Apple to pull plug on iPod?
Apple makes the most sought after gadgets on the planet, but they may be about to pull the plug on one that helped get the revolution rolling.
Classic is just another way to say outdated.
Rumor has it that the iPod Classic (and iPod Shuffle) may be discontinued.
Apple sells millions of iPods, but the Classic and Shuffle don’t have touchscreens, which are the interface of the present and future.
CNET’s Crave gadget blog notes there’s no mention of iPod news in the upcoming Oct. 4 Apple press conference, where details of the iPhone 5 will be announced.
The iPod first appeared 10 years ago … a long time in tech circles … and Apple would rather folks buy an iPhone (or iTouch) than an iPod, which contributed a mere 8 percent of the company’s revenue.
Crave has a great Steve Jobs quote: ”Just get rid of the crappy stuff and focus on the good stuff.”
The iPod Classic can hold 120 gigabytes of music … which I think is really good, but probably not enough to keep it from going the way of the Walkman.
What about the iPhone 5? It is speculated to have …
* A bigger screen
* A new teardrop shape
* An aluminum ‘unibody’
* A dual-core 1.2 ghz processor
* Angel wings (just kidding)
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47 comments Add your comment
JoeV
September 30th, 2011
12:02 pm
Records suck ass. Digital music is pure and clean. Records, lol.
Drew
September 30th, 2011
12:04 pm
Jd’s a troll.
Fred
September 30th, 2011
12:09 pm
Time marches on, everyone. I can already hear future fetishists crying that hard drives sound better…
Mr. Brooks
September 30th, 2011
12:17 pm
Get busy living, or get busy dying.
Say What???
September 30th, 2011
12:22 pm
The more I read posts to the AJC the more I just shake my head…
First of all, Apple is a business. And as a business, they exist to make money. Just like you and I, the more money they can make, the better. In order to make money, they sell products. Now, if the capital they spend to make one type of product has a significantly smaller return than the capital they spend to make other types of products, it makes sense for them to discontinue the less profitable product and spend that capital on the more profitable items. Its not like they decided that they want to tick off all of the loyal users so they just discontinue ipods. Its a business decision.
Compare that to what Bank of America announced yesterday – they will now begin charging $5 per month if you use a debit card. That was a business decision that they made to make up for a lost revenue stream when the goverment caps what they can charge for overdrafts. Its not that they want to tick off their customers, they made a decision that enough customers will accept the additional fee to offset the loss of any customers who defect due to that decision. Will that be a wise business choice? We shall see… As for me, I am leaving BOA to find another finaicial institution who has decided that they don’t want to see any customers leave due to an ATM usage fee.
Same thing happen a few months ago with NetFlix. So far, it looks like that company made the wrong decision, but only time will tell.
Fact Checker
September 30th, 2011
12:31 pm
Apple does not make a product called the “iTouch.” Why all the colloquialisms?
Lindsey
September 30th, 2011
12:46 pm
Hope that is not true, I love my iPod Shuffle, it’s small enough that I can clip it on and go running
bmoney
September 30th, 2011
2:38 pm
If you already own an Ipod classic or Shuffle, what’s the issue? It’s not like you can upgrade either w/ new software.
Mark
October 4th, 2011
7:54 am
@technugs the iPod classic has a 120gb hard drive, used to be offered in 80gb & 160gb models. Still plenty of space for most music collections. @ born with a tan you could transfer your entire vinyl collection to an iPod and listen to music outside of your house!
t
October 4th, 2011
8:19 am
Android fan here…..keep your apples.