[NewsPoster]

Links to the iPod classic have disappeared from the refurbished sections at Apple's US and Canadian online stores. Refurb models are still referenced at some international storefronts, like the UK and France, even if units aren't necessarily available.

Despite being a cornerstone of Apple's resurrection in the 2000s, the Classic has become increasingly marginal to the company, and rumors of it being discontinued have circulated for the past several years. The device was last updated in 2009, and uses storage and interface technologies no longer seen in any other Apple product. Its only advantage is capacity, since at 160GB it can hold more music and video than even the most expensive iPhone or iPad.

Apple may be ready to drop the product this year, particularly if decides to increase the capacities of the iPhone and/or iPod touch. Those are currently capped at 64GB; raising the ceiling to 128GB might be enough to make the Classic redundant.

[Gazoobee]

Cue the river of hipster tears ....

I have almost never literally seen anyone using a classic lately that isn't also sporting a fedora, a chin/neck beard or some other kind of lame douchebaggery.

[Spheric Harlot]

At least they probably have working penises, so maybe there's just something you're not... getting.

[elroth]

Maybe gazoo should change where he hangs out.

[bobolicious]

...Could we finally ramp up to 96k sampling & lossless downloads for a product to at least rival PONO...?

[Spheric Harlot]

Forget 96k sampling. There is almost no source material available at that resolution, and there is almost zero reason for it (and certainly none worth the tradeoff in bandwidth/space).

Lossless, I'm all for. The main reason I'm not buying digitally unless I'm desparate is lossy formats.

Also: Pono. Heh. The Pono needs no rivals, and "competing" with that is not a goal worth pursuing.