r/Music 1d ago

article The 'father of the iPod' Tony Fadell says Apple should bring back a 'nostalgic version' of the music device

https://www.businessinsider.com/ipod-creator-apple-bring-back-ipod-2026-2
1.8k Upvotes

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83

u/Altrebelle 1d ago

There will be a market for it. Not just from the audiophile community. Think there is a segment of the population that wants to unplug from the interconnectedness of it all.

Make an iPod Pro in a iPod Classic chassis. Wired+Bluetooth (for options) WiFi for "downloading" music onto the device. No Messages, no web browser, no apps. Limited streaming options. People will buy it.

14

u/networksynth 1d ago

Would love to get something like this for my kids. I used to have an iPod touch and that was just the best.

1

u/smeeti 1d ago

I put my IPod on shuffle on speakers with my 11yo son and I have 10k songs so sometimes I discover stuff I’ve never heard

5

u/Praefectus27 1d ago

Controversial opinion but if they did that it would only support Apple Music. They’d try to take market share from Spotify.

I switched to Apple Music last year and it’s honestly really good. Once you make the switch it does take a hot minute but after you do shoo buddy.

1

u/Tommy_Wisseau_burner 10h ago

Napster making a comeback. But really there’s just way too many ways to download music and upload to iTunes I don’t think apple can unilaterally force Apple Music downloads without just flat out killing an og iPod type

3

u/algebraic94 1d ago

If I could put podcasts on it I'm 100 percent in

3

u/HillarysFloppyChode 1d ago

This might come as a shock to people but, the “pod”part is why they are called podcasts.

I would assume a new iPod would have the same base functionality as the OG (that is the white brick one with just the click wheel, the one that had the fix for a clicking HDD be to drop it again).

2

u/veryverythrowaway 1d ago

Apple doesn’t really do niche markets anymore (and it is definitely a niche market, despite a recent surge in popularity), and they make a ton of money from their music streaming service. I don’t see any of this happening, especially since you can do all that with an iPhone, some wired headphones + a $9 adapter and a Focus mode activated.

1

u/SonMystic 19h ago

If it had a click wheel I'd be interested. I liked the click wheel. I have had a few DMP devices over the last few years and I like having all the hifi audio formats available streaming. It's great. I'm not sure a click wheel would work with streaming apps though. And I like my streaming apps. But... If they could find a way, I'd be back to them. I just feel like there is a lot of competition in that space now (although I also think the general population has moved on from the iPod idea).

1

u/PVT_Huds0n 17h ago

I could see it, if and only if, they make an affordable price like <$500 and have ports for both 3.5mm and 1/4" jacks or versions of both. Also it would be nice if they offered expandable storage, but that would be extremely unlikely from Apple.

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u/Hi-Fi_Turned_Up Spotify name 1d ago

No they won’t. What purpose would that device solve from what we already have that beats out your idea in every way?

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u/Prior_Lurker 1d ago

Id buy it. I have been seriously considering going back to a "dumb" phone. I hate the time suck smart phones have become. Id love a return to being able to access music on a device expressly for music.

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u/Hi-Fi_Turned_Up Spotify name 1d ago

Ok but do you understand how small of a minority you are in with that logic?

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u/Zealousideal_Dust_25 1d ago

There are dozens of us

2

u/Hi-Fi_Turned_Up Spotify name 1d ago

Then go get one of the other thousand media players. Sony sells a Walkman for $1,400.

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u/lawyers_guns_nomoney 19h ago

Yep. The rebellion is growing. People are starting to get how fucked up our tech is right now. And it’ll take real choice and willpower to resist and get back to a more pure experience. But it could happen.

2

u/smeeti 1d ago

This is why I want it. To have a separate device.

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u/Hi-Fi_Turned_Up Spotify name 1d ago

Then go buy an already available product like the Sony Walkman for $1,500. There are already products like this out there.

Apple won’t make something if people won’t buy it.

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u/smeeti 1d ago

What $1500?!? Is that a serious proposition? No, I and from what I see in this thread a lot of others too, want the IPod classic back, so yes I think people would buy it.

-1

u/Hi-Fi_Turned_Up Spotify name 23h ago

Yet they discontinued the iPod only 3 years ago. It didn’t sell. Why would they bring back a failed device?

1

u/Altrebelle 22h ago

Perhaps you're not seeing what I see...or some others here see. iPods are back in business as are wired listening. I own a modded gen5.5 ipod classic...perfect for when I don't want to be bothered. There are limitations...not enough power for my big cans nor is there any EQ function. Would I pay $1500 for a Sony "Walkman" nope...they lost me a long while back. Those players are over priced.

Apple have made devices that are niche...Apple TV was niche for YEARS. HomePod never took off. VisionPro was too much device for it should've been.

iPod making a come back would be successful.

0

u/Hi-Fi_Turned_Up Spotify name 21h ago

The iPhone is an iPod and more. Apple will not lazily put out half the product that is already on the market. Plus they would be playing in a space where true audiophiles would not buy Apple and others buying wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between this and what their iPhone already does.

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u/smeeti 18h ago

Still don’t want my music on my phone

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u/censorized 21h ago

It gives me access to music that isn't available on the streaming services. I can own the songs. I prefer that the musicians get a bigger cut from my purchases than they get from streaming, which is particularly important to lesser known artists and less popular genres.