iPod Classic Ranked 5th Most Popular Mp3 Player Of 2010

Before we start mourning the anticipated death of the iPod Classic, NDP Group offered up some sales numbers indicating that the classic device may have a longer life than expected. Ranking 5th in popularity amongst all mp3 players sold last year, the iPod Classic may have more to give if Apple decides to do a refresh.

The research ranked the players based on unit sales but also measured per unique device, meaning that even different colored devices of the same model were tracked separately. The iPod Classic 160GB 7th generation in black ended up ranking 5th most popular mp3 player based on total unit sales in 2010 beat by only its iPod Touch brothers.

The iPod Classic is Apple's only remaining hard drive based player which makes most believe its near the chopping block. But the recent news about Toshiba's 1.8-inch hard drives with capacities up to 220GB suggests that the player could be refreshed with increased capacity, improved battery life, and perhaps reduced weight before it's put to rest.

[Via Apple Insider]