What type of storage does an iPod classic use?
The specs page for the iPod Classic says "hard drive". That's a mechanical drive with a set of spinning platters and read/write heads.

And here's a replacement part for the drive in the unit. The compatibility list on that page lists:


iPod 6th Gen 160GB
iPod 7th Gen 160GB


And here's a video that gives some details on the Samsung drive in the unit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mB3xjIIKcU