The iPod Touch is not only the last official surviving member of Apple’s iPod music player dynasty, it is also the only model Apple has launched with a wi-fi connection. But what if the old iPod you have in a drawer somewhere could be modified to add Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as access to streaming services like Spotify? That’s exactly what the developer Guy Dupont achieved with the 4th generation iPod that he got from his mother-in-law.
This particular iPod Classic was launched in 2004, at the age of 17 (yes, that also makes us feel old). It was designed with a very small screen (by current standards), a Click Wheel and no wireless connection, but by changing all its guts, Dupont was able to bring it more or less updated with the modern world. The player can now access the entire Spotify catalog and stream it to their Bluetooth speaker or wireless headphones.
So, how did he do that, you ask? Anyone interested in repeating the feat, or whoever wants to take their lunch break a little differently this Friday, should definitely check out his video below.
As noted by 9to5Mac and Engadget, very little of the original 4th generation iPod Classic remains in this modified version, except for the original case with a functional clicky wheel (which now includes tactile feedback). But the final results are still quite special.
Dupont called his masterpiece “sPot”, which now has a color screen and an internal 1000mAh battery. A $ 10 Raspberry Pi Zero W and a Micro-USB connector were also used to create and install a version of Spotify (using the official Spotify APIs) that dates back to the classic iPod interface.
The upcycling project apparently cost Dupont less than $ 100 in total, but the economical developer has no intention of trying to renew and sell more Spotify-enhanced iPods. To prove it, he shared details about how he built sPot on Hackaday and also the source code for the software he created on GitHub – presumably in case you want to try it out.
Can Apple give you some tips and launch an iPod Classic line with updated features under a retro hood? Unlikely, perhaps – but, again, not impossible.
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