Rumors that Apple may discontinue the iPod Classic may have some users contemplating their future iPod repair needs, as some observers expect that Apple will soon make such an announcement. This could lead to an increase in iPod touch battery replacement among devices owned by iPod Classic fans who are unwilling to make the leap to the iPod Touch.
“The demise of the iPod Classic, whenever it comes, will symbolize and probably speed up a major shift that's taking place, from our owning some finite amount of music to our renting a sliver of all music,” Ian Port wrote in San Francisco Weekly. “And like any end, some good feelings and useful limitations that were once an important part of our experience with music will probably go away with it.”
Last year, the company provided upgrades to the iPod Touch and a new design scheme for the iPod Nano. Two new versions of the iPhone were recently announced, but Apple remained silent on when its iPads and iPods might next be refreshed.
Slumping sales
The original iPod was introduced in 2001 and was instantly identifiable by its click wheel navigation feature. The company continued to manufacture them even after the introduction of the iPod Touch in 2007, and they continued to attract a customer base with 160GB of storage for music and a relatively sturdy design.
The portion of revenues generated by iPods in all categories has been shrinking since 2008, and the iPod Classic hasn't been upgraded since 2009, according to The Motley Fool. In the third quarter of 2013, iPod sales hovered around the 5 million mark, representing a significant drop from early 2009 when almost 25 million of the devices were sold, according to Ars Technica. Collectively, iPods represented about 2 percent of the company's revenues in the most recent quarter and the iPod Touch accounted for more than half of those sold. Much of the company's design and marketing energy has been expended on updating the iPhone and iPad.
“Honestly, I think it's time for [the iPod classic] to be retired,” Boundless app CEO Ariel Diaz said told Wired. “It may be serving a small space for lots of music in a compact package, but it's already an antiquated notion as we move to a world of streaming music instead of local mp3s and AACs.”
Services such as iResQ's iPod repair can help with repairs to all iPod models.