Apple iPod Hi-Fi: the $349 speaker from Apple itself

At a keynote in February 2006 Steve Jobs introduced the iPod Hi-Fi, Apple's own stereo speaker system for the iPod, priced at $349 — a premium product from the company itself in a market that was already crowded with hundreds of third-party iPod speaker docks selling for a fraction of the price.

The reception was muted from the start. Reviewers praised the sound and the ease of plug-and-play, but the $349 price, the absence of an FM radio, and a remote of limited function made it a hard sell against a sea of cheaper, smaller docks. Engadget's launch coverage described the introduction landing 'to deafening silence amidst a room full of hopeful tech journalists.'

Apple never released sales figures, and for the next year and a half the product was barely heard from again — until it silently dropped off Apple's online store in September 2007. Confirming the Hi-Fi's death, Apple said it was 'focusing priorities on the iPod and iPhone' and would not make more units, noting that hundreds of third-party speaker systems already served the market. The iPod Hi-Fi was discontinued about 18 months after launch.