Apple discontinues iPod after 20 years

Apple announced today that it is discontinuing the iPod.

Before there was an iPhone, there was the iPod. Now that legendary product line is about to go out of production as Apple is discontinuing the iPod Touch with its latest iteration.

“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. It also redefined how music is discovered, listened to, and shared,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

Precursor of iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad

Long before Apple unveiled products like the iPhone and iPad, they released the iPod. First released in October 2001, the more than twenty-year-old product line first debuted back when Napster was still a thing. In 2003, Apple introduced the iTunes Store to allow users to buy and download music.

Of course, the iPod went on to corner the MP3 player market even as competitors like Microsoft struggled to penetrate the market with products like the Zune. Eventually, Apple added the ability to watch videos and movies as well as play video games. In 2007, Apple introduced the iPod Touch with built-in Wi-Fi and a touch interface.

“Today, the spirit of iPod lives on. 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,” Joswiak adds.

Although gaming was never huge on the iPod, it paved the way for Apple to expand into gaming with iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad. Now they even have a full-fledged gaming service known as Apple Arcade.