Created By: – Vedant Mathur

Apple has proclaimed that the iPod product line is dead after a 20 year run on the market. The iPod was thought of as being one of the devices that led to the firm’s ascent, in terms of becoming one of the most well renowned and leading tech hardware companies. 

But now, Apple has discontinued the iPod Touch, the last remaining iPod in Apple’s product lineup.

The revered tech giant has claimed that it will only sell the iPod touch while supplies last. The company, goes on to state that the remainder of the iPod product lineup such as the iPod Classic and iPod Nano have already been discontinued.

The iPod was launched in 2001 and could store only 1,000 songs. Due to the advent and growth of Apple Music, there are now 90 million songs and over 30,000 playlists available on the platform and ready for users to stream.

A look back at some of the early iPods

October 2001

The iPod was the first mp3 player that completely altered the ways in which people listened to music.

The first Generation iPod model, contained 1000 songs as well as had a 10 hour battery life with a 6.5 ounce package, which was a revolutionary achievement for the time.

February 2004

The coveted and well known iPod Mini was introduced on February 20th, 2004.

The device contained 1000 songs as well. The only difference between the iPod Mini and the original iPod device was that the iPod Mini was lighter weight, only weighing 3.6 ounces.

January 2005

The iPod shuffle was first released on January 11th, 2005 and weighed about 0.78 ounces.

The front of the iPod Shuffle had buttons for Play/Pause, Fast Forward/Next Song, Previous Song/Fast Reverse and up and down volume adjustment.

This device had a battery life of 12 hours and was available in different colours like Silver, Orange, Green, Blue, Pink and Purple.

September 2006

The iPod Nano second generation was launched on September 25, 2006.

The device was sleek and thin in terms of design and had a bright colour display and was available in six stylish colours.

The user could store 2000 songs on a single iPod Nano and the device had a battery life up to 24 hours.

September 2007

The iPod touch first generation was unveiled and released on the 5^th of September, 2007.

This device basically looked like a mini iPhone, but it didn’t have a cellular mode. Moreover, it shows all the built in applications that you would normally come across on an iPhone device.

Some of the specific capabilities of this device include Wi-Fi support, ability to store photos and videos apart from just songs and be able to playback. Its battery was able to last 22 hours for music playback and about 5 hours for video.

Why Apple has decided to end the iPod

Due to the invention of the iPhone, which had all the features of iPods, with the addition of cellular capabilities, the iPod’s decline was inevitable. Apple has now discontinued the iPod Touch, which many tech connoisseurs had called an obsolete and out of date accessory.

Lastly, Apple has decided to shift its focus to streaming music rather than purchasing music online, as the major tech giant is placing more of its emphasis and attention towards Apple Music, the successor of iTunes.

Words:  Vedant Mathur | Sub-Editors: Tori Schiefer, Tania Alasady And Summer Rogers