Well, I finally broke down...

[ForeverAutumn]

A little digging has shown that the rumours are that something is happening with the Classic, either it is being updated and upgraded to 220GB or being discontinued. So my dilemma is, do I wait for the upgrade and risk having them discontinued or do I get one now while they are readily available? There is also no time-frame mentioned in the rumours. Although traditionally Apple upgrades happen in September a 220GB Toshiba MP3 player could have Apple doing an early release (according to the rumour sites). I don't really care about the 220GB. I have an 80GB that is only about 60GB full. So it'll take me a while to even fill up a 160GB. Not to mention my 32GB Touch and a 32GB iPhone. So capacity is not really my issue. I'm just wondering what other improvements could be made. A slimmer more compact body? Better software?

Should I wait or pull the trigger? My 80BG is still working okay. It occasionally locks up and requires CPR to get it's heart beating again, and it doesn't sit as tight on the dock as it used to, but otherwise it's still ticking.

[SlumpBuster]

I finally drank the Apple Kool-Aid this Christmas. And while it sounds like you guys are way ahead of the curve on this, here is my 2 pennies.

I screwed around with a little 1GB player years ago and my wife has a latest generation 8GB Nano. Last year I took the time to put our entire CD collection on a hard drive in both lossless format (about 800gb) and then converted that to a decent Apple format (don't remember which but it is good mix of sound quality and small file size). The CDs are now in boxes under the stairs. Other than putting playlists together for my wife, I didn't really know what to do with all those music files. Integrating my PC to my stereo was not really a good option for a number of reasons, mostly because I listen to LPs at home and CDs in my car.

Then (drum roll please), I got a 64GB Ipad for Christmas. I'm hooked. It does take work to keep the playlists paired down, but I've got about 7500 songs on it. I would have preferred to have everything on it for the simple pleasure of having it play random forgotten gems. I don't understand why Apple is so stingy with its flash memory.

The best part though is the way it integrates with my primary stereo through Apple TV. No Ipod dock for me. Ipad to Apple TV by WiFi to my own stereos DACs. Sounds good enough in the Apple format that the varying quality of the CD's mastering has more of an impact than the loss from conversion.

If your considering upgrades, consider WiFi and wireless. I know I could have wirelessly integrated my computer to my stereo years ago without the Ipad, but it takes all kinds I guess. Sure it may not be the perfect "audiophile" solution, but I'm listening to records I haven't heard in years and even some I didn't realize I had. Plus, I'm downloading more songs from Itunes than ever before right from the Ipad. My record player is grateful for the respite.

Edit: My brother was already the first to quip "Great, somebody got you a $900 Ipod."