iPod - Say Sayonara - Dead at 21 years old

[DNSB]

For what it's worth, one of my kid's picked up a cheap Android phone as a replacement for his old iPod Touch 3 years ago. In his opinion, the sound quality sucked and it took less than a year for the battery life to start dropping like a paralyzed falcon. Otherwise, the tools for managing music, podcasts, etc. on it made iTunes look great. Then there was the interfacing to his car by having to plug in an audio cable with no controls he could use while driving. Next up, we had the updates which despite the manufacturer's promises never did arrive.

I've owned cheap and I've owned expensive. For the most part, I've found you get what you pay for.

My laptop was considerably more that $100 but it was money well spent since the majority of the tools I use need CPU cycles, disk space and RAM like it was free. All I can say is the cost was worth it for me. I will admit the ability to create, manage and run multiple virtual machines is a bit of a niche market but for me, it's a necessity.

My current Android tablet was a bit cheap (Lenovo M8 HD) but works well as a replacement for my old Google Nexus 7 (2013).

As for my phone, considering the security issues that plague Android—you do keep up with the CVEs? In 2020, Android had 859 CVEs while iOS had 308, moving on to 2021, Android had 572 CVEs while iOS had 365. So far in 2022, Android has had 250 CVEs while iOS has had 43. So in the last 28 months, Android has had 1681 CVEs while iOS has 716 CVEs.

I won't get into the millions of apps deleted from their app stores by both Google and Apple though Apple's list was very heavy on apps that did not have a privacy policy while Google was heavy on apps with dangerous permissions. Admittedly, Google didn't even have a requirement for a privacy policy until April, 2022.

And yes, I'm one of those people who worries about security both for my personal and corporate devices. Zero trust is where it's at.

[ZodWallop]

I use an old Microsoft Lumia 735 as an MP3 player. You can pick one up for $30 on eBay. A nice 4.7" OLED screen, replaceable battery and SD card reader. Plus I really like Windows Phone 10. A shame it didn't catch on. With Google-Fi I'm able to add a data only SIM card so I have mobile data on it without having to pay for an extra line.

[cromag]

Originally Posted by DNSB

For what it's worth, one of my kid's picked up a cheap Android phone as a replacement for his old iPod Touch 3 years ago. In his opinion, the sound quality sucked ...

I'm with your son on this!

I don't have an Ipod, but I've been using quality MP3 players for about 20 years. A phone may be good enough for audiobooks and spoken word podcasts, but they just can't do the job when it comes to music.

With Ipods out of the picture I hope some other affordable, high quality players step up.

[DrNefario]

I still use my very old iPod touch quite regularly, for listening to podcasts. The battery is poor, and there has been a weird discoloured patch on the screen for years, but it is much lighter and smaller than the android phone that has partially replaced it. (And the battery is possibly still better than that, which needs charging every day or two.)

I think there could still be a place for it, but Apple have neglected it for some time, and I resisted getting a newer one because the battery life was reportedly quite poor from the start - too much focus on power over usability.

[drofgnal]

I use my iPhone 13 pro some for music. I have a 256 GB version. I do not buy music from apple, but rip all my own CDs in lossless format. I tunes will load my phone transcoding to 256 kHz AAC. I can get tons of music on it. I use that mostly in the car. When not in the car, I use Quboz streaming service on my phone either casting to a technics cd player through the stereo system or with Shure IEMs and the iPhone. The apple dongle for converting to 1/8" TRS connection is a pretty good 192/24 capable DAC.

I haven't had or needed an iPod for years.

[John F]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Apples last iPod, the iPod touch lasted this long only because it was an Apple product. If you weren't wedded to Apple's ecosystem, a $20 pre-paid Android phone was just as capable as an MP3 player and at a fraction of Apple's outrageous prices.

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Cheap Android phones do the same thing.

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Yeah, it is.

The Android version of an iPod touch is a non-activated Android phone. Cheap and just as capable.

Originally Posted by DNSB

For what it's worth, one of my kid's picked up a cheap Android phone as a replacement for his old iPod Touch 3 years ago. In his opinion, the sound quality sucked and it took less than a year for the battery life to start dropping like a paralyzed falcon. Otherwise, the tools for managing music, podcasts, etc. on it made iTunes look great. Then there was the interfacing to his car by having to plug in an audio cable with no controls he could use while driving. Next up, we had the updates which despite the manufacturer's promises never did arrive.

...

So it sounds like a cheap Android phone does the same thing as an iPod Touch, it just sucks at some of the things. But hey, it is only $40.

