Crank up Feist’s “1234” and pour out a can of Sparks, for the iPod is no more.
Apple (AAPL) has announced that it will discontinue offering its iconic music player.
The iPod touch is the current version of the MP3 player that was introduced in 2007 and it features the iPhone’s multitouch interface.
It is currently still available through the Apple store, both at physical locations and online, and Apple authorized resellers “while supplies last.”
And with this news, old millennials and anyone who lived through the ‘00s are once again reminded of time relentless passage.
But let’s remember all the fun we had, shall we?
An Elegy For The iPod
The iPod wasn’t the first MP3 player, though that is a widespread misconception.
The first MP3 player was the MPMan F10, which was introduced in 1997 by Saehan Information Systems, two years after the creation of the first proper, workable MPEG-1 Audio Layer III file, which was a digital version of Suzanne Vega's song "Tom's Diner."
But for a while, only first adopters and very online types even had an inkling of what an MP3 even was.
While the early online music store MP3.com had its supporters, it helped the soft-rock group Fisher score a radio hit and a record deal with the ballad “I Will Love You.”
It wasn’t until the explosive popularity of Napster in the summer of 2000 that most people became aware of the concept of a digital music file.
Apple introduced the iTunes store in January 2001, and the first iPod followed on Oct. 23 of that year.
It was able to hold a then record 1,000 songs, and it had a much cleaner interface than any previous MP3 player.
While every iPod didn’t actually come with a copy of The Strokes’ just released-debut "Is This It" preloaded, it may as well have been, considering how zeitgeisty that whole period was.
As the ‘00s went on, the iPod and its attendant earbuds became one of the main signifiers of the era, as omnipresent as American Apparel tights and Vote For Pedro t-shirts.
The colorful, hyperkinetic dancing silhouette advertisements for the iPod turned songs such as The Caesars’ “Jerk It Out” into hits.
But the ephemera that define life in one era very often doesn’t survive to see the next one — just look at Blockbuster video, MySpace or Betamax players.
What Happened To The iPod?
Technological advances have a tendency to make yesterday’s mind-blowing achievement look like yesterday’s news.
Time is a jerk like that.
An argument could be made that once the iPhone debuted in 2007, the iPod’s days were numbered, though Apple continued to offer the product for anyone who didn’t want to switch to their device.
The next big nail in the coffin was the introduction of Apple Music in 2015, the company’s music streaming answer to Tidal and Spotify (SPOT).
While you can still buy MP3s from Apple Music — which eventually supplanted iTunes — or rival companies such as Bandcamp, which also has a streaming component, eventually the convenience and relatively low-cost of streaming won out over buying individual files.
People like to point out that streaming services have large gaps in their availability, usually unauthorized live bootlegs or rap albums with uncleared samples.
They will no doubt hold onto their old devices, or rush to buy a few back-up iPod touches.
But the iPod had a great run.
It changed the world, it fit neatly into your pocket and it didn’t constantly bombard you with depressing news and irritating Tweets.
It was a real one, and it will be missed.
Mourners can remember it by untangling earbuds and listening to a mislabeled Radiohead MP3 that’s really a Coldplay song.
