iPod, RIP (2001 – 2022)

It's the end of an era. After 20 years of producing iPods, Apple has announced it will discontinue the $199 iPod Touch after the current inventory sells out. The iPod was Apple's first major success in consumer electronics.

Before the iPod, music fans carried portable CD players or low-capacity portable MP3 players. The first generation iPod was released in 2001, and it was a revelation. It held 1,000 songs, and it was small enough to fit in your pocket. Throughout the years, Apple released several different iPod models. The iPod Nano was a cute smaller version of the iPod. Display-free iPod Shuffles clipped to your clothes and were the smallest and cheapest iPods. The iPod Touch was a portable music player and a semi-smart phone that didn't have phone service. All of them are gone, moldering in drawers or being sold on eBay as dubious collectors' items.

The iPod changed the way we listen to music and led to the rise of digital music. It was a game-changer, but it won't be missed because it has been replaced by the smartphone.