iPod was the solution to listening to music without distractions, say readers

In the second week of May, Apple announced that it will no longer produce the iPod Touch, a model launched in 2007 in the wake of iPhones, the brand’s smartphones that appeared with a touch screen.

The iPod was launched in 2001 in the line known today as the Classic. The device revolutionized the way the world consumes music.

THE Sheet, readers say the model was a pioneer, starting with portability. Samuel Costa Neto, 58, says that the size of the device is one of the advantages of using it today. “The cell phone is still a mess”, says the businessman from Belo Horizonte (MG), who bought his last iPod in 2015.

In the early 2000s, the ability to download music and carry it anywhere in your pocket presented a revolutionary alternative. Tomaz Carvalho Meira, 28, says that this feature made all the difference in his experience. A music teacher, he got his device when he was graduating in the area.

“Only with the iPod and professional headphones I was able to hear all the instruments on different records well. I miss it because it was a single device for listening to music, without the distractions of a smartphone”, he explains. A resident of Recife (PE), Tomaz says that, without an iPod in hand, he feels less safe to listen to music when going out on the street.

In addition to portability, product quality also stands out among technology adepts. Larissa Oliveira, 26, says that her iPod accompanied her in moments like her first day at school and the beginning of her new job.

It’s been 11 years with the iPod – and it’s still counting. “There is no better device: it never broke or failed me. I believe it will last another decade”, says the English teacher, who lives in Rio de Janeiro (RJ).

For her, despite the limitations, such as the impossibility of inserting a chip, the iPod has its appeal and its audience, and it can still be a solution for listening to music without depending on the cell phone – although without the ease that music streaming currently offers.

Otto Mozzer, 54, says the version he bought in 2012 has not been used for two years. “I won’t miss any,” he says. The engineer from Montes Claros (MG) says that one of the advantages of having the device, which accompanied him during trips, was the elimination of physical media and the practicality that this generated.

In addition to him, other iPod supporters no longer missed him, which helps explain Apple’s decision.

The geologist from Palmas (TO), Rodrigo Meireles, 44, says that the iPod was ”the young fetish that brought the aura of cool and modern as a gift”. After repeatedly dating the model in magazines and websites, he bought his own.

Despite having lived endless bus trips through the countryside of Mato Grosso, Goiás and Tocantins, in addition to many moments of contemplation by his side, the geologist no longer sees any sense in the existence of the device. “There’s nothing about it that an average cell phone doesn’t offer,” he says.

Doctor Olímpia Leal de Oliveira, 64, from Belo Horizonte (MG), no longer uses hers, but says she will keep it for the future.

The device that revolutionized technology retires and now enters the treasure chests.