What does this offer over, say, an Innioasis https://www.innioasis.com/products/y2? What Bluetooth codecs does it support; will I be able to use LDAC/LDHC/AAC/AptX HD/etc.? Is "Sudo OS" something I can hack and play with?
Shipping Q4 2027? Let me know then. Even if it ships on time, that's like a year ahead, and who knows what else will be available by the time (it's not like there's not a thriving niche mp3 player market).
While you're saving that $250 over the next year, feel free to indulge on any of the dozens of equivalent products already on the market at the $35 price point.
Maybe it’s me being old but I don’t understand why I’d want this device for 249$.
I know some younger gens are looking for phoneless experiences, but for that price you can find old devices and simply recycle their usage. There are enough roms aimed and making a “dumb” mp3 player and include 3.5” and decent audio.
So I wonder if I miss something. The fomo here is messing with me.
Even more, chinese sites are chuck full of such players for a fraction of the price in all dimensions, on/offline, tactile or touch, with quality DACs.
+1 for Tangara. It's kind of underpowered and crashes sometimes when doing too much at once, and I wish the scroll wheel felt a bit better, but hey it's all open source and I made some mods (printed a case, added some resistors to lower the noise floor).
Looks like a scam. You have to pay 50$ to reserve and ships in Q4 2027.
By then most of people would forget they even paid for this and also you won’t be able to dispute the 50$ with your payment provider because the dispute window has passed.
I still have an iPod in my car and I still have a big collection of music but I've stopped collecting music. I haven't bought/downloaded anything in years because there is so much good streaming out there. I mostly switch between nts.live 1 and 2, dublab, and dublab Germany. When there's something annoying on one channel there is almost always something good on another.
You can also just buy an iPod in 2026, they are still well supported on Mac and PC. You can get them with new batteries quite cheaply. You can even get 30-pin Bluetooth adapters for them.
you can still sync music to iPods using the music app/the finder on mac [0]. there’s a similar thing for windows as well [1]. on linux, i know the clementine music player supports iPod sync [2]. all these options let you use the original firmware!
It is actually still supported directly Finder on macOS. Or, even better, just putting Rockbox on them and copying files over directly, and that’s well supported in Linux.
Pricing on the used market is maybe a bit high compared to some of the other options out there but the hardware still feels great and there’s massive aftermarket support so there are still benefits to an iPod.
I though $50 seems like a fair price for what you'd get. And then I saw it was only a deposit. A retail price of $250 seems way over the mark for what it is.
Who would be the market for this product?
Its expensive so its up market, but all of those buyers would already have phones and would be unlikely to bring another device just to have music that their phone is already exceptionally good at providing.
it's unlikely to be runners or bikers or other endurance athletes as they'll already have their phone or if they use a watch have music on their watch so they don't have to bring a phone.
Phones already do a great job of offline with downloaded music and movies so that doesn't seem like the right crowd.
Most kids get a hand me down phone with no cellular to start with from their parents so that doesn't seem like a good fit.
now i feel like I'm writing the hacker news dropbox review where i say its use case is already easy to do and the product will go nowhere;)
Hi. I am the target for this kind of device. I like to have a dedicated music player, and I like the shape of the iPod classic. I don’t want to use a smartphone.
This device has Bluetooth which the old iPod did not have, which is an enhancement. The old iPod also forces you to sync the music using the iTunes library.
Nostalgia? Maybe not even, as you could buy a second hand iPod off eBay. Maybe for people that only use dumbphones and want still the possibility of listening to music?
Curious to see how much they sell, I suspect not much
>A retail price of $250 seems way over the mark for what it is.
There are, in 2026, dozens of models of mp3 players selling from around $120 to even up to $400 or so, from brands from Chinese OEMs to Sony, including a few that mimic the iPod interface. From iPod style to expensive DAC ones with impendance tailored to high end headphones.
>But seriously, who would be the target here?
People interested in mp3 players.
People who want to focus on music listening, and not have a constant distraction device at hand when doing it.
>Phones already do a great job of offline with downloaded music and movies so that doesn't seem like the right crowd.
Seems like you've missed the whole "back to focused use device" trend going on for the last few years and that general niche.
At first, I read “Suno” and thought it was a music player that lets you listen to music generated just for you. “Play me some music about a breakup between two sailors,” and there you go — the perfect album for the occasion.
Because before I click the "Reserve" button I would like to know if this company has any hope in hell to actually ship a device before they are sued into oblivion. I don't like wasting money.
What DAC/amplification circuitry does it use? Does it support bit perfect playback the same way my iPod/sansa clip/computer do? Or is everything crushed to 48khz like a smartphone?
