It's a classic.

Or is it, what's a classic, do we know what we mean when we use classic? Individual tastes aside, most definitions lean towards something of timeless value, quality, a particular style, especially when describing art, cars or literature, based on the broad view of the populace. Some classics have been with us for years, the iconic '64 Thunderbird, the vast tomes like War and Peace, the day to day like the reliable Hills Hoist, the inspiring Guggenheim Museum and countless others, remaining fixed in our culture as the best possible and then through the haze of memory becoming more, becoming a bench mark for the future. We have come to agree on a formula for classics through the rose colored rear view mirror of the Thunderbird. Yet today's world moves quicker and time is compressed, so can something become a classic in a short time and can something become a classic from the new world of culture and technology where no one iteration or invention can afford to stand still without continually reinventing itself?

I read recently a movie should not be considered a classic if it has been remade. So if you consider that theory, the Godfather, Citizen Kane, the African Queen, ET, Gone with the Wind, It's a Wonderful Life and a host of others are safely ensconced as classics. Unlike movies, music swings the other way, for if a song has a history of being re recorded by other artists, it's considered a classic. Consider Yesterday by Sir Paul McCartney, which has been recorded by over 2,200 artists and copied by many more, considered a classic because of the sheer volume of facsimiles. People stack up differently and individuals in the public eye have a chance, depending on their image, to forever remain in the communal psyche. Steve McQueen in full racing whites, filming Le Mans, considered a classic movie star, with classic looks, classic style and an individual quality, staying true to the quintessential idea of what people thought a star should be. If that belief is true, then Elvis needs no further abstraction.

So the definition has broad enough parameters to leave room for anything and anyone to eventually be considered a classic. If they are are not copied or if they are copied a lot, if they become iconically aspirational and if culturally they affect change, if the product becomes so prized and valued anything can end up a classic.

So it's with great reverence I present the iPod as a classic, no not the sixth generation with the classic in the title but the little MP3 player that convinced us all, we needed to carry thousands of songs in our pocket. I mention the iPod because there is talk it may soon disappear from retail shelves. Tim Cook has indicated the iPod is a declining business sector in the Apple world and with decreases in the order of 50% year on year, we may soon by looking backwards when we mention the little MP3 player that could.

The smart phones and the tablets have pretty much eaten away the need for individual music players, so it's up to you now, will the iPod be just a memory of technology, did we take the time to appreciate the affect it had on our lives? The sheer volume of 350 million sold worldwide, the great runs you had with it strapped to your arm or clipped to your shorts while doing the downward dog, the ability to zone out the world and just listen to your world and the convenience of never ever being tethered to a record player, reel to reel tape, super 8 track or the audio cassette again, surely this deserves a nomination for becoming a classic.