So long, iPod. You’ll be missed.

Today, Apple announced the discontinuation of the last available iPod, the seventh-generation iPod touch (introduced in May 2019).

It is the end of an era. Those who know me, at this point, are probably expecting a long-winded tirade about how Apple is leaving behind yet another important piece of its history, that it’s just another money-making tactic to drive the sales of iPhones and HomePods, whatever.

You’re going to be disappointed. For the way a lot of people consume music today (yes, I chose consume purposefully), a device like the iPod touch doesn’t make much sense anymore. In fact, I’m genuinely surprised the iPod touch has lasted this long under Cook’s administration.

The iPod has been around for little more than 20 years, which is a very respectable milestone for a device that truly changed the way people listen to music, and managed to maintain its interestingness and fun factor by morphing into different shapes over the years. It was probably the first Apple device to be loved both by die-hard Apple fans and non-Apple users. Our household is full of iPods, which both I (a long-time Apple user) and my wife (a long-time non-Apple user) have enjoyed over the years. My first iPod was a 10 GB third-generation model I purchased in 2003. My wife’s first iPod was a 4 GB blue iPod mini (2004). The hard drives of these two iPods both failed a few years ago, but I managed to upgrade them by using CompactFlash cards, so now my third-generation iPod has 16 GB of storage, and the mini has 8 GB. They still have their original batteries and on a full charge they still last about 2–3 hours of non-continuous playback.

The first-generation iPod touch has a special place in our household. When the first iPhone was introduced, it wasn’t available in many countries outside the US. I had to wait until September 2008 to get my first iPhone, and it was the iPhone 3G. But the first-generation iPod touch, launched in 2007, was indeed available here in Europe, and so when my brother-in-law gifted it to my wife, it was our very first hands-on experience with the Multi-touch interface and the operating system of the iPhone.

The iPod shuffle and the nano were two other lines we’ve loved and still love a lot: I have a second- and third-generation shuffle, a third- and a seventh-generation nano; my wife has two second-generation shuffle models, and a sixth- and seventh-generation nano. And my brother-in-law has even an iPod Hi-Fi.

Today, like many other people, my family enjoys music on mobile devices mainly via streaming services (Spotify, in our case); and yet, we still use these smaller iPods when out and about. And here comes the only point I wanted to make with this brief piece.

As I said at the beginning, a device like the iPod touch is rather redundant for the way we consume music nowadays. However, I think a device like the iPod shuffle still makes a lot of sense. Its main characteristics, what made it an ingenious and very successful device back then, still make it an interesting and appealing device today:

Its size and weight

Its design: the iPod shuffle is effectively an unobtrusive, wearable device

Its lack of UI and the concept of filling it with songs you then listen to randomly (or in sequence, if you prefer)

Its low price

Listening to music with an iPod shuffle is still (and can still be) a fun experience. You can create the digital equivalent of a mixtape, load it on your shuffle, clip the shuffle to your shirt/jeans/jacket, and then you can go out and listen to music without even having to touch the device, unless you need to change volume or skip a track. It’s basically a hands-free device that disappears on you. If Apple made a new iPod shuffle with Bluetooth, the invisibility factor would be even higher, since you wouldn’t even have the earphones’ cable around you to remind you that you are wearing an iPod. It would still be a nice device for commuting, or jogging, or during a workout.

Sure, you might say that these uses are now taken over by the Apple Watch or other smartwatches, but for an Apple Watch you’ll pay a minimum of $199 up to more than $1,000. An iPod shuffle would be a $50 device. If you’re a casual user who just wants to have some music while out and about, jogging, etc., and don’t use a smartwatch, a little wearable device like the iPod shuffle could still be your cup of tea. But maybe wanting from today’s Apple a fun, inexpensive, wearable, colourful device is asking too much. Here, have an AirTag instead.