This week I told you that Apple could be discontinuing one of its iconic products and we were talking about the old man iPod Shuffle. This product is available in extremely limited quantities at the moment in Apple stores around the world, but the problem is not based on giving up its production in the future.
According some sources close to the company Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC),, those from Cupertino would have made the decision to change the suppliers of components dedicated to the product, this decision generating availability problems. Normally, when an Apple product is available in limited quantities in stores, the American company prepares to launch a new model or give it up, but this is not the case now.
Rather than being discontinued, however, sources with knowledge of the situation tell Billboard that Apple is actually going through thorough component supplier changes that have interrupted production of the Shuffle. According to various reports, the company has been telling its retail employees to expect a Shuffle shortage for an unspecified period. The lack of product has also led to a longer wait period when making a purchase online: whereas an iPod Touch or Nano will ship in 24 hours, a Shuffle now takes 7-10 business days.
Apple discontinued the iPod Classic last year because it could not buy components at good enough prices to continue production. In the case of the iPod Shuffle, things were resolved more simply because Apple seems to have found replacements for the former component suppliers, so the product will continue to be sold worldwide in the future, but without an update.
