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umm wasn't that original of an idea. https://www.wired.com/2008/09/briton-invented/

The iPod was not invented in 2001 in Cupertino, California. It was invented in England in 1979, by “serial inventor” Kane Kramer.



also big apple fan but this is just not the full story of the iPod.

this is for information, not a debate i don't have time for that.
 
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I was one of the early adopters and still have my 1st gen. The disk died a long time ago, so if anyone knows of a working contemporary replacement solution, please share. ?

There were adapters that allowed for them, possibly, to support SSD and even Micro Drives. (Are they still available?)

Might be worth a look to see if they support the gen 1, and are still available.
 
The disk died a long time ago, so if anyone knows of a working contemporary replacement solution, please share. ?

According to this page you can use some 3rd generation iPod drives.

You'll need to use a single platter drive (despite the size :) ) which are denoted by Toshiba by the GAL or MAL suffix. I just dropped a 20GB drive (either MK2004GAL or MK2006GAL) in mine and it works like a charm.

And it looks like iRestore has 15 and 20GB drives available. They are used OEM drives but I doubt you will find any new ones floating around. Note that the 40GB is not one of the GAL models mentioned so it likely won't work.

Edit: Or here
 
I say it again, I would love something just like this--same form and size an all. Just change the port to USB-C, the HD to a huge SSD, add Bluetooth for Airpods, and wifi for syncing with iTunes.

I'd give up my four classic iPods (two that function and two that are dead) for it in a heartbeat.

If there were enough of you out there, you might have your wish. I doubt there are enough people to justify anything other than a limited edition device with a made-of-solid-gold price.

The thing is, other than overall form factor (modern iPod in the original's clothing) and a USB-C port (and we'll see what the next year or so brings in that regard), you have all these things in iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (and a bit less than this in Apple Watch). Yes, the UI is very different, size is somewhat different (iPod touch), but today's devices are far more versatile.

One of my prime reasons for embracing iPhone is that it's a single object that replaces many. I spent many years carrying some combination of cell phone, calculator, pocket pager, PDA, camera, Walkman CD, flashlight (on occasion)... So for me, any suggestion of more clutter in my pocket just doesn't cut it. I think the vast majority of folks would feel the same way. If I'm already carrying an iPhone or wearing an Apple Watch, why would I add an iPod of any type to the load?

Since I'm an Apple Music subscriber, the non-Apple music in my Mac's library is already matched/synced automatically to my other devices. I can either download or stream as the circumstances require, and downloads that have not been listened-to for a while are automatically removed from storage to make room for other data. If I got pleasure from deciding what I would next sync to my iPhone I could still do that, but I have other priorities in life.

Sure, there's a community of passionate users who formed all their library/curation/syncing habits around the classic iPod and have no interest in change. However, from a hardware marketing standpoint it is not a growth market. Anyone below that certain age is not going to see the point.

We've gone from "1000 songs in your pocket" to "80 million songs in Apple Music." I can rent that entire library for less than the cost of 10 new-song purchases monthly from iTunes (a single album). Apple's AI has learned enough about my musical tastes that when I tell Siri to simply "play" I get a remarkably satisfying mix of both popular and obscure selections from my favorite artists and others from those genres I hadn't thought about (or heard) in decades. I don't need the kind of control or selectivity that comes from creating my own playlists, although I'm certainly free to do so. Been there, done that 50 years ago when I started working in FM radio.

We're each different so I can't say anyone else feels quite as I do, but based on my personal experience and interactions , the group that would appreciate a return to the historic iPod is nowhere near large enough to pique Apple's mass-market sensibilities.
 
I bought a Classic for nostalgia reasons a couple years ago. I just loved connecting it to my PowerBook G4 and seeing the icon on the desktop, syncing songs with its amazing simplicity through iTunes. I remember reading stories in Macworld at times about iPod users going to the Apple store and connecting them iPods to the Mac then just copying (stealing) apps like Office to it since was just a big old external disk.
 
Maybe we'll get an updated "iPod Classic 20" for 20th anniversary.
No touch screen. Same touch scroll but glass not plastic screen. 2 TB SSD in it.
 
