As downloaded music fades away, Apple axes iPod
Touch became the last iPod standing on Thursday as Apple removed nano and shuffle stand-alone digital music players from its lineup. Late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs introduced the devices some 12 years ago with his legendary showmanship flare, and the small, easy to operate players helped the company revolutionize how music was sold. Apple confirmed to AFP that it is no longer selling nano and shuffle, and the MP3 players vanished from the Apple website. “Today, we are simplifying our iPod lineup with two models of iPod touch now with double the capacity starting at just $199 and we are discontinuing the iPod shuffle and iPod nano,” the company said in an email. Industry trackers and California-based Apple itself have long acknowledged that the do-it-all iPhone would eat away at sales of one-trick devices such as iPod MP3 players, so the farewell was met more with nostalgia than surprise. The trend toward streaming music services, including the launch of one by Apple, h...