AppleInsider Staff
The iPod classic holds your entire collection of music, photos, video, podcasts and games-up to 40,000 songs or 200 hours of video, the company said. Now in its sixth generation, the players deliver all the features customers love about their iPods, plus an enhanced user interface featuring Cover Flow and a new all-metal enclosure.
"The first iPod put 1,000 songs in your pocket-this new iPod classic can put 40,000 songs in your pocket," said Apple chief executive Steve Jobs. "With a thinner, all-metal enclosure and an enhanced user interface, the iPod classic is ideal for people who want to hold everything on their iPod."
The new iPod classic holds up to 160GB of storage in an all-metal anodized aluminum and polished stainless steel enclosure. It interfaces seamlessly with iTunes so you can import, manage and then easily sync your favorite content. You can also buy music, video and games for your iPod classic from the iTunes Store with more than six million songs available for preview and one-click purchase.
The new iPod classic features up to 40 hours of music playback and seven hours of video playback in the 160GB model, and up to 30 hours of music playback and five hours of video playback in the 80GB model on a single charge. iPod classic is priced at just $249 for the 80GB model and $349 for the 160GB model.
Like the new iPod nano also introduced Wednesday, the new iPod classic is ideal for playing iPod games and comes pre-loaded with iQuiz, the entertainment trivia game; Vortex, a fast-paced 360 degree brick-bashing game; and Klondike, the popular solitaire card game.
Apple says additional games will be available for purchase for the new iPod classic later this month from the iTunes Store, including Sudoku and Tetris from Electronic Arts and Ms. PAC-MAN from NAMCO.
Pricing & Availability
Both iPod classic models are available immediately worldwide in silver and black. The 80GB iPod classic model is $249 (US) and the 160GB iPod classic is $349 (US).
iPod classic requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS X v10.4.8 or later and iTunes 7.4; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows Vista or Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2) or later and iTunes 7.4.
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32 Comments
Just what I've been after to replace my broken 2g iPod. Now all i've got to do is fork out for OSX Tiger and figure out how to get around not having Usb2.0 on my G4.
Anyone know if there's such a thing as a Firewire to USB2 adaptor?
Very clever. Now you just HAVE to buy two iPods.
There's one thing I really like about the touch-based iPod interface -- quick and easy access to turning shuffle play on and off. (I don't like that feature so much, however, that I'm going to give up 64-144 GB of storage to get it. I have an iPhone too, but it never gets used as an iPod because the capacity is too small, it doesn't work with my car adapter, and I never carry the ear buds with me. My car is my primary iPod listening enviroment.)
I seldom want to shuffle play my whole collection. I certainly don't want to shuffle play individual albums. I have a playlist I've created specifically for shuffle play, and that's all I really want to shuffle 99% of the time.
With my current iPod turning shuffle mode on and off is deep in the menu structure, a bit of a nuisance to deal with when I decide to go back and forth between playing a specific new album or playing my "Big Shuffle" playlist.
I'll start playing an album, hear that it's starting on track 4 or whatever -- pause the music, and then, 7 or 8 or 10 or 12 click and scroll moves later, I'll have turned shuffle off and be back at track 1 where I wanted to be.
Or I'll start playing my Big Shuffle playlist, and the familiar first song in that list will start playing, and then it'll be several clicks and scrolls later until I'm shuffling as I'd originally intended.
All I ask of the new non-touch iPod interface is this: let shuffle play be an attribute of individual playlists, not a global setting, OR make access to the shuffle mode nearly as easy as it is via the touch interface. If Apple's done either of those things, I'll probably grab a new iPod Classic right away. If not, I'll just wait with what I've got until the touch screen comes to a hard drive model, or until flash capacity dramatically improves at a reasonable price.
I suprisingly like the new all Aluminum iPod Classic... The design is something refreshing, yet it still gives hints at the old and quite familiar iPod.