[Cyclops]

I got one somewhere. But I loathe apple stuff...

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by hobnail

Isn't it just an iPhone without the phone? More or less the same iOS and everything? If I were an Apple sheep I'd just buy an iPhone.

In fact the 1st iPhone was a iPod with bought in Samsung display, cpu, Fingerworks GUI and cut down Mac OS. No 3G or copy/paste!

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by DuskyRose

Depends on how much storage you want, but yes, the Touch is hundreds cheaper than an iPhone. Plus, they're smaller than most iPhone models.

Starter price on the Touch was about $199.

And you can get a locked to carrier for 1 year, free unlock, pure PAYG Android phone with perfect 3.5mm jack audio (BT bud inferior, always) for €100 including VAT. SD card slot as well as loads of built in Flash.
No need for SIM (free if you buy €15 call credit). No ongoing contract charge.

There is about 80% profit margin on the Apple products.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by John F

So it sounds like a cheap Android phone does the same thing as an iPod Touch

Except run iOS apps, integrate with iPod-only car systems, and probably other Apple-specific stuff, which probably matters to you if you're in that ecosystem.

[DuskyRose]

Originally Posted by Quoth

And you can get a locked to carrier for 1 year, free unlock, pure PAYG Android phone with perfect 3.5mm jack audio (BT bud inferior, always) for €100 including VAT. SD card slot as well as loads of built in Flash.
No need for SIM (free if you buy €15 call credit). No ongoing contract charge.

There is about 80% profit margin on the Apple products.

You're still missing the point. The iPod Touch is NOT an iphone. It's a tablet.

It's like you comparing a Kindle Fire to an Android phone. It doesn't work.

[Quoth]

You can buy pmp/mini tablets online even cheaper. The point is that you can ignore the phone functionality and just use it as mini/micro tablet and it's in local bricks & mortar shops.

I'm not missing any point.

BTW the Fire isn't a Kindle, though they had Kindle branding for a while, it's a crippled version of the Android tablet for the Amazon store.
Also you can get 8" & 10" tablets that have a sim slot (or two) and have 100% phone functionality.

Apple would prefer people buy an iPad or iPhone. They make far more per unit sale profit. They also have 70% to 90% profit margin. The ones with greater storage are grossly overpriced. Removing the 3.5mm jack socket is marketing. I'd not buy any mp3, pmp, phone, tablet or laptop without the 3.5mm jack socket.

It doesn't matter on a ereader as they are abysmal size/ergonomics/software as mp3 players for music or ebooks.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by DNSB

For what it's worth, one of my kid's picked up a cheap Android phone as a replacement for his old iPod Touch 3 years ago. In his opinion, the sound quality sucked and it took less than a year for the battery life to start dropping like a paralyzed falcon.

How did the sound quality suck? If you stream your MP3s through headphones or to a Bluetooth speaker, isn't the quality of the speaker and the MP3 files more important than which device is playing it? This is a real question rather than a counterpoint to your argument.

As for getting a cheap Android phone, yeah, maybe don't scrape the bottom of the barrel. But you can get former flagships or mid-tier phones for pretty cheap.

Again, I have no complaints with my Lumia, unless I'm living in a fool's paradise.

[DuskyRose]

Originally Posted by Quoth

BTW the Fire isn't a Kindle, though they had Kindle branding for a while, it's a crippled version of the Android tablet for the Amazon store.

So, yes, I was right. The Kindle Fire, sold as a KINDLE Fire, is a tablet.

Originally Posted by Quoth

Also you can get 8" & 10" tablets that have a sim slot (or two) and have 100% phone functionality.

I have two mini's that I'm quite happy with already. I do NOT want an 8" or 10" tablet to replace my current Touch when it dies.

Nor do I want to use it as a phone.

Find one other that's got the same SMALL dimensions, but the same quality of screen, (most of the small ones I've seen in person have crap screens.) as an Ipod Touch, and I'd be interested in putting them on my 'to watch' list when this one gives up the ghost.

Then, maybe I'll be tempted to give it a try. But so far, the cheaper stuff I've seen just hasn't measured up. I paid for quality, and have felt like I got it. I'm going to miss not being able to pick up another.

[Quoth]

There are 100s of pmps with small dimensions in last 15 years. Most better than Apple, and cheaper and with SD card slot. No-one is suggesting you have to have an 8" tablet or a phone.

You are missing the point about the phone. Phones are why Apple is discontinuing and why mostly you can only buy the pmps online.