Why does it appear to be riveted together? Wouldn't Phillips screws or a snap together design (guitar pick to open) be more practical?
Is "Sudo OS" a euphemism for "Android but extra locked down", the same way Rabbit R1 was?
Asking the important questions. At its core it's a DAP. If it offers nothing better than a smartphone, I don't see why I need another piece of glued together junk that could go unsupported anytime just for whatever sentimental value iPod has. Not to mention 64 GB is nothing if you're listening to lossless.
What does this offer over, say, an Innioasis https://www.innioasis.com/products/y2? What Bluetooth codecs does it support; will I be able to use LDAC/LDHC/AAC/AptX HD/etc.? Is "Sudo OS" something I can hack and play with?
It says it supports "streaming" but it is unclear if it will support streaming apps like Spotify/Apple Music or their own music streaming service.
Shipping Q4 2027? Let me know then. Even if it ships on time, that's like a year ahead, and who knows what else will be available by the time (it's not like there's not a thriving niche mp3 player market).
While you're saving that $250 over the next year, feel free to indulge on any of the dozens of equivalent products already on the market at the $35 price point.
I recommend an iPod classic with a 512GB SD card :D
Already have one pal :D
New battery, too. It does feel weird without the weight of the HDD.
They are a bitch to open though.
This feels like a new company trying to capitalize on the trend and looking to fill a minimum order.
Maybe it’s me being old but I don’t understand why I’d want this device for 249$.
I know some younger gens are looking for phoneless experiences, but for that price you can find old devices and simply recycle their usage. There are enough roms aimed and making a “dumb” mp3 player and include 3.5” and decent audio.
So I wonder if I miss something. The fomo here is messing with me.
Even more, chinese sites are chuck full of such players for a fraction of the price in all dimensions, on/offline, tactile or touch, with quality DACs.
Yep, just get some older mp3 players and done. No need dumb touch screens.
Maybe it's me being old but I've seen the <who would buy this thing> argument ad nauseaum.
I'm happy about this product, I was just looking for something like this not long ago.
There'a market for everything. Accept that and move on, particularly when you have no horse on the race.
Reminds me of the Tangara mp3 player: https://cooltech.zone/tangara/
My friend got a Tangara from their "Kickstarter" and I think it's pretty cool. Plus it's open source and you can just make your own.
I'd love a Tangara, it's a pity they can't be ordered any more.
+1 for Tangara. It's kind of underpowered and crashes sometimes when doing too much at once, and I wish the scroll wheel felt a bit better, but hey it's all open source and I made some mods (printed a case, added some resistors to lower the noise floor).
I do like my Tangara, though I use an ancient Sansa Clip more just because it's so much smaller.
Presumably Apple has a patent on the clickwheel? But maybe that just expired given the first iPod is now 25 years old.
It doesn't seem to list what it supports. How do I get music on here? What kind of codecs are supported?
This thing reads like a Kickstarter.
I try not to be negative, but the name is bad. Literally any other name. sudo os?!?
Looks like a scam. You have to pay 50$ to reserve and ships in Q4 2027.
By then most of people would forget they even paid for this and also you won’t be able to dispute the 50$ with your payment provider because the dispute window has passed.
I still have an iPod in my car and I still have a big collection of music but I've stopped collecting music. I haven't bought/downloaded anything in years because there is so much good streaming out there. I mostly switch between nts.live 1 and 2, dublab, and dublab Germany. When there's something annoying on one channel there is almost always something good on another.
You can also just buy an iPod in 2026, they are still well supported on Mac and PC. You can get them with new batteries quite cheaply. You can even get 30-pin Bluetooth adapters for them.
The iPod aren’t supported anymore, they require iTunes which is no longer available on macOS. And iTunes is also not available for Linux.
you can still sync music to iPods using the music app/the finder on mac [0]. there’s a similar thing for windows as well [1]. on linux, i know the clementine music player supports iPod sync [2]. all these options let you use the original firmware!
0: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/mac-help/mchlde9a31f1/...
1: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/devices-windows/mchlbf...
2: https://github.com/clementine-player/Clementine/wiki/Portabl...
It is actually still supported directly Finder on macOS. Or, even better, just putting Rockbox on them and copying files over directly, and that’s well supported in Linux.
Pricing on the used market is maybe a bit high compared to some of the other options out there but the hardware still feels great and there’s massive aftermarket support so there are still benefits to an iPod.
I use and maintain an "ipod" in the form of an old pixel 3 with 128 GB of memory that has no SIM card and no software installed except for VLC.
