iPod sales have been on the decline for a while now and Apple’s long-rumored iWatch might be the gadget that finally kills it. MacRumors directs our attention to a new research note written by Susquehanna Financial Group analyst Christopher Caso, who thinks that Apple is angling to have the iWatch eventually be a complete replacement for the iPod as the go-to gadget for music fans.
“We, however, aren’t assuming a material impact to earnings from iWatch, since the iWatch would essentially replace the iPod in the consumer portion of Apple’s product lineup,” Caso writes. “While we don’t expect Apple to discontinue iPod for some time, we also don’t expect an iPod refresh this year, and believe iPod could post year-over-year unit declines as a result as consumers purchasing iWatch as a substitute.”
So while Apple will likely keep cranking out iPods for a while, there are some serious overlaps between the iPod and the iWatch that have the potential to really lower iPod sales going forward. In the first place, many people still use their iPods while exercising since they’re smaller and lighter than the iPhone. Given that the iWatch will apparently come loaded with fitness features, it’s safe to assume that it will also double as a digital media player as well. If fitness nuts can get the same functionality as the iPod from a device that fits comfortably around their wrists then it might make the iPod obsolete for them in the long run.
