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Apple to Demote iPod Stock to Accessory Shelves In Retail Stores

Maybe it's even better for sales when customer can just pick it up, but at least they should keep a demo unit (speaking of Touch).

I still see the market for shuffles, and I can see market for iPod classic sold as some kind of fashion item. If you can sell Beats headphones and gold Apple Watch, not to mention ridiculously priced bands, then surely you can sell iPods. If you want to sell it of course, but that's another question.

I can also see market for iPod Touch smartly marketed as a gaming device and universal Apple TV/Mac remote for example. Keep adding some nice features, market it properly and you'll be good.

It's a mistake if they discontinue iPods.
 
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A decent run. Time to retire and let what you helped bring to this world (the iPhone and iPad series) take over. Thanks for everything.
 
Good. The iPads made it look like all they are selling at an apple store is iPads.
 
JustThinkin' said:
Don't be surprised if the new Apple TV is one of the items they're making space for on the sales floor.
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Well, the Apple TV does already have a demo unit on the floor. With the iPod line no longer having demo units, and a rumored, big ATV refresh on the horizon, the Apple TV could very well be a new "main category" that replaces the iPod in the not-too-distant future.
 
I feel like they could have just made the Smart Signs more heavily-encased—not looking like an iPad anymore. Maybe Minis buried in a white brick (Watch-style). It was a good concept, only confusing because the iPad was so visible in the clear stand.
 
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Apple has introduced the Watch, larger iPhone, MacBook and possibly larger iPad this fall. Meanwhile few if any of the stores have gotten bigger. They need to make room for this new stuff.
 
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Am I the only one who likes to take an iPod nano to the gym or on runs just to disconnect for a little while? I also like its size, carrying an iPhone around means either a big armband strap or holstering it around your waist.
 
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Traverse said:
Wait, so they'll be on a back shelf, but there will be no display units?

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Really is a shame what's happened to it. I realize that the masses don't need an iPod once they get an iPhone, but so many people overlook the value of a dedicated device. I love my iPod Nano (5th, 6th, and 7th gen) and will probably buy an iPod Touch one day because it's the last high-capacity music player they offer.

It really is said that Apple doesn't want to search the music player market anymore. Streaming is great an all, but what iPod alternative is there now for people who like to keep large amounts of offline music organized though iTunes? Many of the competing products are $500+ or even thousands.
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I'm in the same boat. I still love my latest gen Nano and dread the day it's battery one day goes to nothing. The only 2015 alternative I've seen is the $250 Sony Walkman which is bigger, more expensive, and has no touch controls. Makes no sense to me.
 
I always thought these smart signs were wasteful--relegating iPads to basically digital picture frames. I think it kind of subconsciously devalues the iPad. They should use cheap Android tablets instead.
 
JohnApples said:
Never said product was done. Read my post. I said that is where it's headed. Also, Apple TV has gained more attention from Apple while iPod has lost some. 2 different scenarios.
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I work from home and therefore have 24/7 wifi, and I have a little nokia dumb phone for the rare occasions I need one. Not only are the iPhones unnecessarily large for me, but they are incredibly expensive and that's even without a plan. My iPod with the new A8 not only plays all my music but it does everything the iPhone does when connected to wifi except gps for which I have a handheld etrex if I need one. If I go into town there's free wifi on the train, and in the city where ever I go. Now I can take 120fps slo mo video as well. I'm sure there are plenty of people like myself who do not want to spend a ridiculous amount of money just to have a phone when they can have everything else. Currently I'm using my ipod as a video surveillance camera on the front gate as I'm expecting a delivery.

Apple are toning down the ipod probably to push people to the iPhone but I can't see them getting rid of it as long as phone plans are so miserly in data and hideously expensive.
 
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They probably thought about the future when they have to replace all of those iPad 2 smart displays with an iPad Air 2 or 3, thinking what a wa$te it will be to use such a powerful tablet for a menial task like that. That's in addition to the current clutter.
 
Have seen some changes in one of nearby local Apple Store. Tricky.

I don't care iPod since iPhone can do way more than an iPod can do.

For smart sign, I sometimes try to long press the home button, hoping I can see Siri coming out. ;)
 
I don't understand, how much retail space do iPods take up in your local Apple Store? The one near me has the touch, nano and shuffle all on the same stand, in a little line taking up about a meter of space, hardly in prime space either. It's such a big shop and apple do so few products they can't possibly spread them out any more!
 
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Really is a shame what's happened to it. I realize that the masses don't need an iPod once they get an iPhone, but so many people overlook the value of a dedicated device.
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What is the value in carrying around an iPod, an iPhone AND an iPad? In the end, they all serve exactly the same purpose - except for phone calls, that's an exclusive (killer) feature of the phone.

When phones learned to play back music, they effectively killed the market for dedicated mp3 players. When phones gained GPS capabilities, they killed the market for dedicated navigational systems. When phablets were introduced, most people no longer had any need for dedicated tablets anymore. And then, to add insult to injury, phones and phablets are subsidized products and most customers only pay for them through their monthly phone bill.

I know that Apple's marketing has always tried to sell the idea of "one device per purpose", but in reality, in these product categories there simply is not much benefit in using dedicated devices. They're just an additional weight to carry around and only make things more cumbersome and complex. Smartphones with 5" or larger screens render everything else obsolete.
 
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JohnApples said:
I respectfully disagree. Changing it to an "Accessory", removing it's category from the site, and the 6th gen Touch not being announced during a major event are 3 red flags that don't mean "nothing". Sure, it might not mean that this is the end for the iPod, but it definitely means something.
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In a vacuum, there is no need for anyone to "upgrade" an ipod because the size capacities haven't changed significantly since the 6th generation Classic. 128GB is the largest you're going to see, and since flash memory is so cheap, the average person can put their entire music library in 32GB. That remaining space gets filled up with games and video... which is often only done by kids.

Since the 6th generation iPod has the same guts as the iPhone 6/6s minus the 3G/LTE radio, don't expect a new refresh of it until the A8 gets discontinued, or the LTE radio gets integrated onto the SoC.
 
So a major pillar of Apple has finally crumbled. And what is there to replace it? The gimmicky accessory Apple Watch? Apple is turning into a 2 trick pony: iPhone and Macbook Pro. Heck, even their Macbook lineup is turning into a clusterfudge with that new mishmash Macbook, dated Macbook Airs, dated Macbook Pro non-retina. Apple has a lot to worry about the next 3-5 years. Don't forget, Job's fingerprints were on Apple products up to 3 years after his death. Now we are beginning to see the post-Jobs products, and they're failing miserably in terms of innovation and usability. Sure, sales numbers are still strong, but the pipeline is getting thin.
 
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