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Iconic design = widely recognized as representative of Apple. Good design = functions well for an intended purpose. The 128K Mac had far too little memory, the G4 Cube had thermal problems and cracking cases. Both are iconic but flawed designs.
 
Is anyone aware of any MP3 player today that has LTE cellular?

Personally I'd love to see the iPod nano 5th gen revived. So actual physical buttons, with LTE and BT 5.0.
This would be an ideal device for runners. Sorry the Apple Watch's touch screen or Siri interface isn't great for sweaty fingers.
 
I'd love to get the OS for this. I've done flash conversions for like 7 of my iPods, and the track limit is maddening. I could have 3 1TB iPods but I can't because iPod OS can't handle the number of tracks (apparently). And RockBox is just a total POS.
 
Iconic design = widely recognized as representative of Apple. Good design = functions well for an intended purpose. The 128K Mac had far too little memory, the G4 Cube had thermal problems and cracking cases. Both are iconic but flawed designs.

No product is perfect. Everything has flaws.

Iconic design simply means widely recognized and memorable...Apple or non-Apple (i.e VW Beetle)
 
I was one of the early adopters and still have my 1st gen. The disk died a long time ago, so if anyone knows of a working contemporary replacement solution, please share. ?
If you look around you'll find that Tarkan makes a kit that will replace the disk drive with a modern ssd drive.
 
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I had a Mint Green 3rd generation Nano and LOVED it! I was so sad when it died after ten years. I had the battery replaced, but the screen wouldn’t show anything. I managed to use a program called iRip to retrieve everything off the device before it died completely. iRip showed me what was on the Nano even though the Nano’s display wouldn’t show anything.


I currently use my old iPhone 4 as a glorified iPod. I simply took out the SIM card. It has two advantages over the Nano: it has Bluetooth allowing me to connect to a Bluetooth speaker and it also allows me to download songs directly without being connected physically to a computer.

Nonetheless I loved the functionality of my old Nano. Using it strictly for music I much preferred it to what I’m using now and I loved its design.

I have been considering getting a new iPod Touch, but other than more storage space, faster processor and larger display what would it give me functionally over the old iPhone 4 I’m using for the purpose?
 
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Very much a missed opportunity not to release something like that as a limited anniversary edition. Just for the fun factor, a nice collector's item.

But the Tim Apple era won't be remembered for fun at all.
These nostalgia posts are always fun until the comment section. Everyone with their selective memories and broken rose-colored glasses.

Steve would NEVER have allowed for 20th Anniversary iPod or any “Remember when…” product. He was notorious for only looking forward and stated multiple times things to the effect of “nostalgia is only good for looking back and getting distracted.”

There was an interview with one of the original designers of the first Apple Stores, who said in his concept there would be special sections of the store to showcase historic Apple products, like Apple II, and whatnot. Steve looked at it and was incensed that this was pointless and was taking up valuable space on the sales floor.

Look at the 20th anniversary Macintosh. Steve clearly hates it when it was being debuted as he was on the stage at the Keynote, as a special guest. He might as well be shooting lasers out his eyeballs trying to melt it down. Reportedly, of the two models backstage that were offered as gifts to Jobs and Wozniak, one was thrown in the trash.

And I suspect this era will be remembered for fun. Look at the fun colors and (quite ironically, with all the Jobsian cranks in here waxing false nostalgia) reimagining of new products with nostalgic flair (iMac 24” with G3 cues and colors/white bezels ala G4/G5; flat sided iPhones with glass backs ala iPhone 4/4S; new MacBook Pro 14/16” that has a profile and lines very similar to the 2006 MacBook Pro).

Even advertisement material has been nostalgic recently. The iMac 24” swiveling around, showing off it’s colors is very reminiscent of the iMac G3’s “She’s a Rainbow” Rolling Stones ad from 1999. The AirPods 3rd Gen ad brings back the dancing silhouettes from the iPod ads.

The opening video for the October Keynote was filled with nostalgic products coming together to make a song.

The company has been on a nostalgia kick for the past year or two now. So no idea where this narrative about Cook’s Apple not caring about its past or being cold and uncaring is coming from.
 
^^ Thinking of my earlier post.

