APPLE IPOD

Well, it’s finally happening. Apple is officially going to discontinue the production of the iPod after 20 years of providing easily accessible music on-to-go to millions and millions of music lovers — and it’s probably high time they did it.

In a very quiet manner, Apple made the announcement via a press release that never actually said that the product had been discontinued. However, after reading it, you more or less can confirm it to be the case.

Anyway, back to the iconic iPod — which today, you can only get the iPod Touch version from official Apple stores and authorised retailers.

First launched back in October 2001, it was the first MP3 player to pack a mind-blowing 1,000 songs and a 10-hour battery into a stunning 6.5-ounce package. I mean, you would have never heard of such a thing back then.

I was 15 at that time and still so proud of my Sony Discman which I carried around with me almost everywhere I went. It wasn’t until a few years later that I inherited my older bro’s iPod after he got a new one.

I remember how cool it felt to own one but more importantly, the number of songs I was able to have at my disposal without the need to carry around a heavy bag full of CDs.

The design was sleek and very modern for its time.

A year later, they released the 2nd generation iPod. This was then followed by the iPod 3G in 2003 that had some design tweaks but more importantly, a storage option of up to 40GB! This allowed users to store up to 10,000 songs in their iPod.

Apple then released the iPod Mini in February 2004. It was a completely new design where Apple took everything about the iPod and stuffed it into a much smaller body. And they added colours to it as well!

Needless to say, people loved it!

Then in 2005, Apple released the iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle — two completely new models to join the iPod family. Not only do they perform the same but they also look and feel different.

This allowed users the option to choose an iPod which suits their needs and style the best — something we know Apple has always prided themselves on, which is to give consumers as many options as possible.

In 2007, Apple took the iPod to a whole new level by introducing the very first iPod Touch. It was basically an iPhone but without the capabilities of a phone.

Basically, when the iPhone was launched, it truly affected the sales of the iPod as those who have both started to stop bringing their iPod along with them. I mean, why would they? The iPhone could do it all.

But at the same time, there were those who loved the design of the iPhone but didn’t need the calling functionality. They’d still love to have all the apps though and that’s when Apple knew they had another opportunity with the iPod — hence, the iPod Touch.

Even with the iPhone around, iPod sales continued to be good which Apple continued to leverage on.

In 2012, they introduced the 7th generation iPod Nano, which at that time became the thinnest iPod ever at just 5.4mm. Despite the iPod Touch being around, there was still a market for the other iPod models for those who wanted a touch screen, some apps but didn’t need all of it in the form of an iPhone.

And speaking of those who still wanted a smaller form factor of the iPod, there was still demand for the smallest one of them all — the iPod Shuffle — so much so that Apple released the last version of it back in 2015, the 4th generation which packed 2GB of storage. I actually have 2 of it (one in Black and one in Gold) but unfortunately, both died on me a few years back.

It was my best companion for running at that time because I could just hook it onto my shirt or trousers and not worry about it falling off or it being too heavy to run with.

I absolutely loved my iPod Shuffle.

And finally, Apple released what would be their final iPod model — the 7th generation iPod Touch back in 2019.

Back then when they announced it, many people were puzzled. Are there still iPod users? Why would anyone still use an iPod when their phones and even smart watches can do all of that?

Well, I guess we have our answer now.

The iPod has had a good run over the last 20 years and honestly, no one probably expected it to have had such a run, let alone stay relevant this long, especially after the iPhone made its debut way back in 2007. But it did and it did it well.

I’ve loved all the iPod models that I’ve owned over the years — the original iPod, the iPod Shuffle, and the iPod Nano — and now that Apple will discontinue it, I might just get the 7th gen iPod Touch as a momento.

I have a feeling many will be doing that as well because it may just be a collectors’ item in the future, who knows?

Anyway, it’s been a good long run for the iPod and it can now finally have its much deserved rest, handing the reigns over fully to the iPhone.

It’s been one hell of a ride, iPod. Thanks for all those hours of endless music.

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