Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iPod Family, Multimedia, Apple
iPod is now officially a Classic
But the best reason to buy the iPod Classic over the Touch is actually inside: it's the memory. The Touch only reaches a disappointing 8gb and 16gb, and for any respectable music fan, that just doesn't cut it. Fortunately, the Classic has room for everything in your music collection, and then some: $249 for the 80gb model and $349 for 160gb. Sure, a shiny interface and a WiFi connection are nice and all, but if all you're looking for is a way to carry all of your CDs in your pocket at once, the iPod Classic (in silver or black) is what you're looking for.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
artifex said 3:02PM on 9-05-2007
I'd like to apply for "vintage" status for my b&w U2 iPod.
Reply
Martin said 3:08PM on 9-05-2007
That 160GB one is mine this Christmas (assuming it's released by then?) I love my 30GB video, but space is sparse and I like the new interface with coverflow a lot.
Reply
Simon Arch said 3:10PM on 9-05-2007
160gb... Ah, some legroom AT LAST!
Reply
brian said 3:13PM on 9-05-2007
how can this be a classic ipod when it's no longer offered in a classic white?
maybe steve's holding out for when the beatles finally come to itunes - a special edition white album classic ipod. note there's no u2 version as of yet
Reply
odysseas said 3:15PM on 9-05-2007
So.. can we update our existing 5 / 5.5g ipods to the new interface? Has anyone tried yet?
Reply
junon said 3:15PM on 9-05-2007
hmm- so what're the chances of a firmware update to enable coverflow on existing ipod videos? :\ thats about all I want from all these new models...
Reply
Timothy Chaten said 3:18PM on 9-05-2007
Wow so gone are the days of white mac products!
The sole survivor is the Macbook - perhaps that will transform into an aluminum shell in the next revision!
Kind of sad but certainly a mark of a new era.
Reply
Billy K said 3:19PM on 9-05-2007
I was planning on buying an iPod Classic this weekend - til Steve proclaimed it open season on early adopters. Hell, who am I kidding? You know I'll still buy it. I know I'll still buy it. Steve knows I'll still buy it.
@5 & 6 - Coverflow requires OS X. Your 5/5.5 gen iPods don't run OS X.
Reply
artifex said 3:23PM on 9-05-2007
My MacBook is black, too. I saw a white one a week ago and was like, whoa, that looks so dull without the black. :)
Reply
Axel said 3:32PM on 9-05-2007
my music alone is 14GB (3000 tracks) .
16gig won't cut it if I'm gone add video to, but wifi thats damm sweat
Reply
icruise said 3:37PM on 9-05-2007
Not to pick nits, but I wouldn't call a hard disk "memory."
Reply
Robert said 3:40PM on 9-05-2007
Of all the "new" iPods, the now-modest 80 Gb classic has me the most excited. Plenty of hard disk space (for me at least) and a decent $250 price tag sounds just fine to me -- forget the bells and whistles.
Although I have to admit that the new nano is awfully cute.
Reply
Michael said 3:59PM on 9-05-2007
"The Touch only reaches a disappointing 8gb and 16gb, and for any respectable music fan, that just doesn't cut it."
Goodness! I'm not worthy of _respect_ if I have less than 16GB of music -- or if I have more and don't insist on carrying all of it with me.
You'd better put me down as someone not to be respected, Mike: I just checked my iTunes library, and it only holds 14.25GB. Worse, never mind a 16GB iPod Touch I think I'd swap my current 30GB iPod Photo for one of those new flash-memory 8GB video Nanos any day.
Reply
Mike Schramm said 4:07PM on 9-05-2007
Aww, Michael, I still respect you. Just not as a music fan. :)
I've got an 80gb iPod, and I've got 19.14gb of music in there right now (along with a gig of TV shows, and another gig of podcasts), and am adding one or two albums a week (gonna get the new Kanye when it drops). So I'm not exactly a respectable music fan, either. But if I was buying an iPod tomorrow, I'd skip the Touch, and buy a Classic, specifically because I want the extra room. CoverFlow is cool, but doesn't help me when my iPod's in my pocket, and I'd rather bring all my music with me rather than having to pick and choose while synching.
I am going to grab an iPhone now that the price is dropped, however. That interface is very nice, and it's definitely the best cell phone interface ever. For a music player, though, memory is more important to me than how pretty it looks while browsing.
Reply
pepe said 4:08PM on 9-05-2007
RIP, Apple-White :-(
Artiflex (9) posted poetically "looks so dull without the black" Too cool though that the black actually *is* of a dull sheen. Ha.
Reply
Simon Arch said 4:12PM on 9-05-2007
@Billy K - "Coverflow requires OS X. Your 5/5.5 gen iPods don't run OS X."
I don't see anything anywhere that says these iPods are running OS X. Are they? I'm curious.
Who says Coverflow requires OS X, anyway? Safari used to require a Mac, but now it's running under Windows. Code can be ported to different platforms. I would think that the real question is, do the older iPods have the horsepower to run coverflow? And the answer is, probably not.
My question - can the "fancy" new interface be turned off in favour of the 'classic' interface? I imagine it'd save battery life, if nothing else.
Reply
Billy K said 4:20PM on 9-05-2007
@ Simon,
I spoke too soon. I've read it was assumed the new iPods would need to run a version of OS X to run Coverflow. But you're right, there's no official mention. Forgive my assuming.
I *can* tell you this, though, you don't have to use Coverflow. In fact, when you have a lot of albums (like one would with the iPod Classic), it's really hard to find something specific. I rarely use it on the iPhone for this reason.
Reply
Solar said 4:20PM on 9-05-2007
"How can this be a classic ipod when it's no longer offered in a classic white?" Hear, hear! That is exactly what I clicked on comments to type. I miss the white iPod.
I also miss my $200 from my iPhone purchase.
Reply
Christina Warren said 4:38PM on 9-05-2007
This excites me much more than the iTouch (very cool - but not for that kind of space - and I need space, I have a Gen 5 60 GB and a Gen 3 40 GB both practically maxed out -- and that's not even all of my music - I imagine 160 GB would be cutting it close) - I hadn't planned on getting a new iPod as the 60 to 80 upgrade wasn't that significant (not in the grand scheme of things anyway) - but I could finally chuck the old 40 GB with a 160 and have two black iPods with video playback, plus the Gen 2 Nano for running/the gym.
It's so scary, I ran across my first iPod receipt while I was cleaning a few weeks ago -- from September 2002 -- $399.99 for the 10 GB model. I ended up upgrading to the 30 GB model six months later when my AC adaptor started spewing sparks whenever it was plugged in (Best Buy warranty, not Apple Care - so i just got to get a replacement and paid another $100), but it's funny that in 5 years, $50 less will get you 16x the storage capacity.
And I would join in on the R.I.P. White iPod talk - but I bought the black model Gen 5 model and paid the premium to get my MacBook in black, so really, it would be disingenuous.
Reply
Billy K said 5:13PM on 9-05-2007
I'm gonna miss the white plastic (on the iMacs, too). I got a 5th gen 60GB in black the first day it came out just because it was the first non-white iPod. It's been my main player for two years now, and I wish I'd gotten the regular ol' white. I may sell it and get a refurb 30GB 5.5 gen in white - just for old times' sake.
Not sure if I'll get the silver or black Classic. Probably black. I'm sick of the silver stuff already.
Reply