Do you whisper goodnight to your iPod classic before tucking it into its bed each night? Are you the kind of person who still pines for the first Nintendo you ever had, eschewing all other gaming consoles ever since? Get over it, says the former Apple executive who oversaw the iPod until leaving the company in 2008. All technology is born to die, and be replaced.

Tony Fadell left Apple to join Google and eventually, work on Nest thermostats, but back in 2001, he and his team brought the world the iPod, basically a hard drive with a clickwheel screen. He spoke with Fast Company in a recent interview, saying that he’s definitely sad the iPod Classic is no more, but innovation is the way of the future.

“I’m sad to see it go,” he admits. “The iPod’s been a huge part of my life for the last decade. The team that worked on the iPod poured literally everything into making it what it was.”

But nothing gold can stay, he adds, saying they knew even in 2003 or 2004 something would come along to slay the iPod giant.

“And even back then, at Apple, we knew it was streaming. We called it the ‘celestial jukebox in the sky.’ And we have that now: music in the cloud.”

It’s not just the iPod that people need to learn not to mourn, but any outdated bit of technology that has had its time, and has now moved on to wherever retired gadgets go.

“I’ll miss the iPod. I loved it,” Fadell adds. “But you know, that’s just how it is. I also loved my Apple II, and also saw it come and go. You can’t get too nostalgic. I mean, there are people out there who still want the Commodore 64 or the Amiga to come back. That’s cute, but time marches on. It’s better to be excited for the future.”

iPod Mastermind Tony Fadell On The Death Of The iPod: “You Can’t Get Too Nostalgic” [Fast Company]

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