Apple is usually praised for the release of new products. The iPhone 13 Pro and M1 Pro/Max MacBook Pro are definitely some of the best launches of the company in 2021. But as we near 2022, there are some products Apple should definitely stop selling, as they don’t make sense in its lineup anymore.
Apple Watch Series 3 (2017)
It’s not the first time that we’ve said Apple should stop selling the Apple Watch Series 3. The product is still great for those who already own one, but I could never recommend you buy the smartwatch right now or next year.
The main problem here is its storage availability. With only 8GB available with the Apple Watch Series 3, it’s impossible to update it properly. Apple found a workaround, which is restoring your Watch every time there’s a new update, but the company could’ve solved it by just selling an upgraded version of the Watch, maybe the Cellular version with 16GB of storage.
If you’re thinking about buying an Apple Watch but don’t want to spend more on the new Series 7, there is the much faster and very capable Apple Watch SE launched in 2020, which combines the best of Series 4, Series 5, and Series 6.
iPod touch (2019)
Once a great product, now completely forgotten on Apple’s website, you actually need to make a real effort to find the 2019 iPod touch there.
Apple touted that the current iPod touch is all about the “fun at full speed.” The company even promoted the iPod touch as a gaming device before releasing its Apple Arcade service. Now, with over 200 games on its gaming subscription platform and three years later, the iPod touch feels lost in time.
It runs the A10 Fusion chip, found in the iPhone 7. Although it’s twice as fast as its previous model and has three times better graphics performance, with only a 4-inch Retina display, the iPod touch feels too small. It has an 8MP camera capable of video recording in 1080p HD and has a FaceTime HD camera with 1.2MP resolution.
I really wish Apple would update this now forgotten device with a bigger and brighter display, more storage capacity, and improved cameras. Although I think it would be better to just buy an iPhone or iPad mini, there are still people that only want a device to listen to some songs, have a few apps, and forget about Cellular connectivity.
Mac mini (2018)
With Apple in the middle of the transition from Intel to its own Apple Silicon, it now feels weird that the company still sells a Mac mini with an Intel processor. More expensive than the M1 counterpart, there’s a reason why you shouldn’t buy a Mac with Intel right now: sooner rather than later, Apple will drop support.
The Intel Mac mini comes with the 8th-generation Intel Core i5, with 8GB of RAM, Intel UHD Graphics 630, and 512GB SSD storage and can go up to the 3.2GHz 6-core 8th-generation Intel Core i7, 64GB of RAM, up to 2TB of SSD storage, and 10 Gigabit Ethernet support. Although it can still be a great computer today, it doesn’t fulfill its entry-level Mac, as it costs at least $1,099 while the M1 Mac mini starts at $699.
Beats Solo3 Wireless (2016)
As Apple owns Beats, we couldn’t leave the Beats Solo3 Wireless away from this list. As the company recently discontinued Beats Solo Pro, which is an infinitely better product, why does Beats/Apple still sell the Beats Solo3 Wireless?
Although it has up to 40 hours of battery life, Beats Solo3 Wireless has that old “cheap” look of the Beats brand, different from the Solo Pro, which had a nicer and premium look (although not comfortable at all).
Solo3 Wireless uses the W1 chip, so it helps to have fast pair with all your Apple devices, but for $200, AirPods Pro and Beats Fit Pro do a better job with ANC, features, and sound quality. If you’re looking for headphones, maybe then Beats Studio3 Wireless could be helpful, although I also think Apple should just make new Beats headphones as soon as possible.
Wrap up
For me, these are the four products Apple should discontinue from its lineup. I do believe they’re lost in time and any customer that bought one right now would be disappointed with the general experience.
What do you think about them? Is there any other product you think Apple shouldn’t be selling in 2021/2022? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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