Apple announced today that it will discontinue the iPod touch and with it the iPod line itself. The iPod touch was the last remaining model in the company’s famous line of media players. The company has stated that the product will be available while stocks last.
Launched over two decades ago, the iPod followed in the footsteps of the Walkman and revolutionized the way people listened to music. The series featured many great Apple products, including the original iPod, the popular iPod nano, the iconic iPod Shuffle and, of course, the iPod touch, which was anything but a smartphone.
The original iPod touch was launched in 2007, the same year as the first iPhone. It had mostly the same hardware and software as the original iPhone, minus the parts that made phone calls.
iPod • iPod mini • iPod nano (2nd generation) • iPod touch • iPod nano (7th generation) • iPod shuffle (4th generation)
Since then, the iPod touch has had many revisions. The latest model was released almost exactly three years ago in 2019, although it was mostly similar to the previous model.
Unsurprisingly, this seminal product line is coming to an end. The writing has long been on the wall for a dedicated audio player, killed like many other product categories by the smartphone.
It’s no surprise that it took Apple so long to stop manufacturing the iPod touch as the company had clearly lost interest in updating it some time ago. Sales must have faded many many years ago, as well as any interest around the brand. Eventually it must have gotten too expensive or difficult to keep producing it.
For its part, Apple isn’t too sad about killing the iPod. The company is happy to direct you to its many other products that can now play music. Of course, most of them don’t have a headphone jack.
It goes without saying that the iPod will always have a special place in our hearts. Goodbye, and thanks for all the Phish.
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