Listen to Spotify on this nostalgic iPod-style web music player

In an era before multitouch displays, the iPod’s click wheel was the king of music playback control. Now, a new project from frontend software developer Tanner Villarete has attempted to emulate its classic controls as a web app, complete with support for your Spotify and Apple Music library.

It’s fantastically simple, using your mouse or finger on a touchscreen to emulate the classic controls. You’ll need to sign in using an Apple Music or Spotify Account, and then it’s a simple case of using the virtual click wheel to select and listen to a selection of your most listened-to artists. It even supports the iPod’s classic “Cover Flow” interface, letting you to flip through album covers like a jukebox.

Now, obviously there’s a reason why modern apps don’t use click wheel interfaces. Using the touch-sensitive wheel via a phone’s web browser feels ok, but on desktop having to drag a mouse around a virtual circle feels inefficient at best. It’s at its worst when loading up the virtual iPod’s built-in Brick Breaker game clone (which, sidenote, also rips). But as a nostalgic trip down memory lane? Perfection. The project is on GitHub here if you want to have a poke around.

Read More…