In advance of Apple’s ^[1] much-anticipated iPhone 5 announcement, speculation is rife that the company will bid adieu to the product line that launched a mobile revolution: the iPod classic. Word is the shuffle is also on its last legs. This is set to happen this year.

According to Ars technica’s Jacqui Cheng, it has finally come down to a matter of innovation and function. Quite simply, the older models pale in comparison to newer versions of the iPod—and their sales aren’t that great, either. Further, the emergence of the iPhone and iPad as consumers’ mobiles devices of choice render the classic  and the shuffle almost obsolete. Still, we won’t know for certain until Apple’s October 4 announcement.

Read more at Ars technica ^[2].