A page turns for a whole generation: Apple announced on Tuesday, May 10, the end of production of the iPod, its famous digital music player which revolutionized the music industry in the early 2000s.
“The spirit of the iPod lives on. We’ve built an amazing music experience into all of our products, from the iPhone to the Apple Watch.”said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of international marketing, in a statement. “Music has always been central to Apple, and making it available to hundreds of millions of users like the iPod did has impacted not only the music industry, but also redefined the way music is played. music is discovered, listened to and shared”he continued.
Nearly 450 million copies sold
The iPod Touch will remain available at brand outlets while supplies last, said the Cupertino (California) giant.
Rectangular, white, the iPod arrived on the shelves more than twenty years ago, in 2001, and quickly experienced strong popularity. This MP3 player and the iTunes software, also released in 2001, shook up the world of music by popularizing legal downloading, at a time when many sites made it possible to retrieve films and songs without paying a penny.
Since its launch, Apple has sold nearly 450 million iPods, according to the specialized company Loup Ventures, quoted by the New York Times. This accessory has largely contributed to making the Apple firm the behemoth it is today, the iPod having inspired the iPhone.