Apple is discontinuing one of its oldest product lines that have spanned over a decade of the brand’s most loyal followers. The company has already removed the iPod nano and the iPod shuffle from its website listing and other online stores all over the world.
Reports state Apple did confirm the news that it would be discontinuing those to products, while still retaining the iPod Touch, which will now be selling in 32GB and 128GB variants for $199 and $299 respectively. While the iPod nano and the iPod shuffle will be available in other retail stores, it is likely to be sold while the stocks last. The latest iPod nano sells for $149 with 16GB of storage while the iPod shuffle costs just $49 with 2GB of storage. Both variants of the iPod were originally released in 2005 and in total, the iPod nano has gone through 7 generations and four generations of the iPod shuffle.
Apple intends on keeping only the iPhones, iPad and the iPod Touch as the primary devices for audio consumption. With the removal of the nano and the shuffle, this will mark the end of the iPods that did not require internet connectivity. The iPod nano had only received its last update in 2012 while the clip-shaped iPod shuffle was last updated in 2010.
The iPod Classic was originally discontinued in 2014, marking the change of heart that the company had towards its existing line up of otherwise well-received music players. While the market is now mostly concerned with smartphones and internet-connected devices such as the iPhone or the iPad, it makes sense as to why Apple would have taken this decision, since there would be lower sales of the older iPods. The iPod Touch is more current and has the hardware that is still appreciated over its predecessors.
Another reason why Apple would discontinue the nano and the shuffle is because of the audio-dependent software. While Apple Music has now become the norm, and while those devices do not support Apple Music since they lack internet, it does not make sense for those devices to exist in the current Apple ecosystem. The products have together lasted a dozen years and were respectable pieces of technology that inspired newer forms and platforms to take queues from. Now, they will be collectibles that will be sold from eBay auctions for the future generations.
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