End of an era: Apple's last iPod has been discontinued

AppleInsider

Apple's final iPod, the venerable iPod touch, has been discontinued and will not be replaced once stocks have run out.

It hasn't been updated since 2019, but the iPod touch was not just the final iPod, it has also been the lower-cost gateway to iOS for many users.

"Music has always been part of our core at Apple, and bringing it to hundreds of millions of users in the way iPod did impacted more than just the music industry," Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, said in a statement, "it also redefined how music is discovered, listened to, and shared."

"Today, the spirit of iPod lives on," he continued. "We've integrated an incredible music experience across all of our products, from the iPhone to the Apple Watch to HomePod mini, and across Mac, iPad, and Apple TV. And Apple Music delivers industry-leading sound quality with support for spatial audio -- there's no better way to enjoy, discover, and experience music."

Apple's iPod range was supplanted by its iPhone, which for a time even called its Music app "iPod." Introduced in 2007, shortly after the iPhone, the iPod touch presented a full iOS experience to users.

Aside from making calls, it was capable of running all the same apps as the iPhone, but with a price of $199 -- and also no monthly carrier fee.

With the demise of the iPod touch, Apple's lowest-cost entry to iOS is now the iPhone SE, which starts at $429.

Third-party resellers, including Amazon and B&H Photo Video, still have inventory available, with the best iPod prices at press time starting at $189.99.

Read on AppleInsider

DAalseth

Very fond memories of the iPod. We got our first one to play music in the car. It was far cheaper than a CD changer and held more. That was so good we got a string of other ones, each better then the last. My wife had a Nano that she wore on a watch band. she had an AppleWatch about a decade before they actual ones came out. I got a forth gen iPod Touch to augment the feature phone I was using. After a series of early devices with miserable touch screens it was an eye opener. I likely would not have gotten an iPhone without the experience of my iPT. Very fond memories of the iPod line. 

🥲

h4y3s

It was a great run for a breakthrough product. When I shared my vision with Tony Fadell back in 1999 he ran with it and made it happen. Probably saved Apple too!

Great job everyone. 

Cesar Battistini Maziero

I loved my iPod Video, the stark difference from CD was amazing! 

And then came the iPod touch, my first touch screen device, it was groundbreaking, I remember to this day the feeling of using a touch screen for the first time.

After my first iPhone, the iPhone 4S, I never touched another iPod.

For the time they where around, they served me very well!!!

iPods will always be an iconic piece of tech!

kkqd1337

I am not surprised to see it go as they were reasonably good value. I have noticed them used quite heavily in the commercial/industrial sector – by waiting staff in restaurants to take orders, and supermarket staff for example where simple wifi devices are needed.

it makes sense for apple to block these customers from getting away with using cheaper products and pump them for more money by forcing them to spend more for iphone or ipad devices.

end of the day. all about the shareholders.

--
i just checked the cheapest iPhone is double the cost of the cheapest iPod touch. thats good numbers for apple if they can force customers up that road..

plymouthpatsfan

will never forget my first road trip with the Gen1 iPod on shuffle mode connected to my car stereo though a cassette adapter.  "I love this song!.... I love this song!... I love this song!"  of course I did.. it was my own music library being played back to me from a device no bigger than a deck of cards.  amazing, transformative experience.  Steve Jobs and team knew what they were doing.  Delivering an amazing customer experience.  Kudos to all involved.  What a success.

eightzero

kkqd1337 said:

I am not surprised to see it go as they were reasonably good value. I have noticed them used quite heavily in the commercial/industrial sector – by waiting staff in restaurants to take orders, and supermarket staff for example where simple wifi devices are needed.

it makes sense for apple to block these customers from getting away with using cheaper products and pump them for more money by forcing them to spend more for iphone or ipad devices.

end of the day. all about the shareholders.

--
i just checked the cheapest iPhone is double the cost of the cheapest iPod touch. thats good numbers for apple if they can force customers up that road..

Easy to say and be cynical. I think there's more to this. The iPod touch does serve a lot of functions beyond being a music player. If all you want is a music player, there is of course Apple Watch. Making it operate as a stand alone device isn't really possible (right?) so I would concur that for the consumer that wants no subscription, no connected, upload my music to a player for on the go music, I don't see an option in Apple's current lineup. But fairly...how many of these consumers are there? 

