB SD card costs about $20 (or maybe even less). Your iPod should be able to go at least to 128GB (or much higher depending on specific model), according to info on that web site.

However (here's an idea), if you just want another iPod to be a song storage device for your car, maybe you should find a ("broken") iPod mini. It doesn't need a strong battery, if it's always going to be connected to either your car or to your computer. And its tiny microdrive can be faulty to, because you'll be replacing it with a 64GB SD card on an adapter. For an iPod mini, you can also replace it directly with a compact flash card (no adapter needed). Currently, SD cards are usually significantly cheaper for the same capacity, and my adapter was $13. If the car audio system supports iPod mini, it is smaller and lighter (and more shock resistant with flash storage) compared to an iPod classic with hard drive, and getting a broken one (or a working one) would likely be much cheaper than a working 80GB iPod classic. Plus, with the right tool, iPod mini is relatively easy to open up (compared to other iPods).

I can provide more details about my modified iPod mini...

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Answer 5

JER840 Author

Level 1

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Feb 13, 2016 1:32 PM in response to JER840

Wow, thats brilliant, most definitely a good solution. I can have all the ease of organisation of iTunes Sync and iPod etc with big storage space. Next step for me to find a broken one, may ask around my friends first just in case someone has one stuffed in a drawer :-)

Whilst my library still fits within 64GB, I had been wondering what other people did with large music libraries. The small ones offered by Apple might be OK if you want to listen whilst jogging or such but if you were to be travelling for a few weeks or working away for extended periods like I used to then you do want all your music with you and not need to make a subset before you go.

Thanks, very helpful. I'm glad I posted my rather vague question.

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Answer 6

JER840 Author

Level 1

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Feb 13, 2016 1:35 PM in response to Kenichi Watanabe

I have been trying to mark your post as solved my question but the button doesn't seem to do anything?!

Now the button has disappeared...anyway, thanks again.

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Answer 7

Feb 14, 2016 12:17 AM in response to JER840

NOTE: iPod mini is not iPod nano.

iPod mini came before iPod nano, and was sold for less then two years (2004-2005). However, at the time it was cancelled (to make room iPod nano), it was Apple's most popular iPod (because of lower cost and colorful metallic casing), so there should be plenty out there. Because it is quite old, if your car audio system is recent, you should confirm it supports iPod mini.

How my modified iPod nano looks in iTunes

Note that the actual capacity is 59GB when formatted for Mac. It may be about 1GB less when formatted for Windows, due to the old FAT32 disk format being less space efficient. Next to the little iPod picture, it says "64GB" (which is a badge iTunes automatically assigns). Amazingly, the original capacity was only 4GB, but my iPod mini is rock solid with a 64GB SD card.

This is the SD card adapter I used. This adapter (with SD card) is same physical size as the tiny hard drive it replaces in iPod mini.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EPMWT1M

This is the current version of the 64GB "SDXC" card in the adapter (mine is older with slower rating).

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Class-Memory-SF64UY2-TQ/dp/B00X140B06

Other brands should work. Speed rating is a non-issue (faster is not necessarily better for this purpose) because the stock "micro hard drive" is VERY slow. In fact, a less expensive slower SD card choice may use less power.

The internal connection is the same one used by the common Compact Flash format. Many links come up with an Internet search on "ipod mini compact flash upgrade." I have not tried it. No adapter is needed with Compact Flash card, but they tend to be more expensive for the same capacity, compared to current SD card prices.

This web page has repair guides that illustrate the take-apart procedure.

https://www.ifixit.com/Device/iPod_Mini

The hardest step is removing the two plastic end piece without causing damage. A tool like this one made it much easier.

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/TOOLISESAMO/

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