Is the iPod line continuing a slow march to the grave?
Time marches on for Apple. Shortly after Monday’s WWDC keynote, the company revamped the top banner of its site to replace the iPod section with the new Apple Music streaming service.
That doesn’t mean the iPod is dead just yet. You can still purchase the iPod touch, iPod nano, and iPod shuffle directly from Apple’s site. But removing the iPod name from the top banner continues to signal that Apple is depending less and less on the product line.
Apple’s revamped site featuring the top sidebar with Apple Music.
Back in September, after unveiling the iPhone 6 line and Apple Watch, the original iPod Classic was quietly retired. It was first introduced in 2001, and helped propel Apple’s fantastic run that continues today.
The most powerful and popular member of the line – the iPod touch – hasn’t been updated since late 2012 and features an antiquated A5 processor and a relatively small 4-inch screen. Prices start at $199 for a 16GB version. A 32GB edition is $249 while the largest 64GB variant is $50 more.
And for just a little more, buyers could easily purchase an iPad mini 2 with an up-to-date processor and other better features.
I suspect that the entire iPod line could be phased out shortly. The new Apple Watch, with its wireless music playback capabilities, could easily be positioned to be the iPod of the future.
For other news today, see: Buy a latte and get Monument Valley for free at Starbucks, 10 educational apps you haven’t used before, but should, Should you upgrade to Apple’s iOS 9 or OS X El Capitan?
