Earlier today, Apple released a refreshed iPod touch with a faster processor, improved cameras, and new color and storage options. The iPod shuffle and nano also saw minor refreshes with the two devices now being available in dark blue, pink, and gold variations. Apple’s overdue iPod refresh, however, has prompted many users to wonder if it’s even worth it for Apple to continue investing energy and time into the iPod line of products.
Seth noted earlier today that it seems Apple is very much still interested in the iPod touch market, but not so much the nano and shuffle arena. With that said, various signs point to the possibility that the iPod line as a whole is running on fumes. The Apple Watch, as prices decrease with generation updates, presents a viable alternative to the nano and shuffle, while the decreasing price of previous generation iPads are eating away at the iPod touch market. Not to mention today’s updates were the first to come to the iPod touch since 2012 and that the updates were announced via a press release. iPod refreshes used to have their own fall event.
What do you think? Should Apple kill off the iPod lineup of products or should it continue investing time and energy into its evolution? Take the poll below and let us know more of your thoughts in the comments.
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I use the iPod Shuffle every day. It’s the best for working out with based on it’s small size. And you don’t have to worry about interruptions vis text or phone calls. Just clip it on and go, no special case needed either. Only downside is that the battery in the unit only lasts for about 2 years before it won’t take a charge. I am on my third shuffle unit now.
I don’t see why they want to kill the nano or the shuffle. I use the nano for my runs, I’m not going to run an hour+ with an ipod in my pocket. I wish i still had my 6th gen nano, that thing was solid. Rode in a thunderstorm one time and it never stopped playing. That 7th gen will cut off after 7 min in the rain.
ipod touch*
I think the iPhone is going to extinguish the iPod Touch, the Apple Watch is eventually going to kill the smaller iPods like the Shuffle and Nano. Because I see a future when people will just buy iPhones and Apple Watches and so not a single iPod will still be of use. Maybe the Shuffle will survive because it is so small you could loose it even when it’s in hour hand. But still, I think in the not too distant future Apple will kill all iPods because the sales will drop to just 10x the amount of music players Samsung sells :p
applegetridofsimandjack:
Why even bring up another business to try and make a point in a conversation in which they haven’t even been mentioned and have absolutely nothing at all to do with it?
You’re better than that :)
Doesn’t the watch do that too? (Yes) And more? (Fitness monitoring, etc) And better? (Bluetooth, etc)
The big difference would be that the Shuffle cost $49 and the Apple Watch starts at $349. And you don’t have to buy an iPhone 6 or buy wireless headphones.
I use Apple Watch now for my workouts. But iPod is the best for kids, with iPad. My sister doesn’t have a phone, but she has an iPod, and loves it. :-)
Make the Nano and Shuffle one product. Or just kill off the Nano entirely.
Update the Touch inline with iPhone hardware every other year as an entry-level device.
sounds about right. the touch hooks kids into the iPhone a couple of years before they can be trusted to have one – it’s a gateway drug! they’d be nuts to get rid of that.
And yeah, the other two could surely be rationalised.
Maybe the new Apple TV needs a powerful iOS device if you want to play games and use it as a console…
I think the reason why Apple doesn’t update the iPod line every year anymore is because the iPods will slowly be fased out completely, just like the Classic.
Also, Apple has released these all new iPods without announcing them during some Apple Event, nope, it was just like a little spec bump in the Mac line-up… Nothing special.
The declining sales also show that the iPod line is dying, and it’s all because of the iPhone’s success, not because the iPods are not good enough products because they are still absolutely awesome.
Well it’s also cheaper to just gift your kids the old iPhones as iPods
No SIM’s marketshare gets bigger every year. ;)
The iPod touch has been a great device for developers to test their software without having to spend 3x as much to get the “low end” iPhone. It might make sense for Apple to keep it as a “gateway” device to introduce people to the Apple ecosystem. Unlike the iPod Nano, the iPod Touch opens the user to the wider world of apps and cloud services. It makes sense to keep such a device around for developers and new users to test the waters.
They could offer it in a developer only store, but still remove it from public sale.
The Ipod touch gives me ‘cheap’ access to the appstore etc without the anchor of being tied into a ball busting iphone contract.
I don’t think it should be killed off. This update/refresh should renew the interest of a younger generation or consumer looking for an easy way into the iOS ecosystem. Apple could do without the shuffle and nano though.
I understand why posts like this exist, but I just don’t think it should be killed. Yes, Apple make more in the margins alone on 1 iPhone than they do with the total price of an iPod.. but the iPod is loved by people that use them.
