Apple once again renewed the iPod Touch, four years after the previous update. Pro Apple blogs like Appleinsider welcomed the update, while more neutral ones like The Verge also said it’s a solid update. But in my opinion, the iPod Touch has no reason to exist in 2019.

The original iPod’s purpose was to have “a thousand songs in your pocket”. In the age before fast mobile network it made sense. Even after the iPhone was released in 2007, the iPod Touch was still a solid choice for those not ready to get an iPhone. I’ve witnessed many who couldn’t afford an iPhone opted for an Android phone plus an iPod Touch in order to use the apps only available in iOS. Others wanted a separate device with more storage for their own, self-ripped music.

But in 2019, the iPod Touch should cease to exist.

You see, in the March Apple event, Tim Cook announced “services” are their next big focus. Apple Music, a streaming service, which requires a constant Internet connection, has succeeded, and in some way cannabilized, iTunes Music Store. Having “a thousand songs in your pocket” is nothing nowadays. When I go jogging these days, I simply take my LTE-enabled Apple Watch and AirPods and I have a million songs on the Internet with me. I don’t mean Apple Watch is the next big thing. I mean Apple Music is (supposed to be) Apple’s next big thing. The iPod touch doesn’t have LTE, meaning it doesn’t have a constant access to the Internet, meaning it cannot fully live the spirit of Apple Music. iPod + iTunes, which were often tied together in the past in Apple’s ads or even earnings report, should cease to exist if Apple truly wants its new “services” segment to fly.

There’s one way in my opinion to make a successful iPod Touch though. Kindles all have free cellular access to the Internet (do they still?) to get new Kindle ebooks. Apple could make something like a radio set. An cellular-enabled device with free internet access for Apple Music. This concept of unlimited data confined to a certain apps isn’t unheard of. In Australia/New Zealand they have plans for unlimited social media access. In Apple’s case it could limit streaming to a low bit rate, and users could download high bit rate songs with WiFi.

But if streaming music is the main purpose of that new device, it doesn’t need to be an iPod Touch. It could be an Apple Watch with free internet access for streaming.

The conclusion? In 2019, the iPod Touch has no reason to exist.