"Father of the iPod" Tony Fadell Calls on Apple to Restart the iPod: Leverage Nostalgia and Pure Experience to Capture Market

IT Home, February 3rd: “Father of the iPod” Tony Fadell stated that Apple is finally time to reintroduce this device that revolutionized the tech giant and permanently disrupted the music industry.

“I think there’s a more clever design approach—creating an AirPod with built-in iPod functionality. So, in my view, Apple needs to bring the iPod back,” Fadell said recently in a podcast interview with tech journalist Eric Newcomer.

Known as the “Father of the iPod,” Fadell believes there are two main reasons to restart production of this device, which marked a significant achievement in his career.

First, to capitalize on the widespread nostalgia for this music player. The iPod product line officially ended in 2019 with the release of the seventh-generation iPod Touch after its redesign. The first-generation iPod could only store 1,000 songs, and its design philosophy and positioning were closer to the iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle series, rather than the iPod Touch, which is more like an iPhone. Apple had already discontinued Nano and Shuffle models in 2017. Fadell said, “From a nostalgic perspective, countless users will say, ‘Oh, I remember the iPod from back in the day,’ and now they just want to listen to music without being disturbed by various distractions.”

Second, a modern version of the iPod could target music enthusiasts who seek a “pure” listening experience, without being interrupted by the additional features of smartphones. After all, as people try to simplify their relationship with technology, feature phones with minimal functions are becoming increasingly popular.

IT Home notes that when asked about the design form of the new iPod, Fadell declined to fully reveal his ideas. There are voices considering Fadell as a potential successor to Apple CEO Tim Cook, who is 64 and has been surrounded by retirement rumors, though he has stated he will not retire in the “traditional way.” According to multiple reports, Apple Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering John Ternus is the top candidate to succeed Cook.

“Apple will naturally select the right person for the next CEO when the time comes. I love this company. Since I owned my first Apple II in 1980 or 1981, Apple’s DNA has been ingrained in me,” Fadell said. “If the Apple board calls me, or Cook contacts me, whatever the situation, I would be happy to answer and do my best to help them.”

Fadell also mentioned that Sony recently launched its first new record player in years, aiming to capture the growing vinyl audience, and even has a collectible Walkman player priced at $3,699 (IT Home note: approximately 25,715 RMB at current exchange rates). Sony had previously sold its TV business to TCL. “Sony cut its TV business but restarted the record player production line,” Fadell said. “You can interpret the reasons behind this in your own way.”