Refresh the Classic with lightning connector?

[Beeplance]

Right now, the Classic is one of the few devices left in Apple's lineup that does not feature the new lightning connector, other than the iPad 2 and the 4/4S.

I think Apple is facing 3 possible options:

1) Refresh it with a new lightning connector, maybe some other smaller new features (frankly, I don't care about those, but I don't mind too)

2) End it's lifespan. (I'll dash to the nearest Apple Store to get one right away)

3) Continue selling the current version that supports the 30-pin connector.

What do you guys think? I'm hoping for either 1 or 3

[7thson]

There's a possibility they could update it with flash memory/ssd. 256 gb would be sweet, but could they still call it "Classic" without an hdd? If they do update it, undoubtedly it will have the lightning connector, but will they update it? I wonder what the odds are? Any bookies out there?

[sui.page]

I hope they put in an SSD and lightning connector i would buy one in a heartbeat. Its a great machine only lacking in responsiveness because of the HDD, or is that just me?

[Beeplance]

Originally Posted by sui.page

I hope they put in an SSD and lightning connector i would buy one in a heartbeat. Its a great machine only lacking in responsiveness because of the HDD, or is that just me?

What's the diff between SSD & HDD? I'm not familiar with both terms...

[FlatlinerG]

An SSD in an iPod Classic? Really? Well, I guess it would be beneficial for disk mode use, but when being used with music or other content, I don't think it would be worth the cost.

I hope they refresh it with lightning, and a larger...smaller hard drive. That makes sense. Other than that, I'd even keep the overall look and feel of the device because it's almost too iconic to get rid of.

[AJAAY]

I ended up selling my classic because of the current hard drive. I originally bought it to use at the gym, but the constant moving and running is not good for the hard drive. If Apple were to put in a flash drive, I would buy it in an instant. I LOVE the form factor of the classic, it's just that one downfall.

[BanterClaus]

Is the extra storage really needed now that iCloud exists though? Everything can just be streamed using iTunes match meaning you can keep your massive music library in the cloud.

I know this isn't suitable for everyone as some people may have limited internet coverage or data restrictions but for most people i'm guessing this is fine.

[ELMNT925]

iLOVE my classic. LOVE IT. Been through a lot of iterations and always will remain faithful. When the first generation iPod touch came out, I bought one and realized I couldn't stand it. Too much change for something so simple, so I took it back. I took mine everywhere, all over the world and never left home without it. That is...until iTunes Match and the 4G LTE iPhone 5. Now my iPhone has virtually replaced my classic. To ask Siri to play anything on a whim and she does with ease is just to appealing. I find myself reaching for my 5 and my classic just sits now. It feels like a scene out of Toy Story.

As much as I would LOVE to see the classic updated, I just dont think there is a place for it anymore.

Apple has gone the way of digital everything and the need for a HD based player with no touchscreen and a wheel is just so antiquated at this point.

If it does get updated, I would LOVE to see it with a SSD, lightning connector, maybe some bluetooth and airplay support. But even with all these bells and whistles, it's gonna be a tough sell for me personally.

Hope Apple keeps it in the family, it's just too sentimental for me to see it go the way of the newton and the hi-fi.

[combatcolin]

Originally Posted by AJAAY

I ended up selling my classic because of the current hard drive. I originally bought it to use at the gym, but the constant moving and running is not good for the hard drive. If Apple were to put in a flash drive, I would buy it in an instant. I LOVE the form factor of the classic, it's just that one downfall.

I stood in Comet (UK electrical store) and shook the classic vigorously for a minute and it didn't skip once.

Now the old 3rd gen's were not good for anything too active, Blade 2 is telling porkies.

[Tsuchiya]

They could do so much with the classic. It won't have the same mainstream appeal as an iPod touch, but it could still be great;

-flash storage
-slightly bigger screen
-wifi/bluetooth for streaming

*drool*

[Scepticalscribe]

Originally Posted by 7thson

There's a possibility they could update it with flash memory/ssd. 256 gb would be sweet, but could they still call it "Classic" without an hdd? .....

It would be very sweet, indeed.

Originally Posted by sui.page

I hope they put in an SSD and lightning connector i would buy one in a heartbeat. Its a great machine only lacking in responsiveness because of the HDD, or is that just me?

As would I. Agree also about the tardiness in responsiveness.

Originally Posted by BanterClaus

Is the extra storage really needed now that iCloud exists though? Everything can just be streamed using iTunes match meaning you can keep your massive music library in the cloud.

I know this isn't suitable for everyone as some people may have limited internet coverage or data restrictions but for most people i'm guessing this is fine.

Oh yes, the extra storage is indeed needed for those of us who love music, and (iCloud notwithstanding) love being able to have access to all of our music in one, elegant, solid little device.

And no, it (iCloud) may not be 'fine for most people' just for many. Some are quite happy with being able to have access to both technologies.....

Originally Posted by ELMNT925

iLOVE my classic. LOVE IT. Been through a lot of iterations and always will remain faithful. ..... Now my iPhone has virtually replaced my classic. To ask Siri to play anything on a whim and she does with ease is just to appealing. I find myself reaching for my 5 and my classic just sits now. It feels like a scene out of Toy Story.

As much as I would LOVE to see the classic updated, I just dont think there is a place for it anymore.

Apple has gone the way of digital everything and the need for a HD based player with no touchscreen and a wheel is just so antiquated at this point.


.......

Well, I 'love' the classic, too. Actually, I have both a classic and an iTouch, and use both. However, the classic travels with me everywhere, as I like having all of my music library in one place.

