In September 2010 Apple introduced the latest iPod Touch and iPod Shuffle, once again paving the way and setting an example for portable music players. But since then, we’ve heard nill. The iPod was launched by Apple in 2001, and quickly became the product that the company would become most known for. It was their flagship product for a decade, and then what? In 2011 Apple sold over 40 million units of the iPod in its many forms, after having just recently added a retina display and front facing FaceTime camera to  the iPod Touch, granted in that same year, they sold twice as many iPhones. But why haven’t we seen so much as an update to the classic? It seems Apple is very quietly killing it off. With the iOS 5 update last year, the snuck in an unmentioned yet noticeable change. The app titled “iPod†that had come with every iPhone and iPad was changed to two separate apps entitled “Music†and “Videos.â€
Similar to the widely loved if only for nostalgia Mac Pro, the iPod line, even the classic, hasn’t had a hardware update in years. But somehow hope can be retained, as today we saw the Mac Pro get a small update at the WWDC. A few things that we have to realize, is that Apple makes some serious money. On top of that, they have always been good at focusing on what works, and ditching what doesn’t. Perhaps the world of touch screens has eliminated the want for iPods with buttons? Non-sense. For years, even alongside the iPhone and iPod Touch, the iPod line provided a cost effective way to get your hands on a quality music player from Apple, without having to shell out for a phone, or a large, easily broken, iPod Touch. But even the most modern sibling in the family tree is getting cut, as today we found out that iOS 6 is dropping support for the 3rd Generation iPod Touch, as well as the original iPad. Well, as nostalgic as one may want to be, there is an answer to all of this. Here is a chart showing iPod sales as a percent of Apple’s total revenue.
See the trend?
If the new Mac Pro is any indication, perhaps we’ll see Apple find the extra time to put out a new music player, because the fact of the matter is, no matter what you want to call it, Apple no longer makes (new) music only devices. They stopped in 2010, and not even a rumor since.  Until then, go dig your old iPods out of the closet, and remember the first time you took them out of their boxes.
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