Apple has announced it will stop producing its iPod Touch. The announcement signals the end of the road for a device that has had an enormous influence on contemporary music listening habits.
iPod Touch was the last iPod model on the market. The remaining iPod Touches will be available for purchase via the Apple website and Apple stores, as well as authorised resellers, until sold out.
The iPod was launched in 2001, when Steve Jobs was CEO of Apple. It wasn’t the first mp3 player on the market, but Jobs wanted to make iPods simpler to user than other portable music players. Apple’s engineers also wanted to maximise storage capacity without making the players big and clunky.
The classic iPod model was updated several times over the years. Various other models were launched, including the Mini, Nano and Shuffle. The iPod Touch emerged in 2007, resembling the Apple iPhone with its touchscreen-controlled user interface. In addition to playing music, iPod Touches can be used as cameras, web browsers and instant messaging devices.
Responding to the news of the iPod’s discontinuation, Apple’s senior vice-president of worldwide marketing, Greg Joswiak, called the iPod “a pocket-sized revolution that transformed the music industry and brought happiness to millions.”
