Yesterday’s launch of the new iPhones was also tinged with sadness
Amidst all the razamattaz. the ipod classic ,in its 13th year,quietly shuffled off its mortal coil and has been sent to that technological graveyard in the sky.
I morn it’s passing .It is truly the end of an era.
I have been an ipod user for eleven years.
A white 20GB model gave way to a 60 GB model which I use to this day.
It is ,by a long way,the Apple product I love the most. It is the one Apple product with a clear purpose.
It plays music and excels at it. It is not caught by the built in obsolescence of other Apple products.
It does not care what version of ios is in vogue.It just quietly goes about its business.
That well worn ipod of mine has travelled the globe enabling me to take a large part of my music collection with me.
Music on long car journeys is never boring with an ipod classic.
This is especially true if you put it on shuffle and wonder at tunes you have never heard or albums you forgot you possessed.
My in car ipod connector broke a few weeks ago and I am back to using the CD changer which preceded the ipod. Listening to the same 6 CDS time after time does get a little boring.
However,whilst I am sad at the passing of the ipad classic I am hardly surprised .
The writing has been on the wall for the last few years.
The ipod classic was never updated after 2008 and even I found myself using it less.
At home its use has been replaced by an Arcam bluetooth streamer which allows me to listen to mp3s,internet radio and streaming services,such as Deezer and Spotify , via my laptop or my iphone.
However the iphone still reigns in the car or where wifi is unavailable . My ipod is semi retired but still well loved and respected .
I shall continue to use,and enjoy it,until the day it sings its last.
Millions of people own ipod classics and will continue to enjoy them.
There is still a demand for them,on ebay ,and prices are not cheap.
There is one glimmer of hope ,for ipod fans, and that is hi definition audio. Neil Young has announced his Pogo player.
Perhaps Apple can now turn their attention to Hi definition audio and launch an ipod classic successor with the ability to play hi definition files?
I live in hope!