Apple CEO Tim Cook Says iPod Classic Died Out Because Company Couldn't Get Parts for It

Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke at the Wall Street Journal's technology conference yesterday (October 27), and among the many topics discussed, he let the public know why the company discontinued the iPod Classic.

"We couldn't get the parts anymore, not anywhere on Earth," Cook said about the device, which was removed from retailers in September, Business Insider reports. "It wasn't a matter of me swinging the ax, saying, 'What can I kill today?'"

Cook said he was faced with a hard decision: Try to redesign one of Apple's most notable products, or kill it off. "The engineering work was massive, and the number of people who wanted it very small. I felt there were reasonable alternatives."

The announcement of Apple discontinuing the iPod classic came the same day as the company's press extravaganza for its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

The Classic saw its sales peak in 2009, according to CNET, before the company began to put more work into their smartphone and iPod Touch models. The sales for Classics in 2014 were abysmal compared to a year prior. "If there was ever a product that catalyzed what's Apple's reason for being, it's this," Steve Jobs said about the iPod in 2001. "Because it combines Apple's incredible technology base with Apple's legendary ease of use with Apple's awesome design, it's like, 'This is what we do.' So if anybody was ever wondering why is Apple on the earth, I would hold this up as a good example."

Cook also talked about the company's new Apple Watch, saying buyers will have to charge the product overnight and that the specific figure on battery life wasn't readily available.

Tags

Apple, Technology, IPhone 6