Apple Should Bring Back The iPod Classic In 2021
By: Aj Krow
Tags: Gadgets, Design, Music, Apple, Technology

Apple Should Bring Back The iPod Classic In 2021

Photo by insung yoon on Unsplash

Since the iPod’s twentieth anniversary is coming up in October 2021, Apple should consider updating their iPod Classic line. There are plenty of music lovers who still hold on to their old iPods and would love to upgrade if a new release was available for purchase. There are a few upgrades and features that nostalgists would love to see, should Apple choose to release a new iPod Classic.

Keep the click wheel

When Apple released the 7th and final generation iPod Nano, I was quite disappointed. It reminded me of a knockoff iPod Touch usually found in claw machines at Walmart.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Although the device is beautiful, it loses touch with the original design of the iPod. Using the click wheel to look for music was unique, similar to rewinding a VHS tape or using your flip phone to record your favorite song from the radio and making it your ringtone.

There is nostalgia when using the click wheel, which bonds you to your music. Using a touch screen nowadays is commonplace as we use touch screens all day, every day. Touch screens may be more convenient, but it doesn’t have that same feeling. Keeping the click wheel in a rerelease of the iPod Classic would make users fall in love with their music again.

If Apple releases and updates the iPod Classic for its twentieth anniversary, keeping the click wheel is necessary to stand out among a diverse market of touch screen capable devices.

Add flash storage

The last iPod Classic to be released, which was discontinued in 2014, still used a hard disk drive. Hard disk drives, which use magnets, aren’t meant to last long term. A hard drive can last between five to eight years, meaning any iPod Classic purchased in 2014 has likely given up or is about to.

Some people have disassembled old iPods and modified them to use SD cards as flash storage, but this requires a person willing to disassemble and reassemble their iPod. Most people are not tech-savvy, so doing this is out of the question for them.

Apple needs to provide flash storage to its iPod Classic line, the same storage used in iPhones and iPads, for the iPod Classic to last far longer than its predecessors.

Remove the headphone jack?

This one is still a gray area. Some people still use a headphone jack in 2020, and this will likely continue in 2021. A headphone jack is a solution for people who use their iPods while driving in non-Bluetooth capable vehicles.

Meanwhile, some audiophiles use headphones that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars; for them, Bluetooth isn’t as crisp as using a wired connection. If Apple provides a headphone jack, they’d be satisfying a decent size of the market.

However, for most users, providing a headphone jack would not be needed. Many Apple users have already moved away from wired headphones by purchasing AirPods or Beats, both owned by Apple. A headphone jack would go unused by a majority of their fanbase. Instead, Apple could use the space that would’ve gone to the headphone jack to provide better battery life.

Add Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity

The addition of Bluetooth is a no brainer. As previously mentioned, most users have moved away from wired headphones. Apple would need to make their iPod Classic compatible with AirPods and Beats to satisfy most users.

People would question the addition of Wi-Fi to an iPod. After all, why would a device meant for listening to music need internet connectivity?

However, the Apple Watch is a perfect example. Users should be able to download music onto their device by syncing it to their iPhone or iPad. Whether the user uploads their iTunes music, Spotify playlists, or their favorite Podcasts, users should be able to upload their music quickly and efficiently. That way, they can listen to music while using their phone for other purposes. And on that note…

Kill the iTunes connectivity requirement

Seriously. We shouldn’t have to connect our iPods to our computers to upload music anymore. That is so 2007.

Call it the iPod Classic Edition

Unless the marketing team can come up with a better name, Apple should keep it simple and memorable. It sounds much better than calling it the iPod Retro, iPod Classic Retro, or the iPod Classic X.

Conclusion

Whether Apple considers releasing an update to the iPod Classic line is yet to be determined, although it is unlikely. However, if Apple decides to release a twentieth-anniversary edition, these are upgrades and features needed for the iPod Classic line to succeed that nostalgists would love when they upgrade.