Apple Discontinues iPod Touch

[GMShadow]

I was hoping for one more generation but I'm not too shocked.

Now it's just a matter of whether I want to buy a brand new one now while I can - mine's 2 years old, so there's some wear on the battery even if it's not excessive.

 

[iSayuSay]

Shame loved my iPod touch decent device if you don’t want a iPhone

Well just remove the simcard? I mean iPod Touch with A10 is embarassingly old you could get refurbed iPhone 8 and newer, or 2020 iPhone SE with better chip, better camera and Touch ID for much less.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I would buy one for posterity and fun, but not at the "normal pricing"

Apple just can't "not gouge" -- it's impossible for them

 

[GMShadow]

So what do parents like me who have kids under 10 years old buy for a portable "music player"?! Is Apple expecting me to drop $1000 on an iPhone? No. Bleeping. Way. $500+ for an iPad Mini? Nope. An iPad? Nope...it's too big to act as a portable music player (on the beach, walking, etc.). $429+ for an iPhone SE? Nope.

I think Apple's missing a huge audience. iPod Touch may not sell well compared to iPhones and iPads, but partly that blame is:

• Apple has hidden iPod Touch on its website for years
• Apple hasn't updated iPod Touch in 3 years
• iPod Touch hasn't dropped in price in 3 years
• iPod Touch looks/feels/seems terrible compared to an iPhone SE

This was easily planned to get you/us to buy far more expensive devices. I don't want to go looking for refurbished devices to get me somewhere within a reasonable price point.

For what it's worth I suspect the low-end category's dying across the board. Sony seems to have discontinued the NW-A50's everywhere but Japan, and the A105's are following suit, while they continue to introduce newer high end models.

The A50 isn't a bad little player, proprietary cable notwithstanding (it's been used for years so it's not hard to find), and microSD expansion does give it a good bang for the buck, plus it supports drag/drop of all kinds of files, including non-DRMed iTunes files.

 

[jwolf6589]

Apple today announced that it is officially discontinuing the iPod touch, an out of date accessory that has been replaced by other devices like the iPhone and the iPad. Apple says that it is eliminating the iPod touch because its capabilities are available across Apple's product lineup.

The iPod touch is the last remaining device in the iPod lineup, and it has not been updated since May 2019, three years ago. In a statement, Apple's marketing chief Greg Joswiak said that the "spirit of the iPod lives on" in other Apple products.



Apple introduced the first iPod 21 years ago in October 2001, and at the time, it was a revolutionary music device that put thousands of songs in the pockets of Apple fans. Apple introduced many iterations of the iPod, including the iPod Shuffle, the iPod nano, and the iPod touch, but all have since been phased out and discontinued.

The iPod touch will still be available for purchase through Apple's website, Apple retail stores, and through Apple Authorized Resellers while supplies last.

The seventh-generation iPod touch is priced starting at $199 and it features a 4-inch display with thick bezels, a standard Home button with no biometric unlocking mechanism, and an A10 Fusion chip. It is available in Pink, (PRODUCT)RED, Space Gray, Silver, Gold, and Blue.

Article Link: Apple Discontinues iPod Touch

I hope the AppleTV is not next. It was last updated last year. I use mine all the time and no a Mac or iPad won’t replace it and neither will the appleTV app in a smart tv.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Really thinking about picking this up. Hmm!

 

[sracer]

So what do parents like me who have kids under 10 years old buy for a portable "music player"?! Is Apple expecting me to drop $1000 on an iPhone? No. Bleeping. Way. $500+ for an iPad Mini? Nope. An iPad? Nope...it's too big to act as a portable music player (on the beach, walking, etc.). $429+ for an iPhone SE? Nope.

I think Apple's missing a huge audience. iPod Touch may not sell well compared to iPhones and iPads, but partly that blame is:

• Apple has hidden iPod Touch on its website for years
• Apple hasn't updated iPod Touch in 3 years
• iPod Touch hasn't dropped in price in 3 years
• iPod Touch looks/feels/seems terrible compared to an iPhone SE

This was easily planned to get you/us to buy far more expensive devices. I don't want to go looking for refurbished devices to get me somewhere within a reasonable price point.

You can go to places like BoostMobile and buy a 2020 iPhone SE for $199 and never have to activate it for service.

 

[sunapple]

The nostalgia for me is huge, even though these latest iPod touch models are the only ones I’ve not owned. iPod era was a lot of fun. Lots of shapes, sizes, colors and different use cases. Apple should be more quirky like that.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Well just remove the simcard? I mean iPod Touch with A10 is embarassingly old you could get refurbed iPhone 8 and newer, or 2020 iPhone SE with better chip, better camera and Touch ID for much less.

You ever held a Touch?

They are slim and light in a way that no other Apple device is..
Holding it feels like what we all wished a future phone might have been

For the screen size and what they do, the A10 is just fine.
How do I know?

