The Apple iPod is a series of portable music players produced by Apple. The first iPod was released over 20 years ago, back in 2001. Since then Apple has sold an estimated 450 million iPod products, and they have become a household name.
As well as playing music, they are useful for listening to podcasts, audio books and radio. In some cases, they can be used to store data more generally – making them useful for transferring games, photos and more.
But now, Apple has announced that the iPod is to be discontinued altogether. The iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle had already been axed in 2017. An update on the Apple website on 10th May 2022 stated that the “iPod touch will be available while supplies last” – in other words, the last remaining iPod is going too. No explanation is given in the statement as to why the decision has been made. But it is not really surprising, given that smart mobile phones now fulfil pretty much all of the functions of the iPod. They can stream music, video, podcasts, audio books and even radio. Who wants a separate device any more, when your phone already does everything you need?
So, the end of an era…
R.I.P. the iPod
If you DO want a portable music player, and not a smart phone, there are plenty of alternatives. Here are a few:
- Cowon Plenue D3
- Astell & Kern A&norma SR25
- SanDisk Clip Jam
- Mighty Vibe
- Sony Walkman NW-A45 (yup, the Walkman still exists!)