My little bro, nieces and nephews all have iPod Touches!
I just don’t want Apple to kill a legacy; not yet anyway.
It’s not about margins. It’s about volume. Apple sells 2m/quarter for all of their iPods. iPhone/quater? 73m. It’s just too small of a market for Apple to care.
What does Apple expect? They do zero promotion of the iPods. Most people probably don’t they still exist.
Unless you scroll to the buttom of the music tab section of the site or are shopping the online store you would never find the iPods.
I think iPod is a great introductory device into apple world. My first apple device was iPod Nano, then Touch. Now I’m deep into their eco-system with an iPhone and Mac and I probably wouldn’t be if it wasn’t for iPod.
PS. can sbd please tell me how apple watch can be an alternative to a nano or shuffle?
Just bring back the iPod classic with increased storage and no camera.
Make iPod classic with a 4k camera and 1TB of storage
Interesting… would make it a great GoPro competitor.
May be the this new ipod touch will become base for iphone 6C or whatever you want to call. Just take this ipod touch casing and put cellular,NFC and touch id/apple pay and you got new iphone that replaces iphone 5S.
More like “after today’s updates, what lies ahead for the iPhone”
If an iPod touch body can handle the iPhone 6 internals then I have a lot more hope for a new 4″ iPhone. Just slap LTE in it and It’d be a great device to take over the iPhone 5s’ spot this fall.
I too would love to get a smaller iPhone again. This iPhone6 is way too large for me. If they release a 4″ screen iPhone again I’ll stand in line for that one.
The shuffle should be a fully sealed aluminum button with a clip and waterproof (wired) earbuds. The top edge should be identified by a slight serration. All inputs should be taps or swipes on the smooth featureless face. Perfect for workouts and necessary as part of the Apple music ecosystem. A Bluetooth version about the same size with a screen (the new nano) could be an interesting entry point into the apple watch world at ~$79.. No competition for the ” real” watch because there would be no sensors and only basic apps. At this price, you could have a few in different colors.
Tired of narrow minded techo’s views on the worth of the iPod. I’m a swimmer and have a H2O waterproof iPod Shuffle case that attaches to my goggles. I’ll definitely be updating my shuffle. There are many instances when an iPhone or Appke Watch simply aren’t practical, or are useless. Thankfully Apple run Apple, and make decisions on need and sales data.
I could see the iPod touch entering into a new market… say HD video recording to compete with some of the other devices in that sector. It’s an area where Apple hasn’t really even entered and the iPod could fill this niche nicely. Keep at least the nano there for a music/workout alternative phasing out the shuffle (or the other way around) and continue to improve the hardware of the Touch.
Here’s an idea: iPod touch with Facetime Audio, and turn it into a Wifi-only, cellphone for kids. Assign them their own telephone numbers with parental controls. Gives Apple a lower cost, gateway machine to get kids into the ecosystem before their parents are willing to invest in an iPhone.
The only reason I suspect this might not work is that I see more and more 3rd graders going to school with iPhones. Yes, iPhones. Third graders now have a better phone than I do…
I cringe when I see all the kids in Elementary School with iPhones. Chaperoned a field trip and half the students on the bus had one. Personally, I think it’s about keeping up with the Joneses. I explained to my kids the true cost of a data plan and made them wait. After 3 years of earning straight A’s in Middle School, my son received an iPhone 6 64GB for his birthday and will have it entering high school. And he knows what the full cost of the phone, AppleCare, replacement and repair costs are so he’s very responsible in protecting it. You have to teach kids to respect the value of a dollar and the difference between wants and needs. Both kids started with iPod Touches, and my youngest will be waiting several more years for her first phone. But it’s the schools that are also the problem. Middle School teachers would tell kids to take a picture of the whiteboard for homework or would text test reminders, etc.
Why not look at the iPod touch like another category instead of making it an iPhone minus cellular capabilities. Give it the 6 Plus screen and tweak the performance to make it gamer/media beast. Those users aren’t going to be worried about all day battery so over clock the cpu. You might have more serious gamers owning a iPhone & touch.
Based on the update it got it doesn’t seem like Apple is interested in doing much with it. They gave it an A8 processor so they could forget about it. It will hang around for iOS 9 and 10 and then probably be killed off. They made no changes to the nano (software UI is still iOS 6 style) or the shuffle so I see those getting killed in a few years too.
My work uses ipod touches for our inventory system, so I think they still have a purpose in the enterprise.
