'iPod Father' Tony Fadell Comments on Discontinuation of iPod Classic

[MacRumors]

Tony Fadell, who formerly worked at Apple and is widely known as the "father" of the iPod, today commented on the recent discontinuation of the iPod Classic in an interview with Fast Company, saying that he's "sad to see it go."

"The iPod's been a huge part of my life for the last decade. The team that worked on the iPod poured literally everything into making it what it was." Eighteen months after launch, the iPod owned the portable media player category, and for the next decade, it continued to do so. "Products just don't come around like that often," laments Fadell. "The iPod was one-in-a-million."

Though he's sad to see the end of the iPod, Fadell notes that the product was "born to die," with employees speculating in 2003 or 2004 what would kill the device. "Even back then, at Apple," says Fadell, "we knew it was streaming. We called it the 'celestial jukebox in the sky.' And we have that now: music in the cloud."

The final iPod classic was introduced in September of 2009, and rumors of a discontinuation of the product circulated for years before Apple retired the device in September of 2014. Following the announcements for the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, and the Apple Watch on September 9, Apple removed the iPod classic from its online store.

Apple's iPod sales have been dwindling for the last several years, and in January, Tim Cook noted that the iPod was a "declining business" for Apple. As of Q3 2014, the iPod made up just one percent of Apple's total revenue, being dwarfed many times over by the iPhone and iPad, both of which have adopted the iPod's music playing capabilities.

Article Link: 'iPod Father' Tony Fadell Comments on Discontinuation of iPod Classic

 

[Lapidus]

I should get one for later when the internet and power are all gone

 

[djtech42]

The 128 GB iPhone 6/6 Plus essentially replaces it now.

 

[exodiusprime]

The 128 GB iPhone 6/6 Plus essentially replaces it now.

That was literally what I was about to say

 

[carjakester]

my first time hearing this news. Must had been way under the radar.

 

[Nyy8]

RIP my Friend.

May you and Steve be together forever.

 

[milo]

I don't get the talk like Apple isn't making iPods any more, since they still have the shuffle, nano, and iPod touch.

 

[jadot]

RIP my Friend.

May you and Steve be together forever.

Hahajjahajajajajjhahaha! I hope you're not serious.

 

[Virginaustralia]

The 128 GB iPhone 6/6 Plus essentially replaces it now.

Or if they were to introduce a 128GB iPod Touch

 

[octothorpe8]

I don't get the talk like Apple isn't making iPods any more, since they still have the shuffle, nano, and iPod touch.

Well, the Touch is a fully capable iOS device so it really should be more properly categorized with the iPad and iPhone. In fact, an early criticism of the iPad was that it was basically a giant iPod Touch.

As for the other two, it seems likely their days are probably numbered as well — especially with the Apple Watch coming out. Now that a bunch of other devices can handle music storage and playback, the market for a dedicated device that ONLY plays music is shrinking rapidly.

 

[keysofanxiety]

Maybe iPod sales is a 'declining industry' due to lack of updates and high prices. I'm not saying that the iPod is likely to be a large part of Apple's market, but to expect consumers to pay 2014 prices for 2010 tech and then claim people aren't buying them for another reason is a little insulting.

 

[tkermit]

That Aqua style progress bar looks so out of place on the iPod.

 

[Moonlight]

Music in the cloud didn't kill the iPod (classic). You still need a device to play the music off of.

MultiTouch screens killed the iPod (classic).

 

[astutzmann]

Interesting that this article came out. Today I plugged in my 80 gig iPod Classic which I've had for years. I updated all the tunes on it and I use it as a music player.

Still going strong, but I understand that with bluetooth speakers etc, its much easier now to just use my iPhone.

A friend of mine has a camera store and for the past 30 years has done well with cameras and video equipment.

They just went under. No one buying cameras........

CHANGE!

 

[aarongwalker]

I disagree strongly with the folks saying the 128gb iPhone6 replaces the classic. Nothing had the immediate tactile feedback of the scroll wheel. I've owned iPods with scroll wheels, then tried iPod touches to hate the lack of tactical buttons - strongly disliked them. I was here foolishly dreaming they would update the classic with quicker software and a smaller size. But no more. The buttons are gone, and that to me, sucks.

 

[euvnairb]

The ipod video was my window into the Apple universe and I will never look back. Thank you iPod for all the pioneering you did that eventually led to itunes, iphone, ipad...etc..

 

[budafied]

Maybe iPod sales is a 'declining industry' due to lack of updates and high prices. I'm not saying that the iPod is likely to be a large part of Apple's market, but to expect consumers to pay 2014 prices for 2010 tech and then claim people aren't buying them for another reason is a little insulting.

Agreed. Sales wouldn't skyrocket if prices dropped, but at least drops would put the prices within the realm of reality. 16gb iPod Nano should be $100, not $150. Even with the Apple tax...

 

[DollaTwentyFive]

I should get one for later when the internet and power are all gone

How would you charge it? Not being an *******. I'm asking seriously.

ETA: Wow. I edited myself because I wouldn't put bad language out there. . Yet the forum software further edited me. Interesting.

 

[commander.data]

Maybe iPod sales is a 'declining industry' due to lack of updates and high prices. I'm not saying that the iPod is likely to be a large part of Apple's market, but to expect consumers to pay 2014 prices for 2010 tech and then claim people aren't buying them for another reason is a little insulting.

I agree. If Apple doesn't want to spend the resources on any new iPod designs at the very least they could bump up the capacities to make them more viable for their price point.

 

[Baklava]

The 128 GB iPhone 6/6 Plus essentially replaces it now.

Not for me. Controlling music playpack with physical buttons is way better than doing it with a touchscreen. Maybe I'm old-fashioned here but I still belong to those who separate a smartphone from a music player. I don't want my iPod to ring.

 

[DeanL]

It's not streaming that killed it...

It's not streaming that killed the iPod.
Sorry, but when you have a 20GB library like me, stream it over 3G would cost an enormous amount of money.

What killed it, is Apple not renewing them. If Apple didn't stick with a 6+ years old iPod Classic and had added flash memory or bigger storage on the iPod Nano, features like Bluetooth to the iPod Classic, the iPod business wouldn't be declining like it is right now because I can't be the only one with a 20GB+ library that wants a new device with enough flash storage.

I hear people saying "Well buy a 64GB or 128GB iPhone".
Well guess what: there's also people like me who prefer a device dedicated to music.

 

[keysofanxiety]

Agreed. Sales wouldn't skyrocket if prices dropped, but at least drops would put the prices within the realm of reality. 16gb iPod Nano should be $100, not $150. Even with the Apple tax...

Plus if the iPod classic was updated to 256/512GB storage over its lifespan, I have absolutely no doubt it'd still be a great seller for a niche market. Huge storage space, coupled with a simple UI that claims to do nothing beyond playing music is still a good thing to have, IMHO.

 

[dpruitt]

Wow

Wow, if he is the father then I must be the grandfather. The NOMAD Jukebox came out way before the iPod. That was fun working on that team.

 

[usarioclave]

music in the cloud aside

BTW, has anyone noticed that iTunes match seems to have dropped its 25,000 song limit? I have around 27,000 songs, and after the 11.4 update all of my music seems to be up there. Maybe they're only applying the limit to uploaded songs now?

 

[exodiusprime]

Wow, if he is the father then I must be the grandfather. The NOMAD Jukebox came out way before the iPod. That was fun working on that team.

I had an Archos Jukebox back in 2001 or so. I thought 5GB of music in my pocket was incredible back then.