Originally Posted by Tsuchiya

They could do so much with the classic. It won't have the same mainstream appeal as an iPod touch, but it could still be great;

-flash storage
-slightly bigger screen
-wifi/bluetooth for streaming

*drool*

Yes, I agree. As a number of other posters have already said - and I agree wholeheartedly with them - if the classic were to be equipped with a SSD drive, I'd buy it in a flash.

[Ffosse]

I got tired of the 2007 clunky interface and sold mine.

[slu]

Originally Posted by BanterClaus

Is the extra storage really needed now that iCloud exists though? Everything can just be streamed using iTunes match meaning you can keep your massive music library in the cloud.

I know this isn't suitable for everyone as some people may have limited internet coverage or data restrictions but for most people i'm guessing this is fine.

I use Google Music not iTunes match, but it does the same basic thing. I use my iPhone to stream my cloud based library around town, at work, etc. But once I get in a car and head out on a road trip of any significant distance, I use the classic. Data is just not reliable enough when driving long distances on highways to rely on 100%.

I would welcome an updated Classic. I don't need one as my current one works fine, but I'd probably buy one.

[angelsguardian]

Point of Classic is the huge storage surely? Certainly can't fit my library on anything else.

[lunaoso]

Seems like the chances are about as close as the Mac Pro getting an upgrade. Sad too, there's so much potential. Imagine a iPod Classic with 1 or 2 TB of storage with a 7th gen nanoish look (touchscreen, big wide screen, etc.). Perfect for movies, music and all other types of media, all on one magical device.

[combatcolin]

Speed wise the current Classic is much, much slower than the older b/w models.

If you could switch off the interface and just have a very basic interface it would be much more responsive.

[gibjer]

Apple is just waiting for memory prices to fall, once they can release the 128GB iPod touch/ipad/iphone at the same price points as the 64GB are now the classic will be discontinued.

[Ccrew]

Originally Posted by gibjer

Apple is just waiting for memory prices to fall, once they can release the 128GB iPod touch/ipad/iphone at the same price points as the 64GB are now the classic will be discontinued.

With 256 SSD's below $200 retail I doubt it's about memory pricing. Probably more about potentially stripping market share away from other products.

[Beeplance]

Nearly 4 years soon. Wonder what's Apple planning to do with this old man.. Let it die a slow death or inject some hope into it?

[copykris]

Originally Posted by sui.page

I hope they put in an SSD and lightning connector i would buy one in a heartbeat. Its a great machine only lacking in responsiveness because of the HDD, or is that just me?

+1

but only if they keep the large capacity storage

[ScruffyS]

Originally Posted by Tsuchiya

They could do so much with the classic. It won't have the same mainstream appeal as an iPod touch, but it could still be great;

-flash storage
-slightly bigger screen
-wifi/bluetooth for streaming

*drool*

I'd love to have a SSD version, but the 160G sells for $250 with hard drive. Based on apples prices the same sized ssd would run this puppy closer to 500.. well.. 499.

[samiam895]

To be honest, everyone loves the idea of having an iPod, there's just something about it, and it's probably the biggest mp3 storage device on the market. You can chuck it around, it looks great and the amount of music you can fit on it is remarkable. Cloud music is overrated, because you have to download a song before you can listen to it if you just have it sitting in your cloud. With the iPod you can just put everything on it, without the hassle of worrying about how much space you have left. 64GB is not enough on most apple devices for me.

I think Apple will update to a lightning connector, maybe redesign and even add a touchscreen, like a dedicated mp3 device that can access iTunes store and with a tonne of storage. The iPod Classic has it's name because it's a Classic, and I think it will stay around, it's almost old school now, and we know how much so many people love their old school stuff.

[AnonMac50]

I don't see a 128 GB touch being a replacement for the Classic. For one thing, the 30 GB less space is nothing to scoff at. Second, the 16 GB touch is more expensive than the Classic with 10 times the storage.

[AppleDeviceUser]

Here is what would be nice, instead of a new classic how about make iPhone Platinum.

-256GB SSD Storage
-5" Screen
-iOS 7
-16mp Rear camera with 4 times optical zoom
-Thunderbolt to lightning adapter (For people with Macs)
-Unibody aluminum
-FingerPrint scanner built into home button (Login to FaceBook, twitter, the iPod itself, Instagram... Etc.
-Face Recognition technology
-4G LTE
-NFC
-Wireless charging

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Originally Posted by Beeplance

What's the diff between SSD & HDD? I'm not familiar with both terms...

A HDD is a spinning hard drive found in most computers, it's quite a bit slower because the disc has to spin to the right place to find the data (In this case, your song) Think of it as a solid metal super high capacity CD that gets read by a magnet instead of a laser. HDD stands for HARD DISC DRIVE.

A SSD is a chip with non moving parts, they can be in most MP3 players/iPods/iPhones/iPads/and some high end Macs and PCs. It's more expensive, but lasts way longer and is way faster at accessing data.
Think of it as the memory chip for your digital camera, that is a small SSD.
SSD stand for SOLID STATE DRIVE.

[puma1552]

Originally Posted by AppleDeviceUser

Here is what would be nice, instead of a new classic how about make iPhone Platinum.

-256GB SSD Storage
-5" Screen
-iOS 7
-16mp Rear camera with 4 times optical zoom
-Thunderbolt to lightning adapter (For people with Macs)
-Unibody aluminum
-FingerPrint scanner built into home button (Login to FaceBook, twitter, the iPod itself, Instagram... Etc.
-Face Recognition technology
-4G LTE
-NFC
-Wireless charging[COLOR="#808080"]

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Why not go post this in the iPhone forum? Nobody who wants an updated iPod classic wants it in the form of an iPhone on steroids.