You probably didn’t notice this, but Apple has quietly removed the iPod nano and iPod shuffle from the website three years after killing off the iPod class.
Now, all that’s left is the iPod touch.
The company has confirmed that the smallest players from its mp3 player lineup have been discontinued.
Many people may have seen this coming as both models mainly only played music and neither has seen updates in the past few years.
In recent years, Apple has also stressed that the iPhone would soon cannibalise traditional iPods that can’t run apps. And since the company is constantly pushing streaming with Apple Music, it only makes sense for them to do without devices that don’t support that.
However, to ease the pain of losing two iPods, Apple has doubled the capacity of the existing iPod touch models, which now comes in 32GB and 128GB storage options, priced at USD199 (RM852) and USD299 (RM1,280) respectively.
According to an Apple spokesperson, eliminating the nano and shuffle would allow the company to focus more on their most popular iPod.
Remembering the iPod nano and iPod shuffle
The iPod nano has seen seven different facelifts since it was first launched in 2005. From the original long body with a click wheel to its final form that looks like a mini iPhone.
When Apple redesigned the iPod nano with Bluetooth support for wireless headphones and speakers in 2012, it hasn’t been significantly updated ever since.
In the same way, the iPod shuffle had four different designs since the first version in 2005 that looked like a USB drive.
Now that the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch have become Apple’s bread and butter, it was only a matter of time before we see the last of the iPod. The iPod Touch is only living on borrowed time.
Nevertheless, the iPod saved Apple and paved the way to the birth of the iPhone. Thank you for the music, iPod.