We all at one point or another wanted and iPod. It was a revolutionary device that allowed you to play a whole lot of music without the need for a cassette tape or compact disk. Apple even took it up a notch with the iPod shuffle, giving users a randomized listening experience much like radio minus DJs. But with the iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano discontinued, it is definitely an end of an era.
End of an era: iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano Discontinued
According to theverge.com searching for these devices on the official Apple website leads to URLs that are no longer available. Trying it for myself through google, and the Philipiine site for Apple only opened the music section of the site. Apple was well aware that smart devices like the iPad, the iPhone, and the iPod touch would eventually take over. Now, they have and the Nano and shuffle have been discontinued, with the iconic iPod classic going down back in 2014.
iPod nano
The reason behind these discontinuations is the simplification of the iPod line up. There are iPod Touch models that have twice the capacity of the latest iPod Nano but at a slightly higher price. This kind of landscape is what made Apple pull the trigger on the older devices. Not much has changed with the iPod nano since the 2012 update, where the device now supported Bluetooth speakers and headsets. The iPod Shuffle even had less updates with the latest coming in 2010 which only saw it go back to physical controls.
iPod Shuffle
End of an era: Thoughts
The discontinuation of these devices serve as a bookend to what was essentially a highlight for a lot of people during the 2000s, which was portable music. MP3 player were such a big deal back then and the iPod was the holy grail of that. However, portable music devices are also our phones. Essentially, what used to be a separate music player is now integrated into a smart device. Be it a tablet or a smartphone, rest assured that the device can play music. That being an option, separate devices might seem cumbersome. It does show a trend however of the all-in-one device. But, that is a discussion for another time. These devices are still available though through a number of retailers like amazon.com. For now though, I simply want to listen to the songs I listened to on my old iPod Shuffle.