My daily driver is an OGSE on iOS 15, which has an A9

 

[elvisimprsntr]

The average price of used iPods just went up on evilBay.

ipod: Search Result | eBay

Buy and sell electronics, cars, fashion apparel, collectibles, sporting goods, digital cameras, baby items, coupons, and everything else on eBay, the world's online marketplace

www.ebay.com

 

[Spike1999]

Surprised it wasn’t sooner

 

[vipergts2207]

Once the iPod went away from being a tactile, button-driven music-focused piece of hardware, it kind of jumped the shark IMHO. I have yet to find a touch-screen driven music app on the iPhone that works 10% as well as a pre-touchscreen iPod with real buttons and a focused screen/interface.

Apple has proven how a company can easily fail by removing too much under the guise of offering something new (ports, jacks, keyboard travel, thickness, escape key, bezels, function keys), but sometimes you can also fail by offering too much.

You're certainly allowed that opinion, but most people are happier to have the functionality of an iPod built into their phone, rather than carry around two separate devices.

 

[DaveN]

And I’m still using my 15 year old iPod classic on my docking station from time to time

I still have my original iPod touch with the 30 pin connector and use it on occasion for music playback when I can’t use my iPhone.

 

[MacNerd01]

Wow. They did it.

RIP iPod. It’s been a good 21 years.

I still have memories of staying up late at night playing solitaire and Brick Breaker on that beloved 2.5” screen.

It shall be missed.

 

[ericinboston]

Really thinking about picking this up. Hmm!

Really thinking about picking this up. Hmm!

Really thinking about picking this up. Hmm!

View attachment 2003330

Don't do it. I bought 2 for my kids 3 months ago.

1. The battery is ridiculously poor. You're lucky to get a few hours of playing music with everything else disabled.
2. That $399 is far better spent on some kind of iPhone SE. And I bet that SE has a far better battery as well as so many more features.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

So what do parents like me who have kids under 10 years old buy for a portable "music player"?!

$279 Apple Watch SE, $129 AirPods and an Apple Music subscription.
Of course they want you to spend more money, why wouldn’t they?

 

[progx]

It’s a shame. Loved the iPad, especially my 2nd Gen and Classic (2007), which I still have in my desk. Was hoping Apple would bring back just the Classic for an Apple Music promotion of some kind, but figured it wasn’t going to happen. The iPhone, iPad and HomePod have replaced it, so there’s no need for it to exist at this point sadly.

Again, I’d love to see it come back, but if wishes were fishes then the world would be an ocean.

 

[jz0309]

As time goes by …
I still have my IPod with a 30GB hard drive, functional but obviously degrading battery, and an iPod touch from my daughter that I need to check out…

 

[ericinboston]

You can go to places like BoostMobile and buy a 2020 iPhone SE for $199 and never have to activate it for service.
View attachment 2003332

Thanks for the tip. So long as what I buy is new (not refurbished), this is a welcome tip!

 

[kemal]

I had the first iPod Touch and jailbroke it immediately. I even had Apache running on it. Fun times.

 

[David1964]

They can now go back to the iPhoneOS name instead of iOS.I predict that it will now be renamed iPhoneOS 16 at WWDC next month.It makes sense.

 

[ericinboston]

$279 Apple Watch SE, $129 AirPods and an Apple Music subscription.
Of course they want you to spend more money, why wouldn’t they?

Multiple devices + a subscription?! I have the latest Watch and like it a lot but it's super tiny to be any kind of real-world music player with 2 point font.

I do not disagree with your assertion that Apple wants to make more money. But spending 2x-5x for that is nuts. It's not like it's a $25 music player and a $50 phone. It's a $200 music player and a $400-$1000 phone. $400+ for a music player for an 8-year old seems extremely expensive if you ask me.

 

[JKAussieSkater]

Blah blah blah whine whine whine cry cry cry !!! ? And effu Apple your iPod experience on the iPhone is a twilight zone piece of crap. Apple HATES on people who DARE to own and collect their own music and support the artists who MAKE the music. Courage.

The first sentence of your post seems to mock iPod lovers, then the rest of your post seems to criticise Apple for the inferior replacement product. Then you praise or mock… someone(?) with "courage". This apparent contradiction makes it impossible for people on either side of the fence to agree with your post…

Although if I ignore the first "Blah blah blah" sentence, and ignore the word "courage", I completely agree with what your saying.

 

[webkit]

iPod touch was originally the entry apple product for young kids towards the ecosystem. Nowadays with parents willing to buy iPhone Pro Maxes for their kindergarteners, I would say iPod touch had accomplished its mission very well.

Most kids don't get smartphones until they are at least 11 or 12 and even then, they're often a parent’s hand-me-down, used or something entry level like SE. Parents being willing to buy their "kindergarteners" iPhone Pro Maxes is still far from the norm.

 

[oofio2461]

So long, Partner.