I can see maybe a role for the AirPods to have some sort of standalone music upload capability in the future for this, but now Apple Music is available via Siri only for like $5/mo, I can also see them getting some sort of stand alone LTE. Maybe. 

For all else that iPod touch provided, there is now also the iPad mini, and it is nearly pocket sized. A much better option for the restaurant function you mention.

Is there now a missing product in the lineup? Yep. But AAPL doesn't make airports anymore either. Mine are still going strong. 

Beats

What a dumb decision. The name iPod holds a lot of weight.

Apple should have released a new iPod touch as it’s a kickass device for commercial use like restaurants, retail and even medical.

I always wanted a new full screen iPod Nano for recreational use like gaming.



Crappy diagram of what I’ve wanted. Imagine the 2.5” square with rounded corners like iPhone 6. Though iPhone 13 style could work I think? The 3” size is too close to iPhone size

Here are the quick specs I thought of:

A14 chip

2.5”X2.5” square screen

FaceID in-bezel

8MP outer camera for ARKit

MagSafe charging, Apple Watch style/no ports

MagSafe accessories

Wifi/Bluetooth 5/NFC

Taptic Engine

Software:

iPodOS (mini versions of games and apps)

Wallet and ApplePay

Control Center like iOS for Apple TV remote, flashlight, screen record etc.

CarPlay/CarKey etc.

64GB $199

128GB $299

Would be a hit for kids at Christmas time and could launch a new era of mobile gaming.

Concept (not mine) of what a rectangular all screen iPod Nano would look like:

I’d prefer a square design because iPhone and iPad already provide that form and a square would differentiate the iPod further so people know it’s not a “small iPhone” but an “iPod”. On top of that the square reminds the user it’s a fun device.

Some older cool square-ish concepts(not mine):


Eliminate the ports and resize them to slightly larger squares and you have what I imagine.

In the end, so much more could have been done and I really didn’t want the legacy to end…

mpantone

eightzero said:

Easy to say and be cynical. I think there's more to this. The iPod touch does serve a lot of functions beyond being a music player. If all you want is a music player, there is of course Apple Watch. Making it operate as a stand alone device isn't really possible (right?) so I would concur that for the consumer that wants no subscription, no connected, upload my music to a player for on the go music, I don't see an option in Apple's current lineup. But fairly...how many of these consumers are there? 

Not many, that's for sure. The iPod touch was buried on the store website and it hasn't been on display at the bricks-and-mortar stores for a while. Apple knows how many it sold.

You can still copy MP3s, AACs, video files to a second hand iPhone that doesn't have cellular service. You don't need any subscription services to enjoy content. You can still play standalone games and there's Wifi in the iPod touch.

I can see maybe a role for the AirPods to have some sort of standalone music upload capability in the future for this, but now Apple Music is available via Siri only for like $5/mo, I can also see them getting some sort of stand alone LTE. Maybe. 

For all else that iPod touch provided, there is now also the iPad mini, and it is nearly pocket sized. A much better option for the restaurant function you mention.

Is there now a missing product in the lineup? Yep. But AAPL doesn't make airports anymore either. Mine are still going strong. 

Some of the old iPhone mini and SE products can largely step in for the iPod touch.

Note that you can still buy a non-Apple MP3 player. Those never went away even after Apple ditched the shuffle and nano years ago.

As a few of us here recognize, Apple is a forward looking company. They often opt to discontinue products and technologies while there is still active usage. AirPort. HomePod, 27" iMac Pro. Now iPod touch. And this isn't the last Apple product category that will ride off into the sunset.

mikethemartian

I really liked the feel of the click wheel on my old iPod.

randominternetperson

It wasn't just a matter of Apple having their supplier make more of them indefinitely.  Apple would have had to continue to invest development effort into keeping it reasonably up to date with the current iPhone specs. I expect there are an increasing number of cutting edge apps that run poorly on the touch or don't work at all for some reason. That's not great customer experience and not a great use of Apple resources.

And who's to say Apple won't bring back the iPod branding for some product in the future--if there is a compelling product to be sold.

