The recent news that the iPod line is discontinued marked the end of an era. The iPod, along with the iMac and iBook lines, helped return Apple to profitability after a hard few years in the 90s. It’s such an iconic product that most of us never saw it being retired. Even now, fans are wondering if Apple will make a new iPod or if it’s gone for good.
Will there be a new iPod, or is it gone for good?
There’s no indication that there’ll be a new iPod, and it’s likely discontinued for good. If Apple wanted to make a new one, it could have just left the 7th-Gen iPod Touch in production until it was ready to release a new model. The latest model is still on sale while supplies last (with zero discount), but after that it’s adios.
The iPod wasn’t receiving much love from Apple in its final years anyway. The last time it got a redesign was with the 5th-Gen iPod Touch in 2012. The internals were upgraded in 2015 and 2019, but it’s obvious that there wasn’t much effort being spent on the iPod line.
The iPod started its slide toward obsolescence with the release of the iPhone. It was able to hang on because the first few models of the iPhone had a paltry amount of storage space, but the Classic, Mini, Shuffle, and Nano were discontinued shortly after its launch. For the last ten years, the only iPod model that’s been in production is the Touch, which is basically an iPhone without the cellular components.
It’s possible that Apple might release a limited edition iPod at some point. However, the market for dedicated MP3 players has almost completely dried up. However, there are high-end players being made that target the audiophile market, and we could see the iPod fitting nicely into that niche.
Unfortunately, it seems like the iPod line has met its end for now. But, who knows what the future might bring?
