| Cult of Mac

Apple collectibles are a seller’s market

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Bids for this Apple I started at $370,000.
Bids for this Apple I started at $370,000.
Photo: Christie's

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugStarting a collection of Apple’s past is relatively easy and often affordable. But once you get started and a pricey, rare object presents itself, will you be able to control yourself?

Here’s a list that will test whether you have the fever and an intense desire to hold personal computing history in your hands. It may also test your fiscal fitness.

Unique gifts for the Apple fanatic in your life

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A Lego Mac might be the perfect gift for the Apple fan in your life. Photo: Chris McVeigh.
A Lego Mac might be the perfect gift for the Apple fan in your life. Photo: Chris McVeigh

What do you get for the Apple nut in your life? You know the type. They live and breathe Apple — but they already have every Apple product under the sun. Plus all the accessories.

iPod? Got it. iPhone wallet case? Got it. Steve Jobs bobblehead? Got it.

Well, I’ll bet a testicle they don’t have some of this stuff.

Sony is hacked and fans scramble for the iPod Classic on The CultCast

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This week: the Sony hack reveals all sorts of juicy Jobs movie tidbits; HBO uses Game of Thrones to break big cable’s iron grip; iPod Classic prices skyrocket as fans scramble to buy them; we’ll tell you how to get some fantastic iOS games absolutely free; and then we pitch our favorite tech and vote on which is best… it’s an all new Faves ’N Raves.

Our thanks to lynda.com for sponsoring this episode! Learn virtually any application at your own pace from expert-taught video tutorials at lynda.com.

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Click on for the show notes.

Maybe Apple killed off the iPod Classic too soon?

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Photo: Apple
Photo: Apple

After years without updates, September 9th was a sad day for iPod fans: it marked the formal extinction of the iPod Classic, the last of Apple’s chunky, non-flash-based music players.

Three months after the last iPod Classic was sold through Apple.com, though? The iPod Classic is more in demand — and more expensive — than ever.

The father of the iPod, Tony Fadell, mourns the death of the iPod Classic

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Tony Fadell, the father of the iPod, says Apple saw the death of the iPod coming.
Tony Fadell, the father of the iPod, says Apple saw the death of the iPod coming.

In 2004, at the height of the original iPod’s success, Apple started asking itself internally what would eventually kill the iPod. Whatever it was, Cupertino wanted to make sure they stayed ahead of the curve.

What did Apple think would doom the iPod? According to ex-iPod-chief Tony Fadell, Cupertino called it correctly: Music streaming would eventually kill the iPod. But Apple didn’t call it streaming, or even music in the cloud. They called it the “celestial music jukebox.”

RIP: Apple removes iPod Classic from website

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Photo: Apple
Photo: Apple

The iPod Classic is dead.

After serving faithfully in the iPod lineup since 2009, the iPod Classic and its iconic click-wheel interface have finally gotten the ax. Along with redesigning the Apple website and adding an Apple Watch page, Apple has removed the iPod Classic from the iPod section of its site.

We knew this day was coming for years, and what better way to give the old iPod the boot than right as the sexy new smartwatch is walking through the doors at Apple’s campus.

Fare thee well, oh click wheel. Fare thee well.

What’s next for iPod? Catch the discussion on our newest CultCast

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This time on The CultCast: rumored new EarPods take your pulse and more; updated Macbook Airs get faster and cheaper; a leaked “iPhone 6” case indicates an iPod-inspired design; Google takes on Office with new iOS apps for Drive; we ponder the state of the iPod; and we pitch our favorite tech and apps then vote on which is best… it’s an all new Faves N Raves!

Have a few chuckles while we catch you up on each week’s best Apple stories! Stream or download new and past episodes of The CultCast now on your Mac or iDevice by subscribing on iTunes, or hit play below and let the audio adventure begin!

And thanks to Lynda.com for sponsoring this episode! Learn at your own pace from expert-taught video tutorials at Lynda.com.

Click on for the show notes.

Man Buys iPod Classic From Target, Gets Box Full Of Erasers — Twice

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Back in November we reported on the UK resident thrown in jail for accidentally buying what turned out to be a clay iPad from his local supermarket.

Well, jump forward another month and here’s a similarly bizarre tale: the man who set out to buy an iPod Classic for his wife’s Christmas gift — only to discover a box full of erasers and index cards instead. Twice.