The iPod might not be dead just yet

It is quite possible that Apple might not be killing off the iconic iPod in the near future, contrary to popular belief.*

Earlier this week Apple announced its Q1 2014 earnings. It was a record quarter for the company, almost all devices posted record sales, all except the entire iPod lineup. Year over year shipments were down 53 percent, with the company only being able to sell six million iPod units around the world in the last quarter. iPod sales contributed just $973 million to Apple’s over $57 billion revenue in Q1 2014. This lead many publications to speculate that the iPod lineup will be riding off in the sunset, since its brutally being cannibalized by none other than the iPhone itself.

That might not entirely be the case though. 9to5Mac has discovered various job listings at Apple that hint the iPod division is going to be around for a bit longer. The company is seeking New Product Introduction Operations Program Managers who will be tasked with managing an iPod launch by working with OEMs, component suppliers as well as ensuring supply chain responsiveness. It is also seeking a Product Quality engineer for the iPod Product Operations team as well as a Plastics Tooling Eng. Program Mgr., who will be responsible for ensuring operational technical readiness and development of tooling and new material for new Apple products, respectively. The latter might lead to speculation that the next generation iPod could come with a plastic body similar to that of the iPhone 5C, even if Apple is contemplating killing it due to lacklustre response.

This could very well mean that a new iPod product launch is on the cards for 2014. Perhaps what Apple needs to revive sales is a completely new product. The flagship model, iPod touch, hasn’t been radically changed since the fourth generation model came out. In fact, the iPod lineup hasn’t been radically changed in a couple of years, which means that its about time that Apple went down this road. Can be said for sure that new iPods are in bound? Absolutely not, mere job listings can’t simply be taken as confirmation of the company’s future plans, even if they specifically deal with the iPod team at Cupertino.

Source: 9to5Mac

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