Earlier this yr, I did one thing bizarre: I purchased an iPod fifth technology, initially manufactured again in 2006. I acquired it principally as a enjoyable factor to mod, however I’ve truly been utilizing it on a near-daily foundation. The expertise has introduced me to the conclusion that Apple ought to convey again the iPod, however up to date for the fashionable age. It ought to preserve the click-wheel in fact, however I can’t cease desirous about how good an iPod, designed for the age of music streaming, AirPods, and high-res shows can be. I do know that may sound foolish, however let me clarify.

There are just a few the explanation why Apple ought to make a brand new iPod. For one, it could enable the corporate to capitalize on some nostalgia for the iPod age that appears to be coming round, primarily based on latest iPod-themed internet gamers, apps, and mods.

The different, maybe extra apparent purpose, is that the iPod is a music-centric system, and Apple actually has a service known as Apple Music. The firm is at the moment in love with companies income, however a lot of its units simply aren’t that nice at enjoying music. The iPhone makes it tough to plug in lots of kinds of headphones, and Siri interrupts what you’re listening to whenever you’re asking it to do one thing easy that doesn’t actually warrant an audible response (like turning on HomeKit-powered lights, for instance).

Most of, if not all, of Apple’s units can also’t play the highest-end lossless recordsdata that Apple Music can now ship with out further {hardware}. This implies that Apple doesn’t promote one thing it might probably level to and say “this is the best Apple Music experience you can get, period.” An iPod might be simply that.

While Apple Music ought to be tightly built-in into a contemporary iPod, it could even be nice if it may play music from different companies, and if it had a completely Classic mode that simply performed recordsdata synced from a pc.

Not solely would opening the iPod up keep away from some horrible optics for a corporation that’s being scrutinized by the federal government and opponents (like Spotify) for abusing its position as a platform and repair designer, however it could additionally assist keep away from a few of the weirdness that comes with streaming music. Lots of the instances I exploit my iPod as of late are as a result of Apple Music is appearing up, forcing me to restart the app as a result of it claims that content material is unauthorized, or fully fritzing out when attempting to play the lossless music Apple lately launched.

(Seriously, is anybody else having this downside? Randomly, however fairly often, the track I’m attempting to hearken to will devolve right into a flurry of high-pitched, digital-sounding squeals, like I’m listening to a 100 Gecs song enjoying on a Discman that’s being vigorously shaken.)

Of course, Apple does nonetheless promote an iPod, in any case these years: the iPod Touch. Now, don’t get me mistaken, the iPod Touch is an excellent system, particularly for kids, and individuals who simply desire a non-expensive iOS system. But that’s simply the factor — the iPod Touch isn’t a purpose-driven music participant, it’s an iPhone with out the telephone.

But so what? That simply means it might probably use its headphone jack to hearken to tunes from Apple Music, in addition to Spotify, Tidal, Amazon Prime Music, and the rest, in addition to play video games, surf the online, learn books, and so on.

And that’s the rub for me: the iPod Touch is an efficient computing system, one which Apple ought to arguably replace extra usually, however generally the very best device for a job isn’t the one that may do every little thing. It’s the one which’s designed to do one factor rather well.

For instance, once I’m listening to music on an iOS system I usually discover that I’m not truly listening to the music, however scrolling by Twitter with it on within the background. That doesn’t occur with my 2006 iPod. The focus that comes with one thing that’s not providing you everything, all of the time, is similar purpose some individuals favor e-readers over simply studying on a pill or telephone.

And, virtually talking, making a devoted transportable music participant and not using a smartphone OS and touchscreen would imply that Apple wasn’t competing as a lot with Android-powered gamers from the likes of Sony and Fiio.

There’s additionally the matter of {hardware} — if Apple made a brand new iPod designed for simply listening to music, it wouldn’t should make it highly effective sufficient to run 3D video games or Safari, and will as a substitute put sources to a greater DAC and amp (maybe one that would play Apple Music’s aforementioned 24 bit, 192 kHz lossless recordsdata).

I don’t suppose {that a} new iPod would ever attain the dizzying heights of recognition that the older fashions did. Most persons are completely content material to hearken to music on their telephones — in the event that they weren’t, Apple in all probability wouldn’t have stopped promoting iPods within the first place. However, Apple’s an enormous firm — it may stand to make a distinct segment, music-focused system, even when its final one didn’t achieve this effectively. And as an previous iPod fanatic, it popping out with a brand new one can be literal music to my ears (I needed to).

P.S. — I’ve additionally discovered the Apple Music expertise on the Apple Watch to be fairly mediocre, and I don’t need to take my telephone on a run. I’m not saying there’s room for an iPod Shuffle with the brand new offline Siri as a substitute of VoiceOver, however…