Even at only $49 the profit margin on the shuffle is probably pretty hefty. It may not be a cash cow, but it’s still making cash. No reason to kill it. Same probably applies for the nano. Maybe just scale back production to a trickle but keep producing them.
I think that the iPod should remain in the market, because it is a great gateway device into iOS, I know that when I have children, that they won’t be having an iPhone, or any cellphone until they are old enough and responsible enough, like 14 years old or older. If they want a device earlier, I would get them an iPod.
Time and energy? $70B buys plenty of both. If people are buying them, make them.
I think they should simply put the iPod into the earphones. Wireless sync up a playlist, right from your iPad/iPhone/laptop/desktop, and go out for a run.
As a father of two I see a reason for an iPod to exist in today’s marketplace. That being said, I don’t believe the iPod line needs to stay or even have the device being called iPod anymore. For kids there is a sweet spot that hasn’t really been hit by Apple just yet. They obviously are touting gaming on the new iPod’s splash screen and have been doing so for years. I could see a single iPod sized around 4.7-5 inch displays to better compete with the Nintendo 3DS XL and PS Vita becoming THE iPod and the nano being dropped after Apple Watch 2.
I have a Ipod Nano because it has FM capabilities and I can bring it to baseball games. I can only wish that Apple would put that great capabilities to the Iphone, so that I don’t have to buy the Nano.
I think that the iPod should be one of those “limited” products. Basically, update them every 2-3 years, but don’t make a big push towards them. With Apple Music, Spotify, and Pandora, the iPod Nano and Shuffle serve nearly no purpose. Sure, a cool product during its time, but it would be like if Microsoft still made and sold the Zune. No one is going to buy it, so don’t make a big deal about it if you want to keep it alive.
The basic functions of the iPods Shuffle and the Nano are now covered by the Watch, so I think Apple will eventually discontinue those models.
Regarding the iPod Touch, it’s clear that, after such a huge update, Apple wants to keep it aroud for a while as the cheaper gateway for its Apple Music service for non iPhone users (And the lack of support of Apple Music on the “new” Nanos and Shuffles might also point to the end of the road for those models).
I personally love the iPod Shuffle from its first iterations as a design item, so small and clever, and I would hate to see it go away.
But times changes so fast that a dedicated non-screened music player makes little sense nowadays (except for excercising, but then again, Apple would want you to get a Watch for that).
Maybe I’ll get a gold Shuffle as a collection item just in case they go away soon, since I love my Apple Watch so far.
There’s still demand, albeit small, but what the iPod line does do it keep people in the Apple ecosystem especially those younger children who may get given iPods as gifts who then want to graduate to iPads and iPhones as they get older.
The reason I voted no is because although the iPhone is a better choice for many reasons, parents that want to give their children a device without that hassle of them having an actual phone will find the iPod to be a perfect choice.
The iPod touches greatest advantage is no contract. I rarely use a cell phone but want the connivence of a pocket computer. If I go to the pub for a few pints i have a virtual iPhone because of the free wi-fi. An iPad mini is just too big.
iPod Touch is getting more and more interesting as a cheap VOIP wifi phone.
I am working for a large Hospitality Company & we order a great Number of iPod touch 16GB for our Workforce each year.
From the Room Attendant cleaning the Rooms & getting Status Updates which Room has to be cleaned next & reporting Issues to other Departments that need to be fixed before the next Hotel Guest occupies the Room.
To Security, receiving Notifications from the CCTV System about breaches or utilising the Camera as actual CCTV Camera in their Chest Pocket when approaching Suspects or taking Snapshots before removing Items from a Safe that was left locked by a departed Guest.
There are plenty of Workflow Management Companies that rely on iPod Touch Devices and it would be devastating to some Industries out there.
Apple does not need to pour Money into the outer shell design, keep it as it is and just update Specs (Processor & Camera) every now & then – since most Apps that we use are interfaced with a Cloud System anyway – so there is no need for large onboard Storage.
The Shuffle is a nice Gift
but the Nano with its proprietary OS
either needs an Update to iOS to make useful to a certain degree or should be scrapped, since the Baseline iPod Touch is a Bargain!
The iPad is not an alternative to the iPod. They’re completely different products for completely different purposes. The watch can kill the nano and shuffle, but the touch can only be killed by an entry level (with an entry level price) iPhone, which never existed so far.
It might make sense to kill the Nano since it doesn’t even run the same operating system, but the other two have distinct uses.
