Apple to Discontinue iPod Shuffle and Classic October 4th?

[Wiley John Wright]

It was a good run while it lasted, but it looks like it’s the end of the road for the beloved iPod Shuffle and iPod Classic. According to a new report coming out of TUAW, Apple will be discontinuing these models in the near future. The ax will likely fall on October 4 at the iPhone Special Event.

The rumored demise of the iPod Classic is hardly a new rumor, however. The iPod Classic was said to be retiring last year as well, but Apple chose to keep it in the lineup for another season.

The iPod Classic did not see any sort of upgrade last year during Apple’s fall iPod rollout. Apple may have been reluctant to retire the venerable iPod classic due to the iconic nature of the product. Now that Tim Cook is leading the company, Apple may feel that the time is right to set it out to pasture.

The iPod classic has its roots in the very first iPod model that Apple released nearly ten years ago. It has seen six generations of design improvements over the years and is the last iPod model to utilize a hard disc drive to store media.

The iPod Shuffle has seen many changes over the years. It could be argued that Apple perfected their smallest iPod when the second-generation model was released back in 2006. However, Apple chose to go with an extremely minimalist design for the third-generation model that, while technically impressive, was hardly user-friendly. The fourth and possibly final iPod Shuffle saw the return of physical buttons with a design similar to the second-generation model.

iPod sales have been on the decline for some time now, as many people prefer listening to music on their smartphones instead of a dedicated MP3 player. CNET’s iPod Sales Chart shows a strong upturn in iPod sales just after Christmas year to year, but demand is substantially lower during the rest of the year.

So if you’re in the market for a new iPod and you’ve been eyeing a Shuffle or Classic model, you might want to buy one sooner rather than later. Apple usually drops products from the Apple Store once new models have been released. Of course, retailers such as Amazon will probably keep selling them for years to come.

We’ll find out more on October 4th. Rest in Peace old friends.



Source: TUAW

[bigliquid530]

I still use my 1st gen shuffle still holds charge and everything

[jose060789]

Man, my black 80GB iPod Video is still in working condition after all these years. It makes me feel sad that the original iPod will cease to exist now that most people have iPod touches and iPhones these days.

R.I.P. iPod Classic and all the other iPods before it.

[The Man of Sand]

Will this increase the value of a shuffle then?

[MetallicaFan1991]

Hmm I should get a iPod Classic, my iPod Video is still working but 30GB is too small now.

[iSteed]

I still love my iPod video 30g. I've had it forever

[Ipodjunkie85]

I have and iPhone 3GS, a 120gig classic and a 3 gen shuffle. Shuffle for walking and classic is like a music database for house and car.

[RICO_]

Will this increase the value of a shuffle then?

No.

[raduga]

No.

is $49 -> Priceless
a net increase or decrease?

[albey20]

So I'm thinking, what if Apple kill the ipod touch and make it a cheaper iphone?

[santatution]

What about the Nano and the Touch? I got my iPod classic the day after Christmas in 2009 and it still works.

[PathKiller29]

Lame... Can't discontinue a classic
I love the old iPod design...the wheel was the sickest feature of the whole damn thing

[feidhlim1986]

The current shuffle is kinda pointless with the current nano so makes sense to kill it.As for the Classic I think they'll keep it, there's still plenty people who want to have large storage in their music player.

[The Man of Sand]

Lame... Can't discontinue a classic
I love the old iPod design...the wheel was the sickest feature of the whole damn thing

I agree, my first iPod was a shuffle, and I loved that thing, but when my parents first said I was getting an iPod, I was wishing it would have a wheel. To me, the clicker wheel is the symbol of apple, not the touchscreen

[Anthony Bouchard]

I wouldn't mind much. It seems Apple is swaying more toward iOS devices anyhow so iPods have been losing more and more support as it is. I don't personally own any generic iPods - only the touch.