Nothing quite defined the digital revolution of music like Apple’s iPod series. Upon release, it helped revive Apple’s flagging financial fortunes, and while the line has been mostly phased out (thanks, iPhone!), the iPod Touch was still a fairly popular line for those who wanted the functions of the iPhone, but maybe didn’t want to pay the monthly fees involved.
Unfortunately, the iPod line is now being retired completely, according to Apple, as the iPod Touch was the last line of defense for the brand.
Via a statement on the official Apple website, Apple had this to say about the device’s discontinuation:
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. 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.
Upon its launch, the iPod proved to be a major catalyst in the digital music revolution. Effectively the transition from the compact disc to digital (and now streaming, of course), the iPod wasn’t the first digital music device. But its interface and portability did prove to be the most popular, inspiring a legion of imitators. Having 1,000 songs in your pocket doesn’t sound like a huge deal now, but in 2001? It absolutely was.
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