It's the end of an era: Apple is at long last discontinuing the iPod Touch, a dedicated music player that you might be surprised to learn still exists. Well, it will soon no longer.
Apple announced Tuesday that it will discontinue production of its iconic device, with the remaining stock only available "while supplies last." For many, the iPod touch specifically was an entryway to Apple's wider ecosystem. I took my first selfies blasting the Katy Perry classic "California Gurls" through wired earbuds (which are apparently cool again).
“Music has always been part of our core at Apple, and bringing it to hundreds of millions of users in the way iPod did impacted more than just the music industry — it also redefined how music is discovered, listened to, and shared,” Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak said in a statement announcing the iPod's death. “Today, the spirit of iPod lives on."
The iPod debuted in 2001, and it changed everything. The massive iPod Classic and its iconic clickwheel gave way to smaller models, like the iPod Shuffle and Nano, and then iPod touch, the first iPod with a touchscreen. While other devices existed that let you carry around your MP3 collection, the iPod quickly became ubiquitous for the ease with which you could buy songs and add them to the device.
But although it was once innovative to be able to listen to music on a dedicated portable device, now that smartphones and music streaming services exist, the need for an iPod is no more, and the iPod Touch's death was inevitable. The Classic was discontinued in 2014, while the Shuffle and Nano models were put to rest in 2017.
"This thing changed the music game forever. RIP, " one user posted on Twitter. "The music... the games... the memories all gone," tweeted another.
If you are feeling nostalgic for the old days of the iPod, you can still get one on Apple's website. Or you can scroll the likes of eBay and Craigslist, where ample amounts of the iPod Classics and Touches are still for sale.