Apple Quietly Kills the iPod Nano and Shuffle

The iPod nano (7th generation pictured) has been discontinued by Apple.

Apple finally killed off the iPod nano this week. The tiny music device had a decent run, launching in 2005 and growing in popularity until the advent of the iPhone and iPod touch. However, sales of standalone iPod units (iPod touch included) have steadily declined over the last several years, and nobody is really surprised that Apple has pulled the plug. Why carry anything besides a phone when it can serve multiple functions at once?

The 1st generation iPod nano.

This isn't the first time Apple has killed off an iPod lineup. They quietly stopped selling the iPods classic in 2014, much to the dismay of a faithful few, but it made sense as the device hadn't been updated for years prior. 

6th Generation iPod Nano

Shortly after the "death" of the classic, gray market prices skyrocketed. Listings for the most-recent generation device could be found selling for $700 and above on sites like eBay. That's a significant markup considering Apple sold the device for $249. Given the fact that the iPod Nano was both a less popular and less expensive device, it's unlikely they'll fetch the same price in the coming months. 

This is a 6th gen iPod nano I still have. I used to wear it as a watch before I got an Apple Watch.

If you're interested in getting one of the last Nano models you will be out of luck finding one from a Apple, however they can still be found at Amazon and Walmart. 

The iPod shuffle has also been discontinued today also, but nobody is sad about that. 

The iPod shuffle; a screen-less, useless device.