Music Pitch: Apple should bring back the iPod

[Derachi]

I think Apple makes good products. But Apple, in the past handful of years, has been making very busy products. Every one of their devices does like 1000 things. Except for the HomePod, which does like 10 things, I guess. While I love having a smartphone, and I don’t think Apple should stop making them, I think there’s a subset of people who want distraction-free devices. Much like how an e-Reader is perfect for distraction-free digital reading, there oughtta be a device out there for distraction-free listening.

Hence: They should bring back the iPod.

Think about it: a modern, flash storage-based iPod, complete with nostalgic click wheel, with Bluetooth support for AirPods, wi-fi connectivity to sync your Apple Music library and new podcast episodes, USB-C for charging and USB-C headphones, and, of course, a 3.5mm headphone jack. Call it the iPod Classic, and sell it as a music-enthusiast targeted distraction-free listening device. Slap a halfways decent DAC in there, and support FLAC files to really get the enthusiast into it.

Anyway, I think they should do this. What do you think? Would you be interested in this kind of device?

 

[kvetcha]

I think Apple makes good products. But Apple, in the past handful of years, has been making very busy products. Every one of their devices does like 1000 things. Except for the HomePod, which does like 10 things, I guess. While I love having a smartphone, and I don’t think Apple should stop making them, I think there’s a subset of people who want distraction-free devices. Much like how an e-Reader is perfect for distraction-free digital reading, there oughtta be a device out there for distraction-free listening.

Hence: They should bring back the iPod.

Think about it: a modern, flash storage-based iPod, complete with nostalgic click wheel, with Bluetooth support for AirPods, wi-fi connectivity to sync your Apple Music library and new podcast episodes, USB-C for charging and USB-C headphones, and, of course, a 3.5mm headphone jack. Call it the iPod Classic, and sell it as a music-enthusiast targeted distraction-free listening device. Slap a halfways decent DAC in there, and support FLAC files to really get the enthusiast into it.

Anyway, I think they should do this. What do you think? Would you be interested in this kind of device?

Companies actually sell SSD conversion kids for classic click-wheel iPods, which gets you halfway there. I agree, though. I kinda miss well-designed unitaskers in certain corners of my life.

 

[Derachi]

Companies actually sell SSD conversion kids for classic click-wheel iPods, which gets you halfway there. I agree, though. I kinda miss well-designed unitaskers in certain corners of my life.

Yeah, it’s seeing the SSD kits for the old Classics that got me thinking “Apple should just cut out the middleman here and satisfy this potential customer base themselves with a more seamless product that can maybe take advantage of their music streaming service too”

I really like the idea of single-purpose electronics, and I honestly think they’re gonna have a comeback in the next few years as the idea of being constantly connected starts to become less popular.

 

[Foltzie]

I liked the iPod Nano's, but the sales were on a decline a decade ago when Apple last reported their numbers. I wouldn't be shocked if Apple was moving fewer than a million iPod Touch units a year, if not way less than that towards the end.

Infographic: Farewell iPod: The Rise and Fall of an Icon

This chart shows Apple's iPod sales in units and as a percentage of the company's total revenue since 2002.

www.statista.com

 

[kvetcha]

I liked the iPod Nano's, but the sales were on a decline a decade ago when Apple last reported their numbers. I wouldn't be shocked if Apple was moving fewer than a million iPod Touch units a year, if not way less than that towards the end.

Infographic: Farewell iPod: The Rise and Fall of an Icon

This chart shows Apple's iPod sales in units and as a percentage of the company's total revenue since 2002.

www.statista.com

Hell, offer it as a high margin, low-production product and I bet people would snap it up.

 

[freedomseekr]

I hate that they killed it off in the first place. I loved using iPods, in spite of what the large amount of people who will tell you they're bad for whatever stupid reason, from the sound quality (fair) to the necessity of using iTunes (fair, but once you know it it's trivial) to the fact that iPods are controlled by XML playlists and not folders (yes, that is what made them great you fucknuts).

Nowadays, the DAP market is basically just gear for audiophiles and while I do appreciate decent quality, I'm not super keen on shilling out 800€ and above for a DAP with Android so I can use it to listen to both music and podcasts on the same device.

 

[Mekanos]

I stream all my music nowadays so I don’t think I’d have much use for one. I wouldn’t use it much either, 99% of the time I listen to music in my phone is when I’m driving.

 

[Foltzie]

Hell, offer it as a high margin, low-production product and I bet people would snap it up.

I would love to agree, but the final iPod Touch says it wouldn’t.

I do wonder if a S# chip based iPod would be sellable at a good price point, except that was an option when the touch was discontinued.

I think an upgraded wheel iPod is your best option.

A shame, I REALLY liked the FM capabilities of the Nano.

 

[kvetcha]

I would love to agree, but the final iPod Touch says it wouldn’t.

I do wonder if a S# chip based iPod would be sellable at a good price point, except that was an option when the touch was discontinued.

I think an upgraded wheel iPod is your best option.

A shame, I REALLY liked the FM capabilities of the Nano.

I'm thinking more a limited edition retro item that they offer seasonally. One manufacturing run, that kind of thing.

 

[shoptroll]

I still have my proto-Apple Watch nano in use for schlepping a few podcasts I can’t get via streaming services to work. I’d be down for a dedicated replacement so I don’t have to worry about juggling podcasts with everything else on my phone.

 

[Síriocaz]

Coincidentally, my grandfather told me a few days ago he wanted a portable device that just played music, so he could go outside, sit on his backyard, put some headphones on and enjoy the music with some orange juice during the evening. Very dreamy. He mentioned modern phones are too cluttered and too distracting.

I immediately thought of the iPod, and I plan to get him one soon, although I suppose getting him the tracks will be a drag, but it's not too much of a problem because I don't think he'll want tons of songs, anyway.

So yeah, a return of the iPod with some modern twists would be cool, but I wouldn't want to pay a couple of hundred bucks for it like in the heydays lol

 

[Terrell]

I'd be more down for a "candybar" App Store-free iPhone first. Thanks to Handoff, I rarely ever pick my phone up anyways, so literally just having a phone + music player + Siri device sounds like a great way to go for me and probably several others.