US Edition 
Is this the end for Apple's iPod?
As Apple CEO Tim Cook admitted this week that "iPod is a declining business", is the company looking to kill off the world's most successful portable music player?
Apple's quarterly results released earlier this week revealed that just over 6 million iPods had been sold, compared to 12.7million units during the same quarter in late 2012.
This decrease of 55 per cent in terms of revenue and 52 per cent with regards to units sold is all the more significant when viewed in comparison with Apple's other products lines; the Mac, iPhones and iPads.
iPhones and iPads both experienced record sales, shifting 51 million and 26 million units respectively, prompting Cook to announce the company was "really happy" with the sales, alongside "the strong performance of our Mac products and the continued growth of iTunes, Software and Services".
Apple's press release following the results neglected to mention iPod sales, however, which represent the biggest year-on-year drop it has ever experienced following a steady decline in sales over the past few years.
During a conference call earlier this week, Cook admitted the company “have known for some time that iPod is a declining business”. This is reflected by the fact Apple haven't issued any major rejigs in the product line for over a year, besides replacing the fourth-generation iPod touch with a modified version.
In light of the strong iPhone sales, it's likely that more and more consumers are opting to store and listen to music through their smartphones, as opposed to carrying around an additional separate device for their music needs. But does this mean Apple is likely to retire the iPod any time soon?
Not necessarily. Apple intelligence site 9to5Mac speculates that at least one more iPod is likely to be in the pipeworks given that Apple are looking to hire managers to direct a new product launch in the iPod line.
Among the roles listed in Apple's US job section are New Product Operations Program Manager and Product Quality engineer for the iPod Product Operations team, making the possibility of a new iPod in the near future closer than we'd previously expected.
Given the rumours circulating around Apple's interest in developing wearable technology, your next music player may very well be worn on your wrist. We can only wait and see.