iPod classic discontinued

As Apple introduced the new iPhone and the Apple Watch, the iPod classic was quietly and unceremoniously laid to rest.  I only found this out today.  I have been using a 6th generation 120gb classic since I bought it in December 2009.  I have used it pretty much every day (for at least an hour a day) since I got it it.  The memory is nearly full with well over a 1000 albums.  For some reason today I had a bit of a panic.  I realised that I had been using the device for nearly six years now and that it might not last for many more years.  I looked on Amazon to see how much a replacement would cost and was horrified to see that for a new 7th generation iPod (160gb) you have to pay about £500 sterling.  Last year a new iPod cost £189.  This is how I found out that the Classic has been discontinued.  Obviously a few opportunists bought some new devices before they were discontinued in an attempt to profiteer.  This means that even second hand Classics will now cost a fortune and the price will continue to rise as they get more scarce.

I shed a tear for those lost. 

Same here.  I have two iPod classics, one for the car and one for whenever else, and I'll never put my music on my phone.  I want a separate device for music only, so I'm sad about this news.

chopper wrote: I've never used an iPod so I can't really compare, but I use a Sony Walkman NWZ-E454 which I've had for a few years now and I've always found it easy to use, and it's around one fifth of the price of the latest iPod (or it was when I bought it, it's probably been superseded by now).

I had a Sony for a few years and I was really happy with it. The only one I have now that works is a Cowon, and for me it's the best I ever had: it's practical, has a nice interface, lots of funcionalities (it even has karaoke ) and a really good audio output (better than the iPod's I tried to my ear). I put some of my CD's there on Flac and it sounds pretty good 

Funny, several years ago Microsoft phased out their Zune devices, to much the same comments as the OP listed. Microsoft now offers the music service thru their Xbox as Xbox Music. The Marketplace still exists and you can download all you want with a subscription, no need to "buy" any songs.I have been a Zune user since Nov 2006, when they were first introduced. We still have 3 of them in our house, in use and operating very well. The ZuneHD 32GB is the best player I have ever owned....PERIOD.

I've got a Nano that I use when cutting the grass, doing landscaping around the house or reading on the patio. I can also plug it into the car stereo through the Aux jack so I usually load it up with a few albums before a long drive. It sucks when you are used to a technology and the supplier decides to discontinue it, but hopefully something else will be available in the wings. But don't be surprised if it costs an arm and a leg. Those b*****ds are relentless when it comes to trying to get their hands on our hard earned money. Just look at the cost of the freakin' iWatch. Like it doesn't have everything that your phone already has in it.  Pass!

bhikkhu wrote: Had the same feeling when I found out. What do I do when my iPod dies? I have been reading about the FiiO player. Anyone know anything about those?

Yes, these big portable players should be able to play just about any file type. That's something Apple should look into if they reintroduce the iPod.