JWSC

Beats said:

What a dumb decision. The name iPod holds a lot of weight.

Apple should have released a new iPod touch as it’s a kickass device for commercial use like restaurants, retail and even medical.

I always wanted a new full screen iPod Nano for recreational use like gaming.



Crappy diagram of what I’ve wanted. Imagine the 2.5” square with rounded corners like iPhone 6. Though iPhone 13 style could work I think? The 3” size is too close to iPhone size

Here are the quick specs I thought of:

A14 chip

2.5”X2.5” square screen

FaceID in-bezel

8MP outer camera for ARKit

MagSafe charging, Apple Watch style/no ports

MagSafe accessories

Wifi/Bluetooth 5/NFC

Taptic Engine

Software:

iPodOS (mini versions of games and apps)

Wallet and ApplePay

Control Center like iOS for Apple TV remote, flashlight, screen record etc.

CarPlay/CarKey etc.

64GB $199

128GB $299

Would be a hit for kids at Christmas time and could launch a new era of mobile gaming.

Concept (not mine) of what a rectangular all screen iPod Nano would look like:

I’d prefer a square design because iPhone and iPad already provide that form and a square would differentiate the iPod further so people know it’s not a “small iPhone” but an “iPod”. On top of that the square reminds the user it’s a fun device.

Some older cool square-ish concepts(not mine):


Eliminate the ports and resize them to slightly larger squares and you have what I imagine.

In the end, so much more could have been done and I really didn’t want the legacy to end…

Very nice concept designs.  They would have been interesting to play with.

But at this point standalone iPods are done.  The capability still exists. We haven’t lost it. It’s just taken on a larger role than just playing music.

mike1

eightzero said:

kkqd1337 said:

I am not surprised to see it go as they were reasonably good value. I have noticed them used quite heavily in the commercial/industrial sector – by waiting staff in restaurants to take orders, and supermarket staff for example where simple wifi devices are needed.

it makes sense for apple to block these customers from getting away with using cheaper products and pump them for more money by forcing them to spend more for iphone or ipad devices.

end of the day. all about the shareholders.

--
i just checked the cheapest iPhone is double the cost of the cheapest iPod touch. thats good numbers for apple if they can force customers up that road..

Easy to say and be cynical. I think there's more to this. The iPod touch does serve a lot of functions beyond being a music player. If all you want is a music player, there is of course Apple Watch. Making it operate as a stand alone device isn't really possible (right?) so I would concur that for the consumer that wants no subscription, no connected, upload my music to a player for on the go music, I don't see an option in Apple's current lineup. But fairly...how many of these consumers are there? 

I can see maybe a role for the AirPods to have some sort of standalone music upload capability in the future for this, but now Apple Music is available via Siri only for like $5/mo, I can also see them getting some sort of stand alone LTE. Maybe. 

For all else that iPod touch provided, there is now also the iPad mini, and it is nearly pocket sized. A much better option for the restaurant function you mention.

Is there now a missing product in the lineup? Yep. But AAPL doesn't make airports anymore either. Mine are still going strong. 

I am sure a $429 iPhone SE, without any cell activation, would be very effective in those secondary commercial applications.

mpantone

mike1 said:

I am sure a $429 iPhone SE, without any cell activation, would be very effective in those secondary commercial applications. 

And in commercial applications, the organization isn't paying full retail, they would be paying a discounted volume price for enterprise just as they would have done when they acquired iPod touches. Plus they could take refurbs or seconds (cosmetically flawed units which might never see the light of day in retail.

There are plenty of ways for a commercial entity to acquire a bunch of touchscreen iOS devices for deployment to staff.

irwinmaurice

Well…. shoot.

I’ve had several over the years, very use specific in the iPod nano and its replacement touchscreen. The original was the (white nano w black/silver monochrome screen that got recalled for the battery expansion issue.

Also had the iPod shuffle - watch face sized with the integrated clip.   Used for years.  Plug in wired earbuds w noise cancelling foam tips.  Perfect for mowing the lawn. Old school iPod and wired earbuds.

Nano w touchscreen still running strong - used 4-5 times this year already working in the yard and mowing.

