The iPod touch turns 19 today, marking the arrival of a product that brought the iPhone’s touch interface to people who did not need a cellular plan. It was a major step for Apple’s iPod line, even if the device would later become much more than a music player.
Apple introduced the first iPod touch on September 5, 2007, and it reached buyers later that month. The launch model paired a 3.5-inch display with Wi-Fi, Safari, YouTube and the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, making it feel remarkably close to the original iPhone without the phone hardware.
The iPhone experience without a contract
In its September 2007 announcement, Apple called the iPod touch the “funnest iPod ever.” The original came in 8GB and 16GB versions, priced at $299 and $399 in the United States, and measured 8mm thin. At launch, that combination of a widescreen display and Wi-Fi browsing set it apart from every earlier iPod.
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Its significance became clearer after the App Store arrived the following year. The iPod touch became a popular first iOS device for younger users, travelers and families, while developers gained a large new audience that was not tied to iPhone carrier sales.
A product line that kept changing
Apple refreshed the iPod touch repeatedly, adding cameras, Retina displays and faster processors as iOS expanded. The final seventh-generation version arrived in 2019, and Apple discontinued the line in 2022. Its end also closed a chapter in the long evolution from dedicated music players to smartphones.
The original iPod touch still matters because it showed how much demand existed for pocket computers with apps and internet access. Apple’s announcement did not give an exact day for general availability, only saying it would arrive later in September. Historical sale-date records mark September 14 as the milestone remembered today. Which iPod touch generation did you use? Let us know in the comments.
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