Apple’s audio player, the iPod, has been discontinued.

The iPod, a pocket-sized music player, sold tens of millions of devices per year when it was at its peak.
By AFP
May 11, 2022
In this undated photo, a person is holding an iPod. — AFP/File
In this undated photo, a person is holding an iPod. — AFP/File

PARIS: At its peak, the iPod, a pocket-sized music player, sold tens of millions of devices each year, assisting Apple in conquering the world and changing the music industry.

But that was in the mid-2000s, which seems like an eternity in the tech business. The US computer company revealed on Tuesday that it was ceasing manufacture after 21 years because to falling sales.

Clearly, this was one of Apple’s devices that “totally revolutionised our lives,” according to Francisco Jeronimo of research firm IDC.

Under the hashtag “iPod RIP,” social media was flooded with heartfelt tributes.

entrepreneur Anil Dash tweeted, “Noooo, iPod touch, you were too pure for this world!”

“Goodnight, prince charming. “You will not be forgotten,” Apple fan Federico Viticci tweeted.

In 2001, the device promised to “place 1,000 music in your pocket.”

It wasn’t inexpensive at $400.

However, its 5GB of storage outperformed the competition, its mechanical wheel became instantly recognisable, and it enabled a continuous stream of music independent of traditional albums.

Prices dropped, storage capacity expanded, colours and models multiplied, and sales skyrocketed in the years after that.