Go retro with a cassette to iPhone converter

If you are starting to notice your beard is showing a bit of grey, then you probably know what a cassette tape is. The rest of you youngsters have only heard of them, or maybe you saw a small collection on a dusty shelf once upon a time. Perhaps you came across a worn case at a flea market with a bunch of rectangular, cracked plastic cases with these weird looking modules with a brown plastic looking tape.

Well, if you are among the elderly that have an iPhone, and you have a collection of old tapes that you were reluctant to get rid of for some reason, and the tapes are still playable, you can now convert them directly to your iPhone or iPod.

The Tape Dock by Ion is one way to convert your audio cassette content directly to digital tracks on your iPhone. The Tape Dock is similar to Ion’s Tape 2 Go product, but with the Tape Dock, you connect your iPhone or iPod directly to the unit. The Tape Dock works with the company’s EZ Vinyl/Tape Converter software and will work with either Windows or OS X.

The Tape Dock has not been released yet, and it is not known if a dock will be made to support all versions of the iPhone. Based on the rendering, right now it looks as though it is meant for iPhones and iPods with the 30-pin connector (pre-iPhone 5 for those that do not know). Ion has retailers all over North America, but B&H Photo in New York City has the Tape Dock listed for $69.99. For that kind of money, you might just be able to replace the content on half-a-dozen tapes, or more, directly from iTunes, or get a whole bunch of used CDs to convert directly.

However, if you are nostalgic to hear that gentle, subtle tape-hiss during playback of your favorite big-hair rock band from the 1980s, this is your ticket.

source: B&H Photo via CNET