[1][4] The sixth-generation 160 GB iPod Classic was the last Apple product to use the original 30-pin dock connector and the distinctive click wheel.

An additional NOR flash ROM chip (either 1 MB or 512 KB) contains a bootloader program that tells the device to load its OS from the storage medium.

A portion of the RAM is used to hold the iPod OS loaded from firmware, but the majority of it serves to cache songs from the storage medium.

In March 2002, Apple added limited PDA-like functionality: text files can be displayed, while contacts and schedules can be viewed and synchronized with the host computer.

A firmware update released in September 2006 brought some extra features to fifth-generation iPods including adjustable screen brightness, gapless playback, and downloadable games.

The first iPod had a monochrome LCD (liquid-crystal display) screen and featured a 5 GB hard drive capable of storing 1,000 songs (encoded using MP3 160kbit/s, fewer if using a higher bitrate) and was priced at US$399.

VCard compatibility was added, allowing iPods to display business card information synced from a Mac.

In December 2002, Apple unveiled its first limited edition iPods, with either Madonna's, Tony Hawk's, or Beck's signature or No Doubt's band logo engraved on the back for an extra US$50.

[2] Thinner than the previous models, the third-generation models replaced the FireWire port with a new proprietary 30-pin Dock Connector and introduced the Touch Wheel, a completely non-mechanical interface with the four auxiliary buttons located in a row between the screen and the touch wheel.

The Windows-based Musicmatch Jukebox software was made obsolete and replaced by iTunes 4.1, the first version available for Microsoft Windows.

The plastic front piece of the U2 edition iPod was black and the scroll wheel was red, to coincide with the color scheme of the U2 album.

With 20 GB and the signatures of all four members of U2, the special edition iPod was priced at US$349 and also included a US$50 coupon for a US$149 collection of U2's entire back catalog.

The fifth-generation iPod has a Broadcom BCM2722 VideoCore 2 graphics processor[17] which provides acceleration to play video in MPEG-4 (up to 480p 2.5 Mbit/s) and H.264 (up to 240p, 768 kbit/s, baseline profile level 1.3 only) formats.

Videos or photo slideshows may be played from the fifth-generation iPod on a television set, projector or monitor with the use of the Apple Composite AV cable or via an older dock providing an S-Video output.

It is also possible to obtain composite video from the headphone jack, using an iPod AV Cable or generic equivalent (appropriately wired TRRS minijack), a feature removed from the following generation.

The front plate was made of anodized aluminium instead of polycarbonate plastic, and "Signature iPod White" was replaced by silver.

The sixth-generation iPod also introduced a completely overhauled user interface, incorporating more graphics and Cover Flow.

[citation needed] Video playback specifications also received an upgrade over the previous generation, with further improvements to H.264 decoding (advertised up to 640x480p, baseline profile level 3.0, 2.5 Mbit/s bitrate;[22] actual capabilities up to 720x576 at 5 Mbit/s with caveats[23]) as well as supporting the Apple Component AV Cable with progressive scan, but removes support for cables without an authentication chip and those connecting to the headphone port.

This model is sometimes incorrectly labelled as the "7th generation",[26] despite it offering only a few new features, such as Genius Mixes, as well as supporting 48-bit sector numbers.

It shipped with an "exclusive" U2 poster, a US$50-off coupon for "The Complete U2" downloadable "box set", and the standard white iPod earbuds.

It uses a slightly thicker (.06 inches) version of the original U2 iPod case, complete with black front, red Click Wheel, and laser-etched signatures from the band members on a stainless-steel back, but it most notably adds a color display.

Externally, both have a red Click Wheel and a "gloss black metal" rear case (featuring laser-etched autographs of the U2 band members like the other U2 models).

[28] Ars Technica speculated in 2011 that the iPod Classic was nearing its end,[29] and the site's readers generally agreed it would not still be produced in 2013.

Production of the iPod Classic continued in low volumes as a stopgap measure to clear out and monetize inventory of unused stand-alone parts.

[5][6] According to Tim Cook speaking at WSJD Live, the iPod Classic was discontinued because the parts were unavailable and a redesign was unwarranted given the small amount of consumer interest in the product.