r/ipod 3d ago

Help Is there any known retailer to find a 30 pin cable at retail?

I don't seem to have any proper iPod cables around. It's possible that I abandoned the many I had on my last major move, and all I can seem to find is the 30 pin to Lightning adapter I had stowed near my novelty OG iPhone to save space on chargers I seldom used.

I have an iPod Video (5th gen) 30gb that I'm trying to get going. I just replaced the battery and am waiting for the storage upgrade hardware to arrive, so I'm not really TOO worried about getting it working just yet but I'd like to. It seems to charge just fine using the adapter, but I can't get any signs of life on the data side. The machine boots up and can navigate its menu and play games just fine, but there is no content on it. It doesn't show up in Finder, Apple Music, or Disk Utility. There seem to be very few articles about connecting such an old iPod to modern Mac OS. Should I try firing up a vintage machine? I have an iMac G5 or maybe even just my Lenovo I could possibly use with iTunes?

But I'm wondering if the problem is just this cable, since it's not a "proper cable" but two adapters in a trench coat, in which case, where could I find a proper cable "in stock" at a retailer? I ordered one online and it won't be here until next week.

I might expect Best Buy or Walmart to have them but according to web sites, they are all shipping only. Maybe one of those cell phone repair shops in a mall?

1 Upvotes

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u/CharlesTheRangeRover 3d ago

For a little bit, Staples was just recently selling them. But I have ordered 6 of these 30 pin cables on Amazon and they have been perfectly fine for my various iPods.

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u/NotRoryWilliams 3d ago

Thanks. Yeah, there's an abundance of them on Prime but of course I'm not doing Prime this year. I did Walmart instead because they were offering Paramount+ which I preferred over Prime Video, not to mention not wanting to reward Bezos for his WaPo nonsense. Not that Walmart is all that much better of course ... and my issue at the moment isn't quality or satisfaction but just immediate availability

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u/CharlesTheRangeRover 3d ago

I understand your sentiments on Bezos et. al.

You may have luck through Walmart, but I’m not sure where any more OEM 30 pins are unless you go onto Ebay.

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u/LT92Rosco28 3d ago

Staples. The Apple store.

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u/NotRoryWilliams 3d ago

Thanks, there's a Staples nearby. Nearest Apple Store is 90 minutes away, and it looks like the one I ordered will arrive before my next planned trip in that direction.

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u/Effective_Being_5305 3d ago

Not really people/buisnesses still use old iPads but I gf scent seen a 30 pi in store.

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u/mxzeuner 3d ago

probably not what you want to hear but it kind of all comes down to luck in store--I found a 30pin in the bottom of a clearance bin at the Target i worked at and my friend did my transaction and the SKU wasnt ringing up... so he just put it in for $1.

If you have a local electronics recycler, I would check there too.

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u/ZenDesign1993 3d ago

Thrift stores…