alt Hacker Newsyou can still sync music to iPods using the music app/the finder on mac [0]. there’s a similar thing for windows as well [1]. on linux, i know the clementine music player supports iPod sync [2]. all these options let you use the original firmware!
0: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/mac-help/mchlde9a31f1/...
1: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/devices-windows/mchlbf...
2: https://github.com/clementine-player/Clementine/wiki/Portabl...
Well, the support link says iPod Touch, that’s not all iPods. I was thinking about older models to be honest.
I’ve been told in another comment that they still sync, via Finder. I have had issues with that, but it’s probably okay from what other comments say.
I’ve done an online search and I see other people that have had technical issues syncing with Finder. I guess it depends on the macOS version, iPod model… who knows.
I’ve used Clementine but found it to be clunky and unreliable. Again, just my personal experience with it.