Apple is discontinuing the iPod nano and iPod shuffle

Apple has announced plans to discontinue the iPod nano and iPod shuffle. The tech company made a similar move with the iPod Classic in 2014, citing an inability to source the necessary parts as the reason behind its loss.
 
Today (July 27), the company announced a "simplification" of the iPod range to just the Touch model. The nano and shuffle have already been removed from Apple’s online store and will be made unavailable for purchase from physical stores too, as Bloomberg reports.  The devices were the cheapest in the iPod range at £149 (nano) and £49 (shuffle) each.
 
In a statement, Apple representatives said: "Today, we are simplifying our iPod lineup with two models of iPod touch now with double the capacity starting at just $199 and we are discontinuing the iPod shuffle and iPod nano."
 
The iPod touch is the company’s highest-selling iPod. It is now the only remaining model in the range, although the 16GB and 64GB versions of it have also been discontinued. Now, consumers have the option of purchasing a 32GB model (£199) or a 128GB one (£299).
 
The iPod launched in 2001, allowing music fans to carry 1,000 songs with them on one light, portable device. The shuffle followed in 2005, with the nano arriving a year later to replace the iPod mini.
 
Their demise is due, in part, to the advances of the iPhone and streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify, which allow users to create a library of songs on their phone without the need to download MP3s to a computer and export them to a separate device.
 
To date, Apple has sold more than 400 million iPods, while iPhone sales went past the one billion mark in July 2016.

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