Apple Discontinues iPod touch, Promotes Company’s Other Products As Means Of Listening To Music Digitally

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NEWS – The “gadget of the century” is history.

The iPod touch — the only model of the iPod that is still sold — is no more. The device is being discontinued by Apple in favor of listening to music on its other products via Apple Music, the company’s subscription-based music streaming service.

iPod touch Black
Apple Music as seen on the display of an iPod touch. (Photo: Apple, Inc.)

Along with access to more than 90 million songs and over 30,000 playlists available via Apple Music, Apple indicated that the experience of taking one’s music library on-the-go has been integrated across all of the company’s products: from AirPods, Apple Watch, and HomePod mini, to iPad, iPhone, and Mac.

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‘The Most Comprehensive Music Experience Ever’

According to Apple, the ability to take one’s entire music library while on-the-go was what users all over the world loved about the company’s digital music player.

The iPod also redefined how music was discovered, listened to, and shared. However, with the company’s subscription-based music streaming service, the need for an iPod touch has been superseded by Apple Music.

“There’s no better way to enjoy, discover, and experience music,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple senior Vice President of worldwide marketing, referring to Apple Music (in the press release with regard to the discontinuation of the iPod touch).

In addition to announcing the discontinuation of the iPod touch? Apple took a look back at all of the models in the iPod product line and specific characteristics and features that made each model unique:

  • iPod – introduced on October 23, 2001, the original model was the first digital music player to hold 1,000 songs which could fit into a user’s pocket and featured a 10-hour battery in a device that weighed 6.5 ounces.
  • iPod mini – introduced on February 20, 2004, this model took everything that the iPod had and fit it all into a smaller package that weighed only 3.6 ounces.
  • iPod touch – introduced on September 5, 2007, this model brought the multi-touch interface and 3.5-inch widescreen display of the iPhone to the iPod.

(While the iPod shuffle and iPod nano were mentioned by Apple, versions of the device other than the very first to be introduced were included).

Last updated by Apple on May 28, 2019, the iPod touch (seventh generation) featured an A10 processor for improved performance and power. The device also included enhancements to communication and function with support for group FaceTime and augmented reality (AR).

At the time, Apple was already promoting the company’s subscription-based music streaming service as “the most comprehensive music experience ever” for the iPod touch. Subscribers could create their own playlists, watch music videos, and share music with their friends right on / from the device. And, with the new 256GB model, users now had plenty of space for listening to music offline, whether the songs were purchased from the iTunes Store or downloaded from Apple Music.

Apple noted that the iPod touch will be available “while supplies last” and can be purchased at the company’s retail stores (the devices are currently out of stock on apple.com) or through an Apple Authorized Reseller.

Related Reading: from the “Mac Potpourri” story archives – “The Strategy Behind Why Apple Has Kept The iPod touch In Its Product Lineup” (June 2019).

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