Apple discontinues the iPod after 20 years

Apple has introduced that it’s discontinuing the iPod Touch, the final remaining mannequin in its lineup of moveable music gamers. In a news post on Tuesday, the corporate says that it’ll promote the present Touch “while supplies last.”

While Apple could also be executed with making devoted music gamers, the corporate says that “the spirit of iPod lives on” in all of its units that play music, such because the iPhone, iPad, and HomePod Mini.

The iPod Touch going away marks the tip of an period. As Apple notes, it launched the primary iPod “over 20 years ago.” The authentic FireWire-equipped mannequin acted as only a moveable music participant, and Apple made fashions that have been just about solely for listening to audio up till 2017, when it discontinued the iPod Nano and Shuffle. While the iPod Touch has been embraced by some iPod fans as the new classic music player, it additionally discovered a following for individuals who wished an iPhone-like expertise however didn’t really need a cellphone.

While the iPod Touch has had its followers, the writing’s been on the wall for some time. The mannequin discontinued on Tuesday, the iPod Touch seventh-gen was launched in 2019, alongside the iPhone 7. The sixth-gen mannequin launched in 2015. Despite folks like me crying for a simplistic music participant designed for the age of streaming, it was clear that Apple wasn’t seeking to spend a lot time on the iPod.

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