Today, Apple adds the final iPod shuffle and iPod nano to its worldwide list of obsolete products, marking the end of an era. Apple declared a product obsolete once seven years had passed since its last distribution date. Obsolete products will not be eligible for repairs with the exception of MacBook’s batteries within the last ten years.
The iPod shuffle was introduced in January 2005 as Apple’s solution to flash players, and it became not only the company’s most affordable iPod, but also the first product to adopt flash storage that would become a standard across other product categories. The last, fourth generation of the iPod shuffle was introduced in September 2010. It righted all the wrongs of the third-generation iPod shuffle, which had no buttons at all, so “people clearly missed the buttons.” It combined the buttons from the second generation and VoiceOver from the third generation. It was refreshed with new colors, going from polished aluminum to anodized aluminum in the process. The last update to the iPod shuffle occurred in June 2015 with new colors, including gold and bolder shades of blue and pink.
The iPod nano was introduced in September 2005 as the successor to the already popular iPod mini. Its trademark feature was its significantly smaller size, even smaller than the iPod mini it replaced. The last generation of the iPod nano was the seventh generation, which was introduced in September 2012. It reverted to the more traditional tall form factor with a 2.5-inch display, unlike the built-in clip design and square display from the sixth generation. Although the UI icons looked reminiscent of iOS back then, it did not actually run iOS at all, but rather a dedicated lightweight OS that was specific to the iPod nano. The last color refresh happened in June 2015 too with the same colors that the last iPod shuffle had. Both the iPod shuffle and iPod nano saw their demise in July 2017, leaving the iPod touch as the last iPod standing before its discontinuation in May 2022, marking the end of an era for the entire iPod lineup as Apple shifts its focus on both the iPhone and iPad.
The iPod shuffle and iPod nano may be gone, but they’ll never be forgotten as they always hold a special place in every Apple fan’s heart.
