Final chorus for iPod when Apple stops production

Apple announced Tuesday that it no longer makes iPods, the trend-setting MP3 players that transformed the way people get music and gave rise to the iPhone.

The late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs introduced the devices nearly 21 years ago with his legendary showmanship, and the small, easy-to-operate players helped the company revolutionize the way music was sold.

It included “1,000 amazing songs,” the company said at the time, and together with Apple’s iTunes Store, established a new distribution model for the music industry.

Buying complete albums on vinyl gave way to paying 99 cents a piece for select digital songs.

Industry trackers and California-based Apple itself have long acknowledged that the do-it-all iPhone would kill off sales of one-trick devices like iPod MP3 players.

The trend toward streaming music services, including one from Apple, has made devices designed just to carry digital music less appealing to consumers.

Apple said in a blog post that the current generation of iPods will only be available while current supplies last.

“Music has always been part of our core at Apple, and bringing it to hundreds of millions of users in the way that iPod impacted more than just the music industry,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

“It also redefined how music is discovered, heard and shared.”

Joswiak said the “spirit of the iPod” lives on in its product lineup, including the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and its HomePod smart speaker.

“Since its introduction more than 20 years ago, the iPod has captivated users around the world who love the ability to take their music with them,” Apple said in a blog post.

“Today, the experience of bringing one’s music library to the world has been embedded across the entire Apple product line, from iPhone and Apple Watch to iPad and Mac.”

Additionally, the Apple Music subscription service provides streaming access to more than 90 million songs, the Silicon Valley giant said.

The iPod held on despite analysts’ concerns that the iPhone’s launch in 2007 would kill off demand, as smartphones offered much more than just digital music.

The news of the end of the iPod line prompted a series of sad and nostalgic posts on Twitter.

“Damn…low key, bit sad to see Apple officially discontinue the iPod as of today,” said a tweet fired from the verified @MrDalekJD account of a UK gaming YouTuber.

“This thing changed the music game forever. RIP.”

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© 2022 AFP