It stays in airplane mode. It has a real headphone jack.
This feels like a new company collecting orders for a minimum run. I wish them luck. Those rivets on the back are a deal breaker for me.
I though $50 seems like a fair price for what you'd get. And then I saw it was only a deposit. A retail price of $250 seems way over the mark for what it is.
Who would be the market for this product?
Its expensive so its up market, but all of those buyers would already have phones and would be unlikely to bring another device just to have music that their phone is already exceptionally good at providing.
it's unlikely to be runners or bikers or other endurance athletes as they'll already have their phone or if they use a watch have music on their watch so they don't have to bring a phone.
Phones already do a great job of offline with downloaded music and movies so that doesn't seem like the right crowd.
Most kids get a hand me down phone with no cellular to start with from their parents so that doesn't seem like a good fit.
now i feel like I'm writing the hacker news dropbox review where i say its use case is already easy to do and the product will go nowhere;)
But seriously, who would be the target here?
Hi. I am the target for this kind of device. I like to have a dedicated music player, and I like the shape of the iPod classic. I don’t want to use a smartphone.
This device has Bluetooth which the old iPod did not have, which is an enhancement. The old iPod also forces you to sync the music using the iTunes library.
Nostalgia? Maybe not even, as you could buy a second hand iPod off eBay. Maybe for people that only use dumbphones and want still the possibility of listening to music?
Curious to see how much they sell, I suspect not much
>A retail price of $250 seems way over the mark for what it is.
There are, in 2026, dozens of models of mp3 players selling from around $120 to even up to $400 or so, from brands from Chinese OEMs to Sony, including a few that mimic the iPod interface. From iPod style to expensive DAC ones with impendance tailored to high end headphones.
>But seriously, who would be the target here?
People interested in mp3 players.
People who want to focus on music listening, and not have a constant distraction device at hand when doing it.
>Phones already do a great job of offline with downloaded music and movies so that doesn't seem like the right crowd.
Seems like you've missed the whole "back to focused use device" trend going on for the last few years and that general niche.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00lLrwHQPns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaTRhWazMPs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFVo1bmUXzw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viU9JhIsbl4
https://www.audiophileon.com/news/hd-music-player-top-10
https://www.whathifi.com/best-buys/portable/best-portable-mu...
https://www.techradar.com/news/best-mp3-players-techradars-g...
Just use an old iPhone as your music player. You probably have one in a drawer somewhere
Jokes: I have one in my pocket right now!
One the picture depicts a really fat device. Feels like you will have a brick in your hand.
its probably just ai slop picture. the specs list thickness as 8.5mm, which is less than e.g. iphone 4s.
There already is Shanling Q2 which looks like iPod, but also has lossless.
At first, I read “Suno” and thought it was a music player that lets you listen to music generated just for you. “Play me some music about a breakup between two sailors,” and there you go — the perfect album for the occasion.
Nice, I was just searching for something like that!
THere's already a player that looks like classic iPod and even supports loseless playback out this year, Shanling Q2.
ipod of 2026 ships q4 2027.. is that a typo on the shipping date?
This is all nice but, aren't there patents on some of the features visible?
The original iPod came out in 2001. Any patents on that have hopefully expired at least half a decade ago if not earlier.
Why are you spending any of your precious energy defending expired patents for a trillion-dollar corporation?
Because before I click the "Reserve" button I would like to know if this company has any hope in hell to actually ship a device before they are sued into oblivion. I don't like wasting money.
They’re probably questioning the viability of a product that’s accepting preorders?
If only it would run off a single AA battery.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_PMP300
What DAC/amplification circuitry does it use? Does it support bit perfect playback the same way my iPod/sansa clip/computer do? Or is everything crushed to 48khz like a smartphone?
Why does it appear to be riveted together? Wouldn't Phillips screws or a snap together design (guitar pick to open) be more practical?
Is "Sudo OS" a euphemism for "Android but extra locked down", the same way Rabbit R1 was?
Asking the important questions. At its core it's a DAP. If it offers nothing better than a smartphone, I don't see why I need another piece of glued together junk that could go unsupported anytime just for whatever sentimental value iPod has. Not to mention 64 GB is nothing if you're listening to lossless.
It has a microsd slot, so I don't think the 64 GB limitation is that bad.
^^^ This. I would urge anyone who got tangentially excited about this whole thread to:
1. head to eBay and search for used iPod Classics
2. give Rockbox some love
I suspect they're all just renderings and they didn't want to commit to a drive type.
As to the being "crushed" to 48Khz, there is zero chance you can tell the difference.
https://xiph.org/video/vid2.shtml