Yes, I loved my Nano and it was ideal for me at the time. And I got ten years and a lot of usage out of it. Hence the fond memories.

But I admit that while I had an Altec Landing dock for it for playing music it wasn’t the best solution. It was a then contemporary form of having a music system on a shelf that we had been using for decades. It was really more conveniently compact than having a turntable, a tape deck, a receiver, CD player along with boxes of discs, cassettes and vinyl records. The real appeal of the iPod was being able to have most if not all of your music library in the palm of your hand and instantly accessible and manageable.

Wireless (Bluetooth) connectivity really made the whole experience better. And the docks becoming Bluetooth speakers redefined home entertainment for music.
 
I remember being excited as it was the first FireWire device I had had. The music seemed to transfer so quickly.
 
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Very much a missed opportunity not to release something like that as a limited anniversary edition. Just for the fun factor, a nice collector's item.

But the Tim Apple era won't be remembered for fun at all.
Tim "Rupert" Cook. Apologies to Ted Lasso.
 
The device that saved Apple from total oblivion. There were plenty of companies churning out MP3 players in the years preceding the iPod, but they mostly focused on cheap, no frills devices. Apple decided to go for elegance and usability. Yep, they actually had form and function. Function, that thing Apple seems to have forgotten about these days, oh how I miss function. And after the era of Napster, people could have an MP3 player without worrying if the RIAA would come after them for unauthorized MP3s. Plus Apple made it easy to organize your music, rather than my generation's old concept of a "mixed tape" which was all we could create back in the dark ages. I still remember keeping a small suitcase like storage container in my car with 100 cassette tapes in it. Bulky, awkward, and the tapes didn't last long before they wore out. CDs lasted longer, but were still bulky and awkward to use. The iPod took an existing idea of MP3 players and made it easy to use in an elegant form factor.
Well, they at least seem to be bringing back function with the 14"/16" MBP's, but now form is going out the window. It's just notch fair, why can't we have both again! Steve would be rolling in his grave.
 
One of my prime reasons for embracing iPhone is that it's a single object that replaces many. I spent many years carrying some combination of cell phone, calculator, pocket pager, PDA, camera, Walkman CD, flashlight (on occasion)... So for me, any suggestion of more clutter in my pocket just doesn't cut it. I think the vast majority of folks would feel the same way. If I'm already carrying an iPhone or wearing an Apple Watch, why would I add an iPod of any type to the load?
That’s interesting. When I first had the old Motorola, Samsung, and whatnot devices, I also had an Archos MP3 player. I had to set up my folders in “artist last name, first name” order, and I had to preceed the MP3 file name with 01, 02, 03, etcetera for the songs to sort in original album order. File transfer was just that; hook it up to Windows as a mass storage device, then copy the folders. Done!

And for years, I had that Archos. It was great, it replaced a small boom-box at my work desk and a small duffel (or my backpack) that I would use to carry 10-20 CDs to the office on Mondays and then back home on Fridays so that I could switch out CDs for next week. The Archos used 4 AA batteries, if memory serves. It was silver with blue rubber bumpers on it, and it was super heavy. But it rode around in my backpack to work and afterward to night school where I was working on my masters degree. I had bought it at Circuit City, remember THAT place?

I only used it with headphones; never in the car. I had 6-CD or 10-CD changers in my cars, and the worst thing about that was that I couldn’t have the same songs in my ’vette that I had in my BMW!

Then one day, the Archos failed. I bought the 32GB Apple iPod with the hard drive. iPhone was just in its infancy and people were constantly complaining that their phone battery was dead, no matter WHAT phone they used. The iPod had more capacity than the Archos, and the sides and bottom were a gorgeous chrome finish. I did end up putting it into a hard clear case.

Eventually, I got tired of the Microsoft phone, I had a Motorola Droid for a couple years, but it didn’t have enough memory for music (or not for a lot). My MP3 library was close to 50gb by now.

I didn’t used to want my music on the same device I made calls on. But now who makes calls? We text everybody we know! And now since iPhone 5 (I think?), my 10,000 songs will fit on the phone and I don’t have to worry about battery.

Wow, that was a long story. iPod didn’t start me on the MP3 path, but it certainly was one of the waypoints!
 
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