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iPod classic. to buy or not to buy

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BoogieTrain

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 15, 2008
45
0
It seems that the only large capacity mp3 players out there atm are the classic and the zune. Both can be had for the same price, but since i own a macbook, a zune would not be practical.

So im starting this thread to see if you guys can reccomend any other high capacity mp3 players, or can offer buying advice on a classic.

Im worried about the classic being updated right after i bought it (happened with my macbook). I just read that apple has scheduled a press release thing for sept 9 about its new ipods. Does anyone actually know anything about new classics? If they are gonna be revised/upgraded at all, specifics about new features, etc. I know it will be best to wait for the confrence to hear the official word, but i wanted to open up the conversation now.

Im organizing all of my hundreds of GBs of music, and it looks really nice when you have hundreds of albums with album art in cover flow, and im excited to discover for the first time all of this random music i have, right now i only have a 30gb zune and 8gb touch, so thats gonna be annoying to sync.
 
MacFanUK

MacFanUK

macrumors 6502a
Jul 29, 2009
546
0
UK
Yeah I'd be worried about the iPod Classic being discontinued. I'm not sure if there are any 1.8" drives for Apple to upgrade it to?

Although, if they are updated or discontinued, you may be able to pick up a current one in the refurb section for a bit less than new?
 
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BoogieTrain

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 15, 2008
45
0
i was reading an atricle, i think from this site, explaining that there are only 2 manufactures making 1.8inch hdds still, and there is really not much demand for them, even with 250gb models being released.

i dont see much more that apple can (or rather, WOULD) do to with the classic. throwing in a larger hdd probably wont be a good idea, as i bet the 120gb are selling poorley in comparison to the nanos and touches.
If someone could provide actual sales numbers, that would be awesome. Even if the classic isnt selling as well as the flash players, i dont think it will be discontiuned just yet, though if a 64gb touch is released at a lower price point, it will be bringing us closer to that point.

the only realistic thing i can see apple doing to the classic is dropping the price, either to clear out the stock before they are discontinued, or before a major overhaul of the classics (flash/wifi?).

larger hdds would not be a good idea at all i think, because honestly, how many people would actually buy a player with more than 120GB of storage, when they can get less storage for cheaper (point being, almost no one needs that much space lol).

I dont think the classic is getting a camera or anything like the others. The bells and whistles, and gimmicks, and toys seem more suited for the touch and nano, with their wifi and accelerometer and all. The classic, which is currently geared toward "serious" music collectors or enthuaists, probably wont be getting this upgrade, while the touch and nano, which are meant for the younger crowds will.

POINT BEING, all i can see happening at this point is lower prices, probably to boost sales, as hdds are becoming cheaper as well per GB.

and yeah, hundreds of GB of music :-/. Im not gonna want to have it all on my player, but i listen to many diff types of music, and i'd like to have a large selection from each "genre" available. So like 80GB would be sufficent for me. (With things this cheap, why not go big?)

(SORRY FOR THE RAMBLE OF A POST)
 
macshill

macshill

macrumors 6502
Aug 22, 2008
469
0
London, Ontario, Canada
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I ask this in all sincerity-- can you even still buy new classics? If so, you might be buying the last generation in new condition.
 
sushi

sushi

Moderator emeritus
Jul 19, 2002
15,639
3
キャンプスワ&#
Personally, I don't see the iPod Classic going away just yet.

It still serves a purpose for those who want to carry a large capacity iPod.

Some suggest that the Classic will get SSD. Others, like myself, believe that we'll see Flash based Classics.

To the OP, September 9th is just a few weeks away. At this point, you might as well wait and see what Apple does.
 
C

combine

macrumors newbie
Jul 22, 2009
24
0
wait until the keynote in Sept before deciding your purchase. You do not lose anything anyway.

If theres a new ipod which suits your need, great. Even if the classic got discontinued and you do not like what the latest ipod Apple offered, you can always still find your classic available in stores, they won't remove them immediately off the shelf ;)
 
LotusLord

LotusLord

macrumors 6502a
Apr 28, 2008
648
222
The Capital of the Land of Cheese and Beer
combine said:
wait until the keynote in Sept before deciding your purchase. You do not lose anything anyway.

If theres a new ipod which suits your need, great. Even if the classic got discontinued and you do not like what the latest ipod Apple offered, you can always still find your classic available in stores, they won't remove them immediately off the shelf ;)
Click to expand...

This^. Personally, until we can get at least 80 gigs of storage on a touch or nano, the classic is the only iPod I could use. I have an 80gig 5.5 gen which I'm very happy with, and it's not quite, but almost full.
 
sushi

sushi

Moderator emeritus
Jul 19, 2002
15,639
3
キャンプスワ&#
LotusLord said:
Personally, until we can get at least 80 gigs of storage on a touch or nano, the classic is the only iPod I could use
Click to expand...
I see 4 possibilities for the Classic:
  • 120GB HD version at reduced price. If this happens, then we may be seeing the Classic version being phased out.
  • 120 & 240GB HD versions with the 240GB one being slightly thicker. This would be a good indication that there is a demand for large capacity iPod Classics and that Apple expects to keep serving this market segment.
  • 128GB SSD option. If this happens, then Apple has been able to acquire some cheap SSD drives. :) (I don't see this as a viable option yet due to the price of SSD drives.)
  • 128GB Flash memory version. IMHO, this is the best option. This means that Apple is going 100% Flash memory across its iPod line. Economies of scale will be good.
 
gan6660

gan6660

macrumors 65816
Aug 18, 2008
1,417
0
I dont think apple will increase the size but I do think they will sell them at $199 and they will be discontinued next year.
 
