RIP iPod

[emtee]

Back when I was in sales I won a national contest. I won 7 Ipods and gave all of them away. One of them I sent to MP via...Wey I think, or maybe his sister, Sam. He was doing some charity raffle and was going to load it with his favorite music.

I wish I would have kept one now just for nostalgia.

[Lonk]

I have an iPhone.  iPods are obsolete.

Obsolete means that there is no longer a need for them.  Since iPhones can only hold a fraction of the music that an iPod can hold, I would argue that iPods are not obsolete.  They serve a purpose which is not otherwise filled.

There isn't a need for them anymore.  That's why they're going away.  iPods came out before there were streaming services.  Now, I can listen to more music on my phone than any iPod can store.  It's not about memory storage anymore.

We've had this conversation before, though.  I don't want streaming services.  I want the music I want to listen to.  I have different versions of various albums, and I don't want the version that some record exec, some manager, or whoever, wants me to hear.   I also will edit things; many of my live albums replicate the concerts they come from.  With my Grateful Dead, for example, I edit the disk breaks together so it's a seamless concert.  Multiple night CDs (like the Grateful Dead Movie, or the expanded Made In Japan from Purple) I will edit into individual nights.  NONE of this is available on streaming.  I need a player.  Ipod is a player.  I need an iPod.

I would argue that it is though. As long as the particular performance(s) you want are in a streaming service (which most likely it is), you can always create a playlist in whatever order you want, replicating what you are saying here.

Yes, streaming services lack certain functions, but there are ways to make it work.

[Dublagent66]

Once again my words get twisted around into something else.  So typical here.  I never said there's no need for portable music devices.

There isn't a need for them anymore.  That's why they're going away.

Pretty sure I haven't twisted your words.  These are direct quotes.  The fact that you later explained what you actually meant doesn't mean I twisted what you said.

Correction.  I was clearly referring to the iPod since that is the title of the thread.  I never said 'ALL" portable music devices.  JFC

I have an iPhone.  iPods are obsolete.

Obsolete means that there is no longer a need for them.  Since iPhones can only hold a fraction of the music that an iPod can hold, I would argue that iPods are not obsolete.  They serve a purpose which is not otherwise filled.

There isn't a need for them anymore.  That's why they're going away.  iPods came out before there were streaming services.  Now, I can listen to more music on my phone than any iPod can store.  It's not about memory storage anymore.

We've had this conversation before, though.  I don't want streaming services.  I want the music I want to listen to.  I have different versions of various albums, and I don't want the version that some record exec, some manager, or whoever, wants me to hear.   I also will edit things; many of my live albums replicate the concerts they come from.  With my Grateful Dead, for example, I edit the disk breaks together so it's a seamless concert.  Multiple night CDs (like the Grateful Dead Movie, or the expanded Made In Japan from Purple) I will edit into individual nights.  NONE of this is available on streaming.  I need a player.  Ipod is a player.  I need an iPod.

An iPod isn't the only device that can do what you described.

[cramx3]

I agree with Dubla, the Ipod is obsolete.  Doesn't mean people don't find a use or want them, but there's no reason for Apple to make them anymore.

I have a 256G microSD card in my Samsung S9 phone with all my music on it for example.

Having said that though, it seems phones are going a bit backwards.  Taking away expandable storage and the headphone jack which kind of adds some value to the Ipod.... but there's just so many options of phones and other players.  I wouldn't buy an Ipod today (and haven't in over 10 years when I last had an Ipod touch).

[Dublagent66]

Exactly.  Oh and BTW, any of the latest phones available have just as much storage capacity (if not more) than any iPod ever did.  When I plug my iPhone 8 Plus into my car, it's actually recognized as an iPod.

[Stadler]

I have an iPhone.  iPods are obsolete.

Obsolete means that there is no longer a need for them.  Since iPhones can only hold a fraction of the music that an iPod can hold, I would argue that iPods are not obsolete.  They serve a purpose which is not otherwise filled.

There isn't a need for them anymore.  That's why they're going away.  iPods came out before there were streaming services.  Now, I can listen to more music on my phone than any iPod can store.  It's not about memory storage anymore.

We've had this conversation before, though.  I don't want streaming services.  I want the music I want to listen to.  I have different versions of various albums, and I don't want the version that some record exec, some manager, or whoever, wants me to hear.   I also will edit things; many of my live albums replicate the concerts they come from.  With my Grateful Dead, for example, I edit the disk breaks together so it's a seamless concert.  Multiple night CDs (like the Grateful Dead Movie, or the expanded Made In Japan from Purple) I will edit into individual nights.  NONE of this is available on streaming.  I need a player.  Ipod is a player.  I need an iPod.

I would argue that it is though. As long as the particular performance(s) you want are in a streaming service (which most likely it is), you can always create a playlist in whatever order you want, replicating what you are saying here.

Yes, streaming services lack certain functions, but there are ways to make it work.

No doubt, generally.  But I do have a fair amount that I struggle to find.

[Ben_Jamin]

I have an iPhone.  iPods are obsolete.

Obsolete means that there is no longer a need for them.  Since iPhones can only hold a fraction of the music that an iPod can hold, I would argue that iPods are not obsolete.  They serve a purpose which is not otherwise filled.

There isn't a need for them anymore.  That's why they're going away.  iPods came out before there were streaming services.  Now, I can listen to more music on my phone than any iPod can store.  It's not about memory storage anymore.

I only utilize Spotify to listen to albums or songs I don't feel like buying.

But the songs I do have cds of, I ripped onto iTunes as joined tracks, like the entire Theory of Everything album. I joined those tracks into the 4 phases they're broken into.

