The iPod music player, a product that was once the definition of tech coolness, rode off into the sunset on Tuesday. The last iPod nano and iPod shuffle models went on Apple’s list of obsolete products, which means the classic iPod lineup officially obsolete.
The music player that transformed Apple and the worldwide music culture will no longer be supported or serviced by Apple. It’s the end of an era.
The same is true for iPhone 6.
iPod music player goes obsolete
Launched in 2001, the iPod revolutionized the music industry and helped make the MP3 ubiquitous. Hailed as a “21st-century Walkman,” it’s hard to underestimate the iPod’s cultural significance in the first decade of the century. Ads with silhouetted dancers with white earbuds plugged into iPods were seemingly everywhere. But that was decades ago, and the world has changed. Apple acknowledged that Tuesday.
While Cupertino doesn’t abandon aging products, it can’t keep supporting them forever, either. And time is up for the seventh-generation iPod nano and fourth-gen iPod shuffle from 2015. They joined Apple’s list of obsolete products, which means they can no longer get service from authorized repair providers.
With this move, there are no more iPod dedicated music players not labeled obsolete. To be clear, there are three iPod touch models not on the obsolete list, but with its large touchscreen, this device had a design radically different from other iPods. It is more of an iPhone without the phone — it can play music, but it’s equally good at web browsing, games, email, etc.
Apple products go vintage then obsolete
A couple of years before going obsolete, Apple labels products as vintage. The 12-inch MacBook from 2017 joined earned that badge on Tuesday, as did the iPad 6.
Apple products are classified as vintage five years after they were last manufactured. Vintage products can still get serviced by Apple and authorized service providers, but that’s “subject to parts availability,” according to Apple.
After two more years, products are labeled obsolete, which is the end of the line for authorized repairs. “Apple discontinues all hardware service for obsolete products, and service providers cannot order parts for obsolete products,” notes the Mac-maker.
