Apple has added the last iPod nano to its obsolete list. This officially ends an era. The end of iPod support has come: in future, Apple will only supply owners of the last officially offered MP3 player from the group with spare parts and service if this is required by law – which is by no means the case in all countries. The iPod nano from 2012, the seventh generation in total, has now been added to the so-called vintage list.

Vintage isn’t quite dead yet

Obsolete products are worse off – they are Apple products that stopped selling more than seven years ago. “Apple has stopped the hardware service for obsolete products without exception. Service providers cannot order replacement parts for obsolete products,” it says succinctly. With the iPod nano 7G, users should also be prepared for the fact that they will need help from independent workshops in the future if something breaks. They may also be able to tap into spare parts sources that have dried up at Apple itself.

19 years of Apple MP3 players

Apple’s first iPod was released in 2001. Since then there have been numerous series and model lines, most recently the group focused primarily on the iPod nano. In 2012 the fourth generation of the iPod shuffle, Apple’s cheapest music player, came onto the market – this is now also “vintage”. The same is true for iPod classic and fourth and fifth generation iPod touch models.

iPod nano is retained, but is a different technology

The only iPod that continues to be marketed by Apple is the irregularly-maintained iPod touch. However, this is actually not a “real” MP3 player, instead it is more of an iPhone without a cellular part. With the seventh generation iPod nano, Apple introduced new functions, including Bluetooth support for connection to the car. In 2015, the iPod nano 7G was again available in new colors, but Apple did not change anything technically.