Hellhammer

Hellhammer

Moderator emeritus
Dec 10, 2008
22,164
582
Finland
sushi said:
I see 4 possibilities:
  • 120GB HD version at reduced price. If this happens, then we may be seeing the Classic version being phased out.
Click to expand...


  • Basically just the same Classic with lower price, right?

    [*]120 & 240GB HD versions with the 240GB one being slightly thicker. This would be a good indication that there is a demand for large capacity iPod Classics and that Apple expects to keep serving this market segment.
    Click to expand...

    I think this is the most reasonable option.

    [*]128GB SSD option. If this happens, then Apple has been able to acquire some cheap SSD drives. :) (I don't see this as a viable option yet due to the price of SSD drives.)
    Click to expand...

    iPod buyers aren't billionaires, aren't they? ;)

    [*]128GB Flash memory version. IMHO, this is the best option. This means that Apple is going 100% Flash memory across its iPod line. Economies of scale will be good.
    Click to expand...

And what is the price then? :D Classic would need 4 NAND slots for that and 32GB chip isn't cheap either. In future, yes.
 
S

stainlessliquid

macrumors 68000
Sep 22, 2006
1,622
0
The best thing that can happen is it being discontinued because then you can pick it up for much less money. The worst thing that can happen is that theres no update so you wasted time waiting.

If you wait you will either spend less money or spend the same. Dropping it, upgrading it, or slashing its price since its so old all mean less money for you. Keeping it without slashing the price just means you waited a few weeks for no reason.
 
sushi

sushi

Moderator emeritus
Jul 19, 2002
15,639
3
キャンプスワ&#
Hellhammer said:
Basically just the same Classic with lower price, right?
Click to expand...
If we see that, then I would say that's a pretty good indication that Apple is phasing out the Classic.

Hellhammer said:
And what is the price then? :D Classic would need 4 NAND slots for that and 32GB chip isn't cheap either. In future, yes.
Click to expand...
The current Classic has plenty of space for Flash memory slots. You could easily fit 128GB using 16GB x 8 (high probability if used) or even 8GB x 16 (Low probability due to connection reliability due to the increased number of connections.)

Sure you could use 32GB x 4, but that would be too expensive at this time.
 
S

steveOooo

macrumors 6502a
Jun 30, 2008
743
89
UK
they may add a 250gb hdd to it and market it as a portable ext. drive - perhaps adding in addition to the dock connector, a standard usb/firewire port so that it becomes a portable usb drive

I think theyll always be a market for the classic, much like theyll always be a market for non-touch screen mobile phones - some people dont like / understand touch devices and want old skool interface.
 
A

amammad

macrumors regular
Oct 5, 2005
202
0
stainlessliquid said:
The best thing that can happen is it being discontinued
Click to expand...

Best for who? I want an updated model with preferably a bigger capacity.

It annoys me when people that have no use for the Classic assume that nobody else wants it anymore.

I have an iPhone already. I don't want to have to carry an iPhone and an iPod Touch just to get a higher capacity MP3 player.
 
sushi

sushi

Moderator emeritus
Jul 19, 2002
15,639
3
キャンプスワ&#
stainlessliquid said:
The best thing that can happen is it being discontinued because then you can pick it up for much less money.
Click to expand...
While I understand your point about being able to be picked up for less money, I believe that the Classic is still a viable option for many and hope that it continues to be updated and improved.
 
A

amammad

macrumors regular
Oct 5, 2005
202
0
stainlessliquid said:
Obviously for the OP who wants to buy the current one...
Click to expand...

That makes no sense and it's not obvious.

The OP didn't say he wanted the cheapest iPod... he was asking if he should buy now or not as he didn't want to buy and then find it was updated.
 
Demosthenes X

Demosthenes X

macrumors 68000
Oct 21, 2008
1,954
5
sushi said:
I see 4 possibilities for the Classic:
  • 120 & 240GB HD versions with the 240GB one being slightly thicker. This would be a good indication that there is a demand for large capacity iPod Classics and that Apple expects to keep serving this market segment.
Click to expand...

I don't see this happening. Apple sold the 80GB and 160GB Classics side-by-side, but no one was buying the 160GB version so they streamlined the two into one model: the 120GB version. That suggests to me that there is very little demand for super-high capacity iPods, and that in turn suggests that once the iPod touch reaches a given threshold (64GB? They might wait until it reaches 128GB.), they will kill the Classic entirely.

I could be wrong, but I see the Classic's time as limited. The touch will replace it as "iPod" in time...
 
B

BoogieTrain

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 15, 2008
45
0
Demosthenes X said:
I don't see this happening. Apple sold the 80GB and 160GB Classics side-by-side, but no one was buying the 160GB version so they streamlined the two into one model: the 120GB version. That suggests to me that there is very little demand for super-high capacity iPods, and that in turn suggests that once the iPod touch reaches a given threshold (64GB? They might wait until it reaches 128GB.), they will kill the Classic entirely.

I could be wrong, but I see the Classic's time as limited. The touch will replace it as "iPod" in time...
Click to expand...

I agree. I think that HDD based ipods are coming to their end. They will remain a little longer as HDDs are the most economical for storing large amnts of data, and the customer base that requires a large amount of storage is still out there. So i dont think any major updates are being done to the classic at this point, relativley close to either its denise or overhaul.

I think the classic will turn flash in time, or that apple will create some sort of "Classic" interface on the touch, if the classic is discontinued and the touch becomes the main ipod. That or they will add more hardware buttons to the touch.
 
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