Apple to declare its most popular gadget OBSOLETE this month! Goodbye iPods

Apple to declare its iPod obsolete by the end of September 2022. The iPod was discontinued earlier this year.

Apple iPod to be declared as obsolete by end of September. (Apple)

Not long ago, Apple brought an end to its most popular product ever – the iPod. In a world where music streaming rules on mobile devices, Apple's iPod made almost no sense to exist as a separate device, and Apple eventually pulled the plug off the seventh generation iPod Touch. However, the iPod Touch 7th Gen is getting software support and Apple will not deliver the iOS 16 update on this last ever iPod model. For owners of some older iPod models, there's more bad news – Apple could be declaring some of them obsolete.

Based on a report from MacRumours, it is said that Apple is planning to declare some of the older generations of the iPod nano and iPod Touch obsolete. In a memo sent to authorised service providers, Apple has apparently said that the late 2012 iPod Shuffle, the seventh-generation iPod Nano and the fifth-generation iPod Touch will be marked as obsolete devices from September 30.

iPods to be declared obsolete by Apple

The iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle were discontinued long ago in 2017, and the iPod Touch 7th Gen was the sole surviving model until 2022, when Apple eventually pulled the plug. Apple currently makes or sells no iPod models.

While the iPod exists no more, Apple itself has shifted its focus to the streaming services model with Apple Music for a few years now. Apple's marketing chief Greg Joswiak had said while announcing the discontinuation of the iPod that the “spirit of iPod lives on across other Apple products, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and HomePod mini. ”

In fact, the iPhone is one of the biggest reasons why the iPod exists no more. While launching the iPhone back in 2007, Apple's Steve Jobs had described the iPhone as a combination of a widescreen iPod, an internet communicator, and a phone. When your iPhone can do the same functions as an iPod, why would you invest extra on a device for your music needs?

Speaking of obsolete Apple products, the upcoming iOS 16 update is ending software support for the iPhone 6S, iPhone SE 1st Generation, and the iPhone 7 series. The iPhone 8 and iPhone X will be the oldest iPhone models in the market to get the latest iOS 16 update.

Did You Know?

The iPod Touch 7th Generation was largely the same as its predecessor, except for the chipset used. Apple had given the iPod Touch the A10 Fusion chip from the iPhone 7 and offered it as an entry level iOS device without the phone functionality.