There's also songs that are not on Spotify, such as the many OC Remix songs I downloaded. I have made playlists including those songs. Also, there are songs in those playlists that are not available on Spotify due to copyright, such as Janelle Monae's song with Prince, while the rest of the album is on there, that one song isn't. Superior is a band that is not on Spotify either.

I got rid of my iPod a long time ago because it broke and there wasn't any other iPod that had the same amount of storage.

I moved on to find a device that does have a SD card slot so I can just remove them when the device dies and get another one with an SD card slot and continue playing my music, without having to import them all again, like the Ipods.

[Herrick]

I didn't know they were still making iPods. I still use my 160 gig one for night night music but everything else is via my phone (which I think has more space than my iPod) or computer. I don't do streaming though.

[Lethean]

I agree with Stadler's points on streaming.  Also if I'm not streaming I don't have to deal with service issues - no connection, slow connection, etc.   And I also like to have a separate device for music besides my phone so I have less battery issues to deal with. 

[Azyiu]

I have bought a total of 4 iPods over the years. The first two were the 2004 U2 20Gb edition with a monochrome screen, and a chrome-plated back. Apparently 20Gb wasn't enough, so I later bought the 5th gen 60Gb model, which I still use. And finally I bought a used 160Gb one back in 2012, and I am using it in my car these days.

[ErHaO]

I use my previous smartphone as a music player. And if you don't go iphone, chances are the phone has a microSD slot, making storage cheaply expandable for those who want to do lossless files and avoid streaming. I don't really see the need for a dedicated player unless you want to go with high end wired headphones and want a good DAC/AMP built in (a higher end Fiio model for example).

Not sure how it is with the latest models. But for me the reason to ditch Apple years ago was non-expandable storage and high prices for models with a lot of it. A microSD card of 128 GB is like 20 bucks.

[Lethean]

I like that idea but the last time I got a new phone it was because of battery issues with the old one.  My iPod is finally having battery issues after more than 10 years.  I don't necessarily need to have an iPod, but would like something that would last as long or that I could replace the battery for.

[Stadler]

Yeah, I'm open to an alternate for the iPod too, if it had the capacity I have now, and was as easy to use.

[cramx3]

I'd look to see if the old Samsung Galaxy phone models can still be found.  The ones that had changeable batteries, expandable storage and the head phone jack.  There's probably tons of other old phone models that would work well too, I just can only attest to what I used before.  Maybe they are hard to find though too.  I'm thinking like the S6 or S7 line (my memory is vague as I used a lot of the Galaxy phones over the last 10 years). 

[faizoff]

One very popular phone used by audiophiles from what I saw in various audio forums is the LG V20. It has a DAC/AMP that can drive some really high powered headphones plus it has a removable battery. Plug in your SD card and you've got an extremely capable mp3 player. Not sure how the availability is now. I did have an LG V30 for about a month and I still remember how great the sound was on that. My Note 8 is close but not the same.

[ErHaO]

A dongle is not ideal ergonomically, but fine. Any old usb-c (a solid connection, usb micro sucks) phone with expandable storage can be made into a great audioplayer. I use a usb-c dongle for my Moondrop Aria IEMS sometimes, works like a charm. Though I mostly do wireless headphones these days.

And those who really want something dedicated, there are many good/great Fiio models.

I have an iPhone.  iPods are obsolete.

Obsolete means that there is no longer a need for them.  Since iPhones can only hold a fraction of the music that an iPod can hold, I would argue that iPods are not obsolete.  They serve a purpose which is not otherwise filled.

There isn't a need for them anymore.  That's why they're going away.  iPods came out before there were streaming services.  Now, I can listen to more music on my phone than any iPod can store.  It's not about memory storage anymore.

We've had this conversation before, though.  I don't want streaming services.  I want the music I want to listen to.  I have different versions of various albums, and I don't want the version that some record exec, some manager, or whoever, wants me to hear.   I also will edit things; many of my live albums replicate the concerts they come from.  With my Grateful Dead, for example, I edit the disk breaks together so it's a seamless concert.  Multiple night CDs (like the Grateful Dead Movie, or the expanded Made In Japan from Purple) I will edit into individual nights.  NONE of this is available on streaming.  I need a player.  Ipod is a player.  I need an iPod.

I am confused. You can use your phone as a player too right? Streaming apps are just one of the many listening options.

I have been dragging and dropping my own music files on phones for over a decade now.

[Stadler]

No, I can use my phone; I just have space limitations.  My phone has my music up through, say, "M", and I'm still getting "you are running out of space" errors regularly.

[jammindude]

“Everything old is new again”

I picked up a Sony Walkman and I absolutely love it. I have to use an auxiliary jack to plug it into my car, but when I’m out and about I use a pair of Bluetooth headphones and I’m happy as a pig in slop. Right now I just have a 64G card in it but it can accept cards as big as 128G. I’m not sure that it plays ALL formats, but it plays most of them and since I save everything in FLAC, I’m good.

[Orbert]

For some reason, I keep forgetting to check these out.  I'm a Sonyphile from way back; it should've been a no-brainer.

[ErHaO]

“Everything old is new again”

I picked up a Sony Walkman and I absolutely love it. I have to use an auxiliary jack to plug it into my car, but when I’m out and about I use a pair of Bluetooth headphones and I’m happy as a pig in slop. Right now I just have a 64G card in it but it can accept cards as big as 128G. I’m not sure that it plays ALL formats, but it plays most of them and since I save everything in FLAC, I’m good.

I think microSDX support is even up to 2 TB on the walkman.

No, I can use my phone; I just have space limitations.  My phone has my music up through, say, "M", and I'm still getting "you are running out of space" errors regularly.

On most brands of phones you can select microSD for storage and use it exclusively for music (so that your internal memory is still free).