Apple Inc. may be about to bring out one of the major changes to come to its iPod line of audio gadgets, by discontinuing the iPod Classic and iPod Shuffle models.
A number of reports said that the “product transition” Apple mentioned in its last earnings call could be within the iPod line of devices. The announcement could be made on October 4, during the company’s press event where Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 5.
“The classic is a holdover from 10 years of iPod existence, bearing many similarities to the original iPod. The shuffle is basically the same form factor as the nano, minus a screen,” according to a report by The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW). “The classic uses a platter-based hard drive, while Apple is largely transitioning to flash-based memory solutions. The shuffle’s lack of a screen has been an issue since it first appeared as a memory stick with music playback functions.”
If these two models are going to be discontinued, the iPod line would all be featuring touchscreens. The iPod Nano will become Apple’s budget iPod, while the iPod Touch will remain the company’s premium media player.
The Next Web speculated the shift to an all-touchscreen range of devices is to drive traffic to the Apple App Store. Apple wants users of its devices to have access to the app store, which is a big moneymaker for the company and its developers.
Do you think it’s a good move for Apple to discontinue the iPod Classic and iPod Shuffle?
via: Mashable
