The iPod is discontinued, Apple announces

Launched in 2001, back when storing 1,000 tracks was a revolutionary feat, the iPod was a staple in most mid-noughties lifestyles. Today, streaming services like Apple Music contain over 90 million songs and iTunes gift cards are a thing of the past.

Various models from the iPod Nano to the Shuffle have died off over the years, but the latest iPod model – the Touch – is the last to enter discontinuation. Apple announced that the iPod Touch will only remain available for purchase “while stocks last.” The Touch model, nearly identical to older iPhone models, established the groundwork for its modern successor.

Many are mourning over the loss of the beloved music gadget, saying the MP3 device changed how music is stored, shared and discovered. The iPod “redefined how music is discovered, listened to, and shared,” said Greg Joswiak in Apple’s statement, senior vice president of the company’s worldwide marketing. “Today, the spirit of iPod lives on.”

In an announcement to Apple’s website entitled ‘The Music Lives On,’ the company emphasised that they offer other devices which all do, essentially, what the iPod does and more. In recent years, with continuous rapid hardwire updates, the iPhone has surpassed its MP3 counterpart, resulting in a rapid decline in iPod Touch sales.

Still, hope remains for a retro return to the iPod’s glory days. Like all trends, history tends to repeat itself, and it’s only a matter of time before we decide that everything just sounds better on an iPod.

It’s not as though our phones don’t play music without unnecessary downloads, elevating the efficiency of music streaming. Let’s face it – it’s not like we have a practical use for the iPod in an era of having everything we could ever need within one cellular device.

Nevertheless, the world is going to need some time to feel nostalgic over iPod’s farewell.