The iPod Touch is much less expensive than an iPhone and doesn’t require a data plan. It’s the perfect device for kids and allows them to become familiar with email, texting (Messages), using Calendar and Contacts in addition to it being a fantastic device for gaming and music. Not to mention, the Touch also does FaceTime over WiFi. The only thing I would change would be to increase the screen size to 4.7″ to match the iPhone 6.
The Shuffle is the perfect device to wear to the gym or to go on a run with. Despite having tried multiple armbands for iPhones I have owned (4, 5 and 6), I keep going back to my Shuffle for that purpose. Syne it with a gym playlist and don’t have to look at a screen to do anything. You could make the argument that the Apple Watch will replace the Shuffle, but the price difference is so far apart it wouldn’t be wise to kill it. At $49, it’s so cheap you can afford to buy different colors just as a fashion accessory.
They should not remove anyway of them. I’m using my iPod Shuffle pretty much everyday, specially when I’m doing sports, such as skiing. With my iPhone 4, I remember that the screen would freeze juste a little bit because of the cold outside or the battery would just died over the day. With my shuffle, I can easily use it for the hole day. I just keep it closed to me to keep it warm and voilà. No need to worried about the touch screen either to be used with my ski gloves.
Pair a Touch with Google Hangouts and you essentially have all the functionality of an iPhone minus GPS. Your own Number, Place and Receive calls and Send & Receive SMS/MMS.100% free.
Some time in the near future the watch will have cellular and then the iPod touch will use the watches cellular connection and turn it into an iPhone
clever
The iPod touch is for kids, who don’t need/shouldn’t have an iPhone yet. While it may be just as easy to give kids No-SIM, last gen iPhones….with this update to iPod touch it now makes more sense to buy them a new 16 GB model.
It might make financial sense to keep iPod – if only to be able to sell off excess component inventory
meh. Shuffle would interest me if it had 16 gb, Nano would interest me if it wasn’t on an outdated OS.
I’d like to get an iPhone in that blue though.
Saying functionality of iPhone makes iPod redundant might be true for many people (including me) but not everyone.
Main use of iPod touch is when cellular connection is not wanted/needed/allowed.Parents buying for young kids, work environments which don’t allow cellular (hospitals).
Apple will stop making it when people stop buying it.
How can I exercise with anything other than a Shuffle. It’s perfect for that. Right size, clip, can’t break it, no weight. Fabulous. Couch potatoes will vote no. The rest of us love it.
Of course not. Why try to impose your view?!?
Put Touch ID + Apple Pay to the iPod touch and you’ll have the wifiPhone!
They need a new iPod classic, thinner, lighter, 256gb memory, retina screen and a the pining good battery that lasts a week. They could even add a camera and make it a go pro competitor. A goPod. There’s a market for music lovers who just want a good sturdy MP3 player, add the camera function and you have yourself a travelers dream
i think a tiny device will always find its customer , tho I’m not sure there is a need for iPod touch , its literally for kids.
Or the touch can become the wifiPhone… with Touch ID and Apple Pay… no data plan!
You use FaceTime/iMessage and free wifi everywhere.
And, of course, it could be the kid’s wifiPhone! (OK, add GPS for parent’s tracking.)
Give the Nano a clip (6th Gen style) again and GPS/fitness tracking capabilities and you have yourself a solid little device that I would purchase in an instant.
I’d say no, they shouldn’t kill the iPod outright. They should however merge the iPod Shuffle and Nano lineup, possibly into a device that resembles the 6th Generation Nano which had a display in a form factor that was closer to the current Shuffle. I’d like that device to have wifi capabilities so it could have some access to Apple Music. Currently the Nano and Shuffle stand out from the iOS counterparts, so merging them and then bringing in some functionality such as Apple Music might help them integrate better with the lineup as well as better serve their role as music based devices.
Happy to see the Touch continue as is as a stripped down iOS device for the time being, and I’d certainly keep it around for a while after the Nano and Shuffle lines are discontinued as a cheap entry point to iOS, particularly for one where a data plan isn’t desired. I’d probably only kill it off if it was to release a new bridge device, possibly due to merging its capabilities and form factor with something resembling the iPad Mini (perhaps smaller than the current Mini, but larger than the current Touch).
Apple just won’t give up on the iPod, it saved their company once and it bought the iPhone and iPad to us. Why would they just kill it? Come on …
gimme back my click wheel. If your making a dedicated MP3 player you might as well give me physical controls I would rather buy a 5th gen nano over the new one still.