Apple has discontinued the iPod. Why will we miss it

Apple usually retires its gadgets in a timely manner. On average, their life cycle is about 5 years, but it could have lasted longer: we are talking about the iPhone 12 Pro , iPhone XR or SE 2020.

True, all these devices were removed not because of their aging, but because of internal competition – so that they do not interfere with sales of more recent models.

Against their background, the iPod line stands out, which has not been closed all these years exclusively “for the soul”, but now there will be no more legendary players . We tell you why we will miss the iPod, why it was good and which models are remembered the most.

20 is how many years Apple has been releasing the iPod. The device quite a bit did not reach the 21st birthday – October 23rd. By comparison, the iPhone is only 15 years old this year.

But it was with the compact player that Apple began to develop as a manufacturer of wearable electronics: it was the player that appeared in many movies and TV shows of the 2000s, becoming a real symbol of the era.

But all good things come to an end: in 2022, there is no place left for such gadgets in the world, they were replaced by smartphones, smart watches and wireless headphones. Over the years, several iPod models have been released, which have been updated from time to time.

Over the years, several iPod models have been released.

• The iPod classic is Apple’s most famous player thanks to the Click Wheel, which was simply called “iPod” until its latest version in 2007. It was released in 2001 and was produced right up to 2014.
• iPod mini is somewhat lost among other players. But we remember about it: it was produced for less than two years from 2004 to 2005 and had only two generations. The gadget was the most compact at that time, but had a black and white screen.
• iPod Shuffle is the most unpretentious player from Apple without a screen . Released in 2005 and discontinued in 2017. Despite the size, the battery lasted for 15 hours of playback.
• The iPod nano was released in 2005 and was the epitome of the best features of the iPod classic and shuffle, although it had problems: for example, Apple had to open a free replacement program for the first generation of the player with the sixth in 2011 due to constant overheating of the battery. The last seventh generation was released in 2012.
• iPod touch is the player that has become the last. It was a copy of the iPhone with Wi-Fi, iTunes, app support, and a camera. Not as compact as the other iPods, but many people liked it. Produced since 2007 – consider the same age as the iPhone.

iPod is also legendary in that many years ago it could get a frameless design on the entire front panel – we talked about this not so long ago.

And the creator of the iPod, Tony Fadell, admitted that Apple in the early years, having no experience in creating a phone, tried to cross it with a mobile phone. What happened – read our article.

What is the best iPod

Some people still use the iPod shuffle, which, according to the sensations, and the battery after 8 years of use has not become worse. This is the perfect player for training: in my opinion, it is his Apple that could safely release longer than the rest.

Only the 6th generation iPod nano could compare with it: similar dimensions and a small touch screen. Like it or not, the shuffle is more reliable due to the lack of a display, and the Click Wheel never fails. Despite the lack of a screen, this iPod lacked Bluetooth , more RAM and an FM tuner, which is still relevant today.

In the 2000s and early 10s, the iPod was popular precisely because of its compactness.

Otherwise, it’s great to use – just clip it to your clothes and go about your business. The device did not have water protection, but it was equipped with an aluminum case, which actually made it shockproof – after dozens of drops, it works as before.

The only negative is managing the library through iTunes : it always pissed me off that you can’t just connect the player to your computer and transfer the necessary tracks there – first you need to download a proprietary utility from Apple.

If you go to Aliexpress or any other electronics store, you can find fakes that look wildly like the iPod, but they cost ten times cheaper than the original.

There are copies of the iPod classic and iPod Shuffle, but this, of course, is not the same as the real iPod: there is no high-quality sound that Apple players have always been famous for, convenient playback controls and, most importantly, product reliability.

Despite the fact that everyone is either positive or negative about Apple technology, there is a feeling that the iPod was the only gadget from Cupertino that more or less everyone liked. That is how we will remember it.

Let us know your thought in the comment section, or in our telegram chat.