Apple Starts to Wind Down the "iPod" Brand

Gizmodo ^ | 6/8/11 | David Frommer

[mgstarr]

Apple's new iOS 5 software for iPhones, shipping this fall, has many additions, but appears to have one notable subtraction: The music app is no longer called "iPod" — it's just called "Music." There's a separate app for "Video," as on the iPad and iPod touch.

Apple is probably mostly trying to unify the experience across all of its iOS devices, so playing music and videos is the same on all of them. Simpler, less confusing. It makes sense.

But it's hard to overlook that Apple is also probably starting the inevitable wind-down of the iPod brand. Since launching almost 10 years ago, the iPod was Apple's most important product for years, driving huge growth at the company and making the iPhone and iPad possible.

But thanks to smarter mobile phones like Apple's own iPhone, listening to music is now mainly a function of your phone, not a separate device like the iPod.

And that's why iPod sales fell 14% year-over-year last quarter, while iPhone sales more than doubled year-over-year. The iPod business is declining, and while it will obviously stick around for many years, it's probably going to go away eventually.

(A first step could be retiring the iPod classic — the scroll-wheel device that has been on the iPhone's "iPod" app logo since the beginning — this fall, near its 10th anniversary. That's another good reason to tweak the way the iPhone app works and looks.)

Apple Starts to Wind Down the "iPod" BrandAgain, we don't expect the iconic iPod brand to go away any time soon. The iPod touch continues to grow, although Apple could conceivably rename that if it wanted. But other iPods still serve a purpose, and will likely stick around for many years.

But the wheels are in motion. Apple's most important product, the iPhone, won't have the word "iPod" on it anymore. And that's kind of a big deal.

[Revolting cat!]

I’ve been waiting for the 5th gen iPod with FM radio and other missing features. There won’t be one?

[Juana la Loca]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! There are still dinosaurs out there like me that don’t have smart phones. I don’t go anywhere without my iPod in tow.

[Swordmaker]

 Gizmodo publishes non-story that Apple is or is not winding down iPods —PING!

Apple iPod winding down? Ping!

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[max americana]

[Loud Mime]

Not surprised by that..... should have suspected it would have been out there.

Thanks!

[ReignOfError]

Who buys them any more?

The main market for the iPod Classic is DJs and other folks who need a massive music library at their fingertips. I see a lot of DJs with an iPod, or maybe two, in place of the crates of discs they used to lug around. A niche market, to be sure; and with iCloud allowing you to download albums on the fly, the niche is getting smaller.

I have a third-generation iPod Nano that I keep hooked to the stereo when I don't want my iPhone tied down (because I'm using it for stuff). As AirPlay gear gets more common, that niche use is shrinking, too.

Then there are all the folks who can't afford or don't want smart phones. We folks who are immersed in technology all day tend to forget that free-with-contract phones or $10 burners are still a huge hunk of the market. The trend is away from single-purpose music players, but there's enough of a niche to support them for now; and for the foreseeable future, there will still be a niche for something like an iPod Shuffle, for kids who might break things or for going someplace where you don't want to take an expensive device.

[ReignOfError]

iTunes removed all DRM from its music more than two years ago, and Apple recycles any iPod for free (and gives a discount on a new one). Nice try, though.

[RobRoy]

>>I have a third-generation iPod Nano that I keep hooked to the stereo when I don’t want my iPhone tied down<<

Now, that’s kinda funny, because I’ve sort of done the same thing. I use my old Mytouch Fender phone as my “iPod” separate from my phone that replaced it - my galaxy s. The fender doesn’t have a registered sim, so I use it as if it were a 16 GB iPod. Works great.

[RedWhiteBlue]

I bought an Ipod shuffle less than a month ago, replacing one I have had for almost 4 years. I use it to listen to music when I go for a run. The smaller the better, I don’t want to carry a larger device, so the shuffle is an ideal for that specific purpose (for me, anyway).

[Cronos]

I’ve used a Sony MP3 player in the early 2000s and a Transcend now. I don’t think the iPod created that market, but it sure expanded it and gave it importance!

[rlmorel]

Agreed...they didn’t create it, but the ease of use opened it up for the vast majority of people who would never have otherwise used them.

[Swordmaker]

What DRM and what toxic waste are you claiming, Max?

You obviously don’t know what you are talking about. iTunes music store is DRM free... And iPods, iPhones, iPads, and Macs are all EPEAT GOLD and toxic free.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

I’ve been waiting for the 5th gen iPod with FM radio and other missing features. There won’t be one?

Downside to having FM receiver capability, of course, is that you might not be cool about having your children/grandchildren listening to everything that might be in the programming on the FM band . . . .

[max americana]

can you download music without Itunes?

[max americana]

is it possible to download music without itunes?

[max americana]

Apple’s iCloud punishes honest iTunes users with DRM

We were able to confirm it by re-downloading a DRMed track as well. Apple introduced the ability to “upgrade” copy protected tracks to DRM-free AACs by paying $0.30 per song in early 2009. The so-called upgrade to iTunes Plus is still available, so it might make economic sense for the company to not offer free upgrades as part of the new ability to download additional copies of previously purchased songs.

http://gigaom.com/2011/06/08/apple-icloud-drm/

[max americana]

Did Apple just announce complete music pirate amnesty for $24.95?

snip

Those ripped (which could have been pirated) MP3s of yours, if they match, will be replaced in the iCloud with official, licensed 256Kbps AAC — without DRM.

So, the idea is that you pay Apple $24.95 a year, they scan your old music collection, upgrade all your pirated/ripped tracks, and give you back legitimate music.

http://gigaom.com/2011/06/08/apple-icloud-drm/

[BunnySlippers]

I got the new iPod Nano as well. I like that it clips on my shirt.

It is loaded with books I bought at Audible.com. So easy to listen on the way to work and just wear it into the offuce or out walking.

Also, like the pedometer included with it. I still tryt o get 10,000 steps.

[RobRoy]

>>I bought an Ipod shuffle less than a month ago, replacing one I have had for almost 4 years. I use it to listen to music when I go for a run. The smaller the better, I don’t want to carry a larger device, so the shuffle is an ideal for that specific purpose (for me, anyway).<<

I get that, except I bought the player pictured below for my wife and another in orange for me five or six years ago (which is an eternity for this sort of stuff) for $12 each. We STILL use them for airplane trips (we do a lot of flying), bicycling, plugging into the aux input on rental car stereos, etc. Why get something so expensive for that sort of thing, especially with this kind of selection out there:

http://www.google.com/search?q=mp3+player+512&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1280&bih=889

It's about 3" long

[antiRepublicrat]

over the Ipod which couldn;t even handle a 30 minute jog

That's why they make the shuffle, weighs less than half an ounce, is the size of a matchbook, and has a built-in clip, with voice control so you don't have to touch it while running. If you try to drop it, it'll just suspend from the headphone jack, it doesn't have enough inertia to pull out the plug or even yank on your ears very hard. It's also quite hard to damage by accident.

Yep, iPhones will not replace all iPods.