Apple introduced the first iPod in 2001, and the product lineup dominated the 2000's. However, the rise of smartphones slowly killed off iPods, and now Apple is officially saying goodbye.
Apple revealed on Tuesday that it's discontinuing the last remaining iPod product, the 7th-generation iPod Touch. The company didn't give a specific reason for killing the iPod Touch, but it's safe to say low demand is the main reason. The music player has become a niche product in recent years, as most people prefer to listen to music through general-purpose smartphones and tablets, and there are many full-featured smartphones around the same price as the $199 iPod Touch.
The first advertisement for the original iPod Touch
Apple discontinued the iPod Shuffle and Nano in 2017, the company's last remaining dedicated music players. The iPod Touch is more or less an iPhone without cellular connectivity, and in recent years, it fell behind the iPhone's rapid hardware upgrades. The current 7th-generation iPod Touch has the same Apple A10 Fusion chip found in the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus (which were both released in 2016).
Even though the iPod Touch has been on a slow decline for several years, there are still a few reasons to use one. The current iPod Touch is much more compact than most iPhones, with a 4-inch display and a physical size smaller than the iPhone SE 2022. It also still has a headphone jack --- an increasingly rare sight on smartphones.
Apple says the iPod Touch will remain available in stores "while supplies last."
Source: Apple