Can’t hardly imagine NOT having that setup. Maybe too nostalgic but as mentioned great use specific device.  I’ll miss them when gone.

Beats

JWSC said:

Beats said:

What a dumb decision. The name iPod holds a lot of weight.

Apple should have released a new iPod touch as it’s a kickass device for commercial use like restaurants, retail and even medical.

I always wanted a new full screen iPod Nano for recreational use like gaming.



Crappy diagram of what I’ve wanted. Imagine the 2.5” square with rounded corners like iPhone 6. Though iPhone 13 style could work I think? The 3” size is too close to iPhone size

Here are the quick specs I thought of:

A14 chip

2.5”X2.5” square screen

FaceID in-bezel

8MP outer camera for ARKit

MagSafe charging, Apple Watch style/no ports

MagSafe accessories

Wifi/Bluetooth 5/NFC

Taptic Engine

Software:

iPodOS (mini versions of games and apps)

Wallet and ApplePay

Control Center like iOS for Apple TV remote, flashlight, screen record etc.

CarPlay/CarKey etc.

64GB $199

128GB $299

Would be a hit for kids at Christmas time and could launch a new era of mobile gaming.

Concept (not mine) of what a rectangular all screen iPod Nano would look like:

I’d prefer a square design because iPhone and iPad already provide that form and a square would differentiate the iPod further so people know it’s not a “small iPhone” but an “iPod”. On top of that the square reminds the user it’s a fun device.

Some older cool square-ish concepts(not mine):


Eliminate the ports and resize them to slightly larger squares and you have what I imagine.

In the end, so much more could have been done and I really didn’t want the legacy to end…

Very nice concept designs.  They would have been interesting to play with.

But at this point standalone iPods are done.  The capability still exists. We haven’t lost it. It’s just taken on a larger role than just playing music.

Which is why I suggested it be as different as possible than an iPhone. Square screen, small display and a killer media/gaming device.

hmurchison

When Microsoft reached its zenith ...it saw the solution to every problem as a windows based solution and that harmed them after time. 

Apple's equally getting stuck in tunnel vision syndrome where every solution is an iPhone. 

The iPod lineup had plenty of life but Apple was more interested in slanging phones.  Stop proclaiming you love music.  You haven't done 
anything in the space beyond what Amazon/Spotify/Tidal/Deezer/Qobuz and a handful of others aren't doing as well. 

I love Apple but they've always lacked the latitude to manage a wide array of products. 

Beats

mpantone said:

mike1 said:

I am sure a $429 iPhone SE, without any cell activation, would be very effective in those secondary commercial applications. 

And in commercial applications, the organization isn't paying full retail, they would be paying a discounted volume price for enterprise just as they would have done when they acquired iPod touches. Plus they could take refurbs or seconds (cosmetically flawed units which might never see the light of day in retail.

There are plenty of ways for a commercial entity to acquire a bunch of touchscreen iOS devices for deployment to staff.

Sounds good in theory but here’s the issue.:
Knockoff iPhones.

Why pay for 500 $429 iPhone SEs when you can buy 500 $200 iPod touches?

Oh wait, those are discontinued?
go with $200 knockoff iPhones instead.

mpantone

Beats said:

mpantone said:

mike1 said:

I am sure a $429 iPhone SE, without any cell activation, would be very effective in those secondary commercial applications. 

And in commercial applications, the organization isn't paying full retail, they would be paying a discounted volume price for enterprise just as they would have done when they acquired iPod touches. Plus they could take refurbs or seconds (cosmetically flawed units which might never see the light of day in retail.

There are plenty of ways for a commercial entity to acquire a bunch of touchscreen iOS devices for deployment to staff.

Sounds good in theory but here’s the issue.:
Knockoff iPhones.

Why pay for 500 $429 iPhone SEs when you can buy 500 $200 iPod touches?

Oh wait, those are discontinued?
go with $200 knockoff iPhones instead.

Presumably organizations would have had that choice before today's announcement and still made the call to buy iPod touches.

Maybe for security. Maybe for reliability. Maybe for an enterprise service contract. In any case, Apple knows how many iPod touches it was selling recently.

Sure, some organizations will switch to non-Apple devices. Others may decide that any increased cost is still worth it.

