With this fun web app, you can turn your iPhone into an iPod Classic
This could be the web app for you if you’ve been pining for simpler times over the last year. One resourceful developer has made an iPod Classic-themed smartphone site, complete with a click wheel, that works with both Apple Music and Spotify. Let’s go briefly revisit the iPod Classic before I move to the nostalgic Web app.
A Brief Review of the iPod Classic
Apple’s legendary hard-drive-based MP3 player, the iPod Classic, has design origins dating back to the original iPod model from 2001. If you can put up with the aesthetic appeal and high-tech features of Apple’s thinner iPods, such as the iPod Nano and iPod Touch, the 160GB iPod Classic ($249) still offers the best value for money when it comes to transporting your (entire) music library.
The Apple iPod Classic has a simple, modest style with a large capacity and an easy-to-use interface. However, EQ control is restricted, the plastic screen is scratchable, and iTunes is the sole means to transfer media on and off the gadget. In a nutshell, the iPod Classic improves on the formula that placed the iPod on the map in the first place. None of its competitors can match its combination of storage capacity.
In a nutshell, the iPod Classic improves on the formula that placed the iPod on the map in the first place. None of its competitors can equal its storage capacity, battery longevity, or user interface.
The Web App
To use the app, simply point your smartphone to a single URL, and you’ll be transported back to the days before Apple abruptly discontinued the iPod Classic in 2014. Although many of the greatest camera phones can play music, can they evoke the same warm feelings as using a click wheel? Exactly.
Tanner Villarete (the developer) has reimagined the iPod Classic in silver, black, and even the iconic black-and-red U2 edition. The user interface of the iPod has been precisely replicated, and the web app even contains the classic Brick game that came pre-loaded on the iPod.
The traditional Cover Flow mode, which allows you to cycle through your favorite albums like a jukebox, is one of the web app’s best features. To sign in to favorite your favorite music provider, simply use the virtual click wheel to navigate to Settings and select Sign in.
Unfortunately, the iPod Classic died prematurely in 2014, according to Tim Cook, since the business could no longer get the necessary parts. While the iPod Touch is still hanging on (and is said to be getting an update shortly), we’d love to see the old design return, if only for nostalgic reasons. We’ll have to make do with Villarete’s virtual iPod for the time being.
Taking a Look Back
And, while we’re on the subject of nostalgia, the tech world is nostalgic right now. iOS 4 was faithfully replicated for the iPhone earlier this month. However, examining ancient technology also serves as a reminder of how far we’ve come. The pace at which technology is evolving can be quite alarming at times but exciting at the same time.
