Image from http://www.macrumors.com
With all the hype going on about tech giant Apple’s new iPhones and Watches, it has come time to remember an old legend. What seems to be a relic now, this product generated shockwaves in the tech world when it hit markets in 2001, shattering records and sending Apple straight to the headlines of every media outlet. On Wednesday, however, Apple turned its back on its old friend, the iPod Classic and discontinued sales of the MP3 player that had spurred a generation of new devices.
Being Steve Jobs’ brainchild, the iPod Classic, not only boosted Apple’s status as a company, but also propelled Job’s already eminent reputation. While all the previous MP3 players were bulky and ugly, the thin, sleek design of the Classic was a magnet for everyone. 125,000 iPods made their way into people’s pockets within 60 days and many more were to be sold, eventually to Windows users as well. The lightweight design, paired with the huge capacity of 1,000 songs left all other MP3 players of the time in the dust. Instead of the countless buttons that populated the surfaces of the old MP3 players, the iPod Classic featured just one wheel. The elegant, yet simple design was incredibly efficient, but, when the iTunes Music Store started in 2003, this sleek design became that much more valuable. The hefty $400 price tag deterred no one as people flocked in millions over the course of six months to purchase an iPod and cram it full of $0.99 songs.
Sadly, Apple has taken one last look at the Classic and decided that it is simply an archaic artifact that belongs in a museum, not on a shelf at an Apple Store. Because the iPod Classic spurred so many creations after it, like the iPod Touch and iPhone, it was thought to be the spearhead of a new era. However, that era came to a close on Wednesday. Amidst the anarchy of the new, wearable technology and biometric recognition, no one thought to pay tribute to this innovation as it died with the birth of the Watch. But Apple will move on. The Watch looks to be promising and the iPhone will keep customers busy for years. While some choose to look at this event as the end of an era, I choose to look at it as the beginning of a new one.