My guess is that Apple had decided on this move several years ago. They could have shoehorned a recent A-series SoC, upgraded the display, the camera, and battery. There are probably a handful of prototypes of an 8th-generation iPod touch somewhere in a pile of equipment intended to be securely recycled. After years of annual updates, there were long periods of inactivity around the 6th and 7th generation releases.

Remember that there was still a market for standalone music players when Apple discontinued the nano and shuffle models. And Apple got rid of the iPod product category in their quarterly results and basically shoved the remaining iPod touch revenue under "Other."

We (well at least the sane ones here) knew this day was coming. This discontinuation should not be a surprise for anyone remotely sane. This has been a long time coming with easily 5+ years of signs.

Frankly, I'm a bit surprised it didn't happen a year or two ago.

Disclaimer: my first iPod touch was 2nd generation and I owned the 4th generation and currently 6th generation model.

It's a wonderful device for certain usage cases although battery life has always been an issue. At least one of the models had an underclocked SoC to reduce power consumption. They would have been better devices if Apple had made them 1-1.5 mm thicker to include a more capacious battery. Pity.

Beats

mpantone said:

Beats said:

mpantone said:

mike1 said:

I am sure a $429 iPhone SE, without any cell activation, would be very effective in those secondary commercial applications. 

And in commercial applications, the organization isn't paying full retail, they would be paying a discounted volume price for enterprise just as they would have done when they acquired iPod touches. Plus they could take refurbs or seconds (cosmetically flawed units which might never see the light of day in retail.

There are plenty of ways for a commercial entity to acquire a bunch of touchscreen iOS devices for deployment to staff.

Sounds good in theory but here’s the issue.:
Knockoff iPhones.

Why pay for 500 $429 iPhone SEs when you can buy 500 $200 iPod touches?

Oh wait, those are discontinued?
go with $200 knockoff iPhones instead.

Presumably organizations would have had that choice before today's announcement and still made the call to buy iPod touches.

Maybe for security. Maybe for reliability. Maybe for an enterprise service contract. In any case, Apple knows how many iPod touches it was selling recently.

Sure, some organizations will switch to non-Apple devices. Others may decide that any increased cost is still worth it.

My guess is that Apple had decided on this move several years ago. They could have shoehorned a recent A-series SoC, upgraded the display, the camera, and battery. There are probably a handful of prototypes of an 8th-generation iPod touch somewhere in a pile of equipment intended to be securely recycled. After years of annual updates, there were long periods of inactivity around the 6th and 7th generation releases.

Remember that there was still a market for standalone music players when Apple discontinued the nano and shuffle models. And Apple got rid of the iPod product category in their quarterly results and basically shoved the remaining iPod touch revenue under "Other."

We (well at least the sane ones here) knew this day was coming. This discontinuation should not be a surprise for anyone remotely sane. This has been a long time coming with easily 5+ years of signs.

Frankly, I'm a bit surprised it didn't happen a year or two ago.

Disclaimer: my first iPod touch was 2nd generation and I owned the 4th generation and currently 6th generation model.

It's a wonderful device for certain usage cases although battery life has always been an issue. At least one of the models had an underclocked SoC to reduce power consumption. They would have been better devices if Apple had made them 1-1.5 mm thicker to include a more capacious battery. Pity.

I don’t understand why Apple would assume it to sell so many units by giving it crap specifications. That’s all.

of course it would have sold better if it was a decent device but they were packing in very outdated components into it. 

kiltedgreen

I bought the original shortly after release - it was genius and I absolutely loved it. Sadly, after being accidentally thrown out of a loft to the floor below it’s click wheel sprang off. A quick push back and it was going again but it probably started the hard drive’s eventual demise. Through a 2nd generation iPod touch, 4th gen and finally 6th generation I loved my iPods. I never had an iPhone until two years back when I was looking to buy a 256GB iPod touch, but bizarrely, found i could get a 2nd hand 256GB iPhone with the same chip for less money and there ended my years with the iPod.

I had no need for a mobile phone and the iPod touch was perfect for me - with all the touchscreen apps I wanted (and an app development device!) and my music. A wonderful and joyful creation. Thank you Apple.