Apple to kill iPod classic, shuffle?

ipod classic

By Doug Gross, CNN

(CNN) -- The iPod classic, a venerable stalwart in the world of consumer technology, may be getting the axe along with its cousin, the iPod shuffle, according to a blog that focuses on Apple news.

Ipod Classic

Citing an unnamed source, The Unofficial Apple Weblog is reporting that, in addition to unveiling the iPhone 5 next week, Apple plans to discontinue the more dated versions of its music player in favor of sleeker models like the iPod Nano and iPod Touch.

The blog notes that Apple teased a "product transition" during its most recent earnings report.

Saying only that the source is not an analyst, TUAW says the rumor makes sense.
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"The classic is a holdover from 10 years of iPod existence, bearing many similarities to the original iPod," wrote blog editor Victor Agreda, Jr. "The shuffle is basically the same form factor as the nano, minus a screen."

He writes that the blog had been "sitting on a tip" about the discontinuation and only wrote about it after speculation popped up on other sites.

A groundbreaking device in personal tech, credited with reinvigorating Apple a decade ago, the iPod line now accounts for just about 7 percent of Apple's overall revenues. The iPhone and iPad, which offer music and video streaming along with lots of other features, have in some way trumped the iPod's usefulness.

Last year, Apple made what then-CEO Steve Jobs called "the biggest change in the iPod lineup ever."

But amid big changes to the Touch, Nano and Shuffle, there was no mention at all of the classic iPod, leading many to speculate that the end may be near.

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