Apple discontinues the iPod Touch, the last remaining iPod

But a few years later, the iPod became a cultural force and status symbol, disrupting the music industry as we knew it. Apple released other models including the Mini, Shuffle, and Nano. In 2006, iPod sales accounted for about 40% of Apple’s revenue.

Source: Apple, Insider

In September 2007, Apple CEO Steve Jobs released the latest addition to the company’s product line: the iPod Touch.

Jobs touted the device’s “incredible” thinness and built-in Wi-Fi. The iPod Touch also had the same 3.5-inch touch screen as the new iPhone, which debuted in June of that year, meaning it could run apps and games. The first iPod Touch retailed for $300.

Source: Apple

“The iPod touch is a historic iPod,” Jobs said at the time.

Source: Apple

An updated iPod Touch debuted a year later. The new device was thinner and lighter, and could access the App Store; Apple called it “the funniest iPod we’ve ever made.”

Source: Apple

In 2008, iPod sales soared: Apple sold 54.8 million units that year, a peak for the company.

Source: Insider

But the following year, iPod sales as a whole began to decline. Apple’s then-CFO Peter Oppenheimer said that was expected as “we cannibalized ourselves with the iPod Touch and the iPhone.”

Source: Insider

When Apple added front and rear cameras to the iPod Touch in 2010, the line between the iPod Touch and the iPhone became even more blurred. A year later, iPhone sales officially eclipsed iPod sales.

Source: Apple, Insider

Still, by 2012, Apple had sold 350 million units and refreshed the design of its iPod lineup, including the iPod Touch.

Source: Apple

For the first time, the iPod Touch was offered in five colors, including blue, yellow, and pink. Apple also added its smart assistant, Siri; updated camera and screen; and made the device thinner and lighter than ever.

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While the iPod Touch has received a few updates since then, most recently in 2019, the design has remained largely unchanged over the past decade.

Source: Insider

Meanwhile, Apple has slowly phased out older versions of the iPod. The iPod Classic was discontinued in 2014, and the Nano and Shuffle were canceled in 2017.

Source: Insider

But the iPod Touch endured. Unlike its ancestors, it was an iOS device, which meant it could connect to Apple services like Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and Apple TV Plus. Apple has made those services a primary focus in recent years, even replacing its industry-changing music library, iTunes, with its new streaming platforms.

Source: Insider, Insider

But the iPod Touch’s similarities to the iPhone also made it redundant, and now it’s about to become a part of technology history. Apple said customers will only be able to buy the iPod Touch, the last remaining iPod, while supplies last.

Source: Apple