Goodbye iPod: Apple is phasing out the latest model

One of the most popular and iconic gadget brands in history is taking its last breath today. Apple has announced that it will no longer manufacture the iPod touch, the last device to bear the iPod name.

Apple says you’ll only be able to buy the iPod touch for $199 at its stores until the current stock sells out. Apple’s website still has a store page for the iPod, but it’s not easily found in the site’s main navigation, and it’s labeled “while in stock.”

The current iPod touch isn’t really that old – it debuted in 2019 – but it was only a minor update, and Apple hasn’t released a completely new iPod for years.

The iPod’s demise was predicted long ago, but it held on, thanks in part to its role as a lightweight iPhone for kids and teens. Apple’s press release announcing the end of production claims that the iPod “lives”in other products such as the iPhone and iPad. Here is a quote attributed to Apple Senior Vice President of Marketing Greg Joswiak:

Music has always been part of our core at Apple, and bringing it to hundreds of millions of users just like the iPod has not only impacted the music industry—it has also changed how music is found, listened to, and distributed. Today, the spirit of the iPod lives on. We’ve integrated an incredible music experience across all of our products, from iPhone to Apple Watch and HomePod mini, as well as Mac, iPad and Apple TV. And Apple Music delivers industry-leading audio quality with support for spatial audio—there’s no better way to enjoy, discover, and enjoy music.

The press release goes on to list many of the products that consumers who might be interested in the iPod could buy instead, such as the iPhone SE.

The first iPod was introduced in 2001, and over the years the product line has included many variations, including the Mini, Shuffle, Nano, and more. The now discontinued iPod touch was first seen in 2007. This is the seventh version of the iPod touch, which (unlike previous iPods) is very similar to the iPhone, only without the cellular function.

The iPod was one of the best-selling gadgets in the world, but that all changed when smartphones — even those before the iPhone — started turning on its most important features by default.