It’s 2022, so why is Apple still selling these products?
Apple Watch Series 3
Yes, Apple is still selling the Apple Watch Series 3. I understand that it is now an entry-level model for people who may never have had an Apple Watch before, as the $199 price point definitely sounds attractive. However, the experience you get with Series 3 in 2022 is far from being the best.
Unlike the Apple Watch SE, with which you give up just a few premium features like the always-on display and ECG, Apple Watch Series 3 is quite outdated by today’s standards. The display is still the same as the first Apple Watch – more square, with huge bezels – and lacks support for several of the watch faces introduced with the latest versions of watchOS.
But more than just the display and watch faces, Series 3 has another huge problem: its 32-bit S3 chip. Series 3 is the only Apple Watch currently available that is still based on an older architecture, as Series 4 and later have 64-bit chips. Although Series 3 runs watchOS 8, it’s unclear whether it will survive for another year of updates.
And when it comes to the GPS version, it only has 8GB of internal storage, which makes the user’s life a nightmare, especially when trying to install software updates on the watch. This shouldn’t be a consumer’s first Apple Watch experience.
iPod touch
Remember the good old days when Apple released a new iPod touch every year to make it a match for the iPhone? Well, those days are gone. The seventh generation iPod touch was introduced in 2019 with the same A10 chip as the iPhone 7 and no design changes. And it has never been updated since.
I can’t think of a good reason for Apple to still sell this iPod touch model. The four-inch screen with and old chip and poor battery life make it far from ideal for gaming, and it doesn’t even have Touch ID on the home button for Apple Pay. I once wrote that Apple could turn the iPod touch into a true gaming device if it wanted to, but this doesn’t seem to be the case.
Some may argue that the iPod is still there for kids or new iOS users, but why would anyone buy it? The 128GB version costs $299, and you can find the iPhone SE for similar prices with special offers – and it comes with a slightly larger screen, Touch ID, better cameras, Apple’s latest chip, and a whole phone inside.
Not to mention that a $329 entry-level iPad is much better than an iPod touch for someone curious about using iOS for the first time.
Apple TV HD
Last but not least is the fourth generation Apple TV, also known as Apple TV HD. The situation here is similar to the Apple Watch Series 3 – You have a product from five years ago that isn’t exactly cheap but also doesn’t deliver the best experience.
In fact, Apple doesn’t know whether it wants Apple TV to be a streaming device, a gaming device, or both. For a streaming device, Apple TV is expensive. For a gaming device, Apple TV doesn’t have triple-A games.
But specifically talking about the Apple TV HD, $149 is a bit pricey for a 2017 device that could be discontinued at any time (did you know it still runs on the same A8 chip as the iPad Air 2)? Either Apple should discontinue the Apple TV HD and focus on the more powerful models, or it should make the HD model cheaper for the masses who just want a streaming device.
Even Apple doesn’t want you to buy these devices
Do you know what is the funniest thing? Even Apple doesn’t want you to buy these products. I recently visited an Apple Store and guess what? None of these products are displayed in the stores. There is no mention of them. If you want an Apple Watch Series 3 or an iPod touch, you need to ask an employee.
Apple knows that these products are outdated, so why keep selling and supporting them? I don’t have an answer about Apple Watch Series 3 and the Apple TV HD, but I do think that Apple doesn’t want to give up the iPod brand, even if that means selling an outdated product that no one cares about.
But what about you? Do you think these products should have been discontinued by now? Let me know in the comments below.
