Although in more recent years iPods weren’t the first choice of device for people to listen to music on, the iPod was still a revolutionary device during its prime. Used by people around the world, music listening was changed forever. The first iPod came out in 2001 but the use of them has declined in recent years. It was just announced that Apple will be discontinuing the iPod forever.

Before smartphones, but after Walkmans, the iPod saved the day when it came to portable music in the early 2000’s. Its marketing was that the iPod was able to “hold 1,000 songs in your pocket,” and was an instant success and has sold over 400 million units since it was first launched.

For years, the iPod was the main source of music for people around the world. But why has it lost its popularity? With smartphones now owned by most people and streaming apps like Spotify or Apple Music, the iPod was no longer necessary. Although people still love vintage ways of listening to music like record players or cassettes, iPods never saw the same resurgence. Since the iPod hasn’t been used by many people in a while, Apple decided to discontinue the iPod for good. Despite its discontinuation, iPods will forever be one of the most influential devices the technological age has seen.

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Some Celebrities with their iPods Photo Courtesy of: Google Images

During its prime, people loved that iPods had so much storage and could hold a seemingly endless amount of music. Time Magazine said, “in many ways, the image of the music fan, completely oblivious to the bustle around them and attached at the ears to the music player in their pocket, mirrors the effect the iPod had on the industry at large.”

Although iPods seem like  so long ago and its discontinuation doesn’t seem so important for people who grew up listening to music on smartphones, the iPod still has a special place in many people’s hearts.

Sophomore Isabella Garcia says, “I had a pink iPod Nano that had a lot of Adele and Justin Bieber songs on it, it was really cool.”

Another student, sophomore Abbi Lopez says, “I loved having a bright pink iPod even though the only songs on it were the Hannah Montana Soundtrack and Mötley Crüe.”

Although people are sadly saying goodbye to the iPod, the memories with them are forever.