More than 20 years and 7 generations later, Apple has decided to discontinue the iPod Touch. On May 10th, 2022 Apple announced the quiet discontinuation of the $199 iPod Touch. This marks the end of the iconic iPod lineup. The iPod Touch, which some may also call the iPhone without the phone has found immense applications in the consumer and corporate worlds. So why has Apple decided to discontinue the iPod Touch? The lack of demand and decline in sales could be the prime reasons.
While iPod gained rapid popularity in the pre-smartphone era, today everyone owns smartphones that essentially offer an enhanced user experience. Apple has a diverse and feature-rich product lineup including iPhones, iPads, Apple watches and Macbooks that offer all of the iPod Touch’s features and so much more. So has the iPod Touch become obsolete? It certainly appears so.
Impact of iPod Touch Discontinuation: What Can Businesses Do to Remedy the Situation?
The discontinuation of the iPod Touch can be a challenge to the innumerable businesses and educational institutes that have already distributed and are managing multiple iPods. Are you wondering how long will the iPod Touch be supported? In their official announcement, Apple stated that the iPod Touch will be available till the supplies last, indicating that the production has already been shut down.
The $199 iPod Touch was the last of the iPod lineup and the cheapest iOS device. The current iPod Touch users will now be urged to explore iPod alternatives. The wisest thing for enterprises and organizations to do now is to switch to Android devices of an equivalent price range. Android smartphones are reasonably priced and offer extensive features for modern-day business use. While this seems to be the practical approach, switching gears from iPod management to Android device management may be more challenging than it appears.
Businesses that have adopted an Apple environment and issued iPhones, iPads, and Macbooks along with iPods to their employees may find replacing their iPods with Android OS alternatives cumbersome. Managing OS diversity on a largescale level can be quite challenging.
Challenges Involved in Managing OS Diversity
Businesses need to consider the after-effects of switching from iPod Touch to Android. Enterprises need to be prepared to embrace OS diversity if they truly wish to replace their iPods with Android alternatives. A combination of Apple and Android devices can be a rewarding, yet tedious one. Apple and Android devices differ extensively in terms of their features, interface and system permissions. Fostering a multi-OS ecosystem is a complex task.
As an IT admin of a business, you need to consider several vital factors such as app compatibility with the various OS types, varying security configurations, enterprise policy management and much more. Each OS type has its defined programming languages and methods of policy configurations which can wreak havoc for IT admins.
Attempting to manage OS diversity with separate tools is an outdated approach. Your business now needs a holistic approach that can help you to simplify and streamline your OS diversity. Thankfully, we live in times where Mobile Device Management is commonplace. Identifying the right MDM solution may after all be the answer to the big question – how can businesses simplify their shift from iPod Touch remote management to Android management?
Scalefusion: The Solution to Managing a Multi-OS Ecosystem
You can confidently replace your iPod Touch devices with suitable Android alternatives by adopting a single solution. Scalefusion MDM is a device and endpoint management platform that offers cross-OS management and supports device diversity. Businesses no longer need to fret over implementing dozens of solutions to manage their diverse OS types. You can adopt a multi-OS ecosystem with Apple, Android and Windows 10 devices and manage them all with Scalefusion MDM.
Scalefusion is easy to use and offers a simple licensing plan that does not vary based on OS or device types. You can create multiple OS-specific profiles with extensive policies and configurations that are suitable for your business. This negates the need for you to implement multiple solutions to provision and manage devices belonging to different operating systems. Having a centralized platform that enables visibility and management of your diverse OS types can help businesses optimize their IT efficiency immensely.
Bottom Line
Unfortunately, it’s curtains for the iPod Touch. Fortunately, your business can easily replace your existing iPod Touch devices with iPod alternatives without worrying about the management hassles associated with OS diversity. With that major concern resolved, we all can reminisce about the portable music player that dominated the market before the smartphones emerged and bid adieu to the iPod Touch.
