Filip Brož Have you ever tried asking people which device became their ticket to the world of Apple? Me many times and it's a shame I didn't make commas. Before the iPhone came along, it was clearly an iPod of some sort. The latter experienced its greatest era in 2008, when less than 55 million units were sold worldwide. However, interest has been declining since then, and Apple hasn't even released any numbers since 2015.
So the inevitable happened last week. Apple removed two devices from its portfolio - iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano. The last survivor of the iPod family is the Touch, which received a minor improvement.
I've personally used both iPods mentioned, and I still have the latest generation Nano in my collection. Internally though, I prefer the iPod Classic, which Apple deleted already in 2014. Classic belongs to the legend and for example I am not at all surprised that it plays an important role in the new movie Baby Driver. But let's get back to last week's dead.
The iPod Shuffle has been one of the smallest players from the iPod family since its inception and was the first to use flash memory in practice. The first Shuffle model was introduced by Steve Jobs on January 11, 2005 at the Macworld Expo. The Nano version followed in September of the same year. In those years, the iPhone existed only on paper and in the minds of its creators, so iPods played extra league. Both models significantly increased overall sales and reached new customers.
On the contrary, in recent years, none of them has received any improvement or at least a minor update. The last generation of the iPod Shuffle saw the light of day in September 2010. On the contrary, the last model of the iPod Nano was released in 2012. Just as I advised at the beginning that iPods have become the gateway to the Apple ecosystem for many people, try asking someone the second question. Would you buy an iPod Shuffle or Nano in 2017? And why, if so?
A miniature device for every pocket
The iPod Shuffle was among the smallest iPods of all. On its body you will find only the control wheel. No display. The Californian company released a total of four generations of this little guy. Interestingly, the capacity never exceeded 4 GB. The latest generation, which can still be found in some stores, has only 2 GB of memory. You can choose from five colors.
The little Shuffle has always been my ideal companion during sports. Not only me, but also many other users liked the practical clip, thanks to which the Shuffle can be attached practically anywhere on the body. Klipsna was only available from the second generation. The Shuffle weighs only 12,5 grams and does not get in the way anywhere. It will certainly still find a place for many, but at the same time we can now find a lot of similarities with the Apple Watch. A miniature device that can play music.
I wear my Apple Watch from morning to night, but there are times when I still prefer to take it off. Apart from staying at home, this is mainly in physically demanding situations, for example when moving or when I last painted the apartment and laid the floor. While I have faith that the Watch would survive, sometimes I might prefer to stick the iPod Shuffle in my pocket, put on some headphones, and be quiet. But it is clear that the Watch is already somewhere else.
The smallest iPod is perfect for the gym or for sports in general, where someone just wants to listen to music and doesn't need to buy a smart watch right away. I'm not saying the Shuffle is an everyday device, but I would definitely use it here and there. I regret selling it years ago and am thinking of going to the store to get another one before it goes off the shelves completely.
If you're on the fence, maybe the January 2005 keynote where the iPod Shuffle introduces Steve Jobs as One More Thing will motivate you. I don't know about you, but it's still a very emotional event for me.
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For more demanding listeners
As I mentioned, shortly after the Shuffle, Apple introduced the Nano version. It continued the iPod Mini concept, which was very popular among people. Unlike the Shuffle, the Nano had a display from the start and the first generation was produced with a capacity of one, two and four gigabytes. There was only a black and white version. Other colors did not come until the second generation. The third generation, on the other hand, was very similar to the Classic, but with smaller dimensions and a lower capacity - only 4 GB and 8 GB.
For the fourth generation, Apple returned to the original portrait orientation. Probably the most interesting was the 5th generation, which was equipped with a video camera on the back. Paradoxically, it was not possible to take classic pictures. FM radio was also a novelty. The sixth generation then seemed to fall out of the eye of the Apple Watch. In addition to having a touch screen, a number of third-party accessories appeared on the Internet that allowed this iPod to be attached to a strap and used as a watch.
In the sixth generation, the legendary Click Wheel and camera also disappeared. On the contrary, a practical clip was added on the back, following the example of the Shuffle. The latest seventh generation was introduced in 2012. It is already close to the iPod Touch in terms of control and use. I still own this model and every time I turn it on, I think of iOS 6. It matches it perfectly in terms of design. A retro memory as it should be.
Many people say that if the latest generation iPod Nano had Wi-Fi connectivity and could work with iTunes Match, their use would be much greater. The iPod Nano, like the Shuffle, was popular mainly among athletes. You could natively use, for example, the application from Nike+ or VoiceOver.
The demise of the iPod family
There is one thing to be aware of. iPods literally and figuratively pulled Apple from the bottom of the depths to the light, especially financially. In short, iPods gave the California company the power it needed. No less successful was the overall enlightenment and total revolution in the music and digital sphere. Who wore white headphones and an iPod in their pocket in the past was cool.
People clipped their iPod Shuffles to their shirt collars and T-shirts, just to make it obvious what media they were listening to. Without the iPod, there would be no iPhone, as Brian Merchant's latest book well illustrates The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone.
The family is kept afloat and the last iron in the fire is only the iPod Touch. It unexpectedly received a small improvement last week, namely doubling the storage space. You can choose from six colors, including the RED edition, and capacities of 32 GB and 128 GB, for 6 crowns and 090 crowns, respectively.
Unfortunately, I don't think it will last long, and in two to three years I will be writing an article that the era of the iPod is over. The iPod Touch isn't immortal, and it's only a matter of time before users lose interest in it since it's more or less just a dumb smartphone.
For me, the entry into the world of Apple was the last surviving iPod Touch. It was at the time of the already existing iPhones (I think 4 was released at that time?) and since I was a student who didn't have much money, I chose this option (in addition, bought through aukro). Well, paradoxically, I currently have Shuffle and Classic iPod models at home. The Classic was my dream for a long time, and when it suddenly went out of sale without a single word, a long search through bazaars began until it got stuck. I use Shuflle as written above for sports. I don't like to run with a mobile phone (in addition, I have information through the Watch) and I don't want to rip music into my watch and buy wireless headphones, and the Shuffle serves me well :)