Apple Is Quietly Phasing Out the iPod Touch

After a storied 20 year history of popularizing MP3 players and eventually being eclipsed by smartphones, it looks like Apple is getting ready to say goodbye to the iPod.

In a somewhat vague (and saccharine) news post, Apple reminisces about the story of the original iPod through today's iPod Touch and implies things are coming to an end. Or more specifically, Apple is indicating that iPod Touch production has halted, and what's currently stocked is all that remains.

“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," said Apple’s senior VP of Worldwide Marketing, Greg Joswiak, in the announcement, “Today, the spirit of iPod lives on. We’ve integrated an incredible music experience across all of our products, from the iPhone to the Apple Watch to HomePod mini, and across Mac, iPad, and Apple TV."

The implication from Joswiak and the news itself is that the music-listening experience provided by the iPod Touch is pretty much available on Apple's other more commonly-used products. All contemporary iPhones and iPads can play music from a variety of sources, have access to Apple Music, and can connect with AirPods. You can use the Apple Watch (paired with AirPods) for an even more portable musical experience, or use your Mac or get a HomePod mini for more stationary purposes. With so many other popular options—some of which are also more affordable—there may not be a need to keep the iPod going at this point.

For now you can still find an iPod Touch for sale on Apple's website, in physical Apple stores, and at other online or brick-and-mortar retailers, starting at $199. Though Apple was very clear to state that it'll only be available "while supplies last," which could be for a while yet if most people are still primarily using other devices for their music listening.