What you need to know

• Apple has added an iPod nano and iPod Shuffle to the vintage list.
• It's also added an iPod touch to the obsolete list.
• But you aren't still using any of them anyway, are you?

Apple continues to clear the decks in terms of support for its aging iPod lineup, putting two of them onto its vintage product list and one onto its obsolete list.

According to a swift browse of Apple's support document and liberal use of the always fun Wayback Machine, it appears that Apple has added the following products to its worldwide vintage collection.

• iPod nano (7th generation, Late 2012)
• iPod shuffle (4th generation, Late 2012)

Here's what the vintage list looks like now, compared to September 26.

It's a bad time for the iPod touch as well, with the 4th generation iPhone wannabe now on the obsolete products list. Oddly, it's also on the vintage list, too.

So, what does all of this mean? Nothing for the majority of people reading this but, for those who are still using one of these things, here's what Apple has to say.

So, now you know!

Mac SE

The first time an Apple product wore the SE badge was way back in 1987, when the Macintosh SE rolled off the line.

The Macintosh SE brought expansion to the "compact" Mac form factor via an expansion slot, in addition to the SCSI port that arrived with the Macintosh Plus the previous year. The SE also helped bring ADB into the world and could be fitted with a second floppy drive or an internal hard drive.

(It also came with a fun Easter Egg embedded into the ROM. Hat tip to John Siracusa for that trip down memory lane.)

The Macintosh SE would be replaced by the "SE FDHD." This alphabet soup of a Mac was more or less a recycled, 8MHz SE with a 1.4MB SuperDrive (!) instead of the 800KB floppy disk drive found on the original SE.

The Macintosh SE/30 is the best known of the three machines with the name. The SE/30 is fondly remembered by the likes of John Gruber and John Siracusa, and for good reason. It came with a much faster 16MHz 68030 processor with a much higher RAM ceiling at 32MB. The second floppy options was not offered in the SE/30, in favor of a built-in hard drive featuring a spacious 40 or 80MB of storage space.

iMac DV SE

The SE name would next appear in October 1999. After Steve Jobs announced a revision to the "Five Flavor" iMacs that brought FireWire and iMovie to the desktop machine with the new "iMac DV" models, he announced one more machine: the iMac DV Special Edition.

Available in a stunning Graphite, this iMac sat above the just-announced DV models, but offered 128MB of RAM and a 13GB hard drive, over the 64MB of RAM and 10GB of storage found on the cheaper, more colorful models.

For 2000 and 2001, the iMac SE would include multiple case options, including Snow, Blue Dalmatian and Flower Power.

iBook SE

With the iMac, Apple used the SE name to set apart the top-of-the-line model with its better specs and higher price points. While this strategy was employed for the iMac for several revisions, with the iBook G3 line it was shorter lived.

Offered for sale several months after the original iBook had been on shelves, the iBook SE was identical to the original except for a speed bump that brought it to 366MHz. Of course, it only came in Graphite:

When the iBook gained FireWire in September 2000, the SE was bumped to 466MHz and included a DVD-ROM drive, and was available in Graphite and a bright green color dubbed Key Lime.

For whatever reason, the scheme of using "SE" to note special features and colors at the top of a product line never graduated past the iMac and iBook G3 lines. My guess is that Apple wanted to streamline things, and coupled with the fact that the G4 era meant the end of colorful cases on Macs, it probably wouldn't have made sense to keep the naming scheme going.

iPod U2 Special Edition

So, yeah. I knew when I started writing this article that I would inevitably get to this point. It can't be avoided anymore. Here we are. It's just me, you and Bono's iPod:

Officially named the "iPod U2 Special Edition," the U2 iPod was a black and red and engraved version of Apple's music player.

(The Harry Potter iPods didn't use this naming scheme, oddly.)

Customers who bought this iPod received an iTunes Store coupon redeemable for $50 off of the price of The Complete U2, a collection featuring over 400 tracks.

The U2 Special Edition would be revised a couple of times, keeping up to date with the non-Bono iPods, but was eventually dropped from the lineup in September 2007.

iPod shuffle (Late 2009)

This one is probably pushing the concept of this column, but I think it's worth a mention.

For the Late 2009 iPod shuffle, Apple introduced several new colors, but at the top of the line, with more storage space and a higher price tag, sat a stainless steel model.

While it didn't have a specific product name like the iMac and iBook SEs before it, Apple did refer to this iPod as a "special edition," so I'm willing to count it.

Plus, it looked super cool. Just check out this Apple PR image of the thing:

SE Today

Today, Apple's using the SE moniker on a weird mashup of old and new iPhone technology and design in the iPhone SE. Will this particular model of phone become a normal part of Apple's lineup, or will it fade away like other things that have worn the badge before it? What do you think? Unless you're Bono, sound off in the comments below.

Though Rene and I had speculated about Apple revamping the iPod nano and shuffle line to include some sort of Bluetooth authentication for Apple Music, it looks as though the iPod line won't get access to offline copies of Apple's newest streaming service.

When you try to sync offline Apple Music tracks to a nano or shuffle, you're met with this rather disappointing message: "Apple Music songs cannot be copied to an iPod." You'll have to rely on your purchased music for those devices, instead.

Why did Apple do this?

It's probably a record label requirement: In theory, you could sync an iPod shuffle or nano up with Apple Music tracks, then cancel your Apple Music subscription and continue rocking out to those "copied" tracks forever.

Given the small storage space of both the nano and shuffle, though, I think this is pretty dumb. For one thing, you'd at most be stealing a couple hundred to a couple thousand songs; for another, how hard would it have been to perform an authentication check every time you plug your iPod into your Mac? If iPod has expired Apple Music tracks on it, delete said tracks. If not, keep on rocking.

This makes the least sense for the iPod nano, as the device already has Bluetooth built in. You'd think Apple could include a wireless sync-style option for it like it does for the Apple Watch, but no—the nano is doomed to purchased music only, as well.

At its heart, though, this is probably an issue regarding priority and time. Apple needed to write a software update for both the nano and the shuffle to recognize and use Apple Music; instead, they get a new paint job and that's about it. (The nano is still using the iOS 6 UI, which is kind of horrific when you think about it. Jony, you really let this out of your lab?) I suppose there's a small chance that Apple could take the time to update the device's software in the future to allow for this, but I'm skeptical.

The iPod touch, alone

This leaves the iPod touch as the lone iPod in the line that can take advantage of Apple Music's catalog in both online and offline formats. It gets Apple Music because it can run iOS 8.4; Apple doesn't need to create a major software update for the iPod touch because one already existed.

As a result, if you want your kid, friend, or significant other to have access to Apple Music and a new iPod, the iPod touch is the only really viable option.

The sad truth about iPods

Much as I love the delight of the iPod shuffle line, this is the latest in a long line of moves toward making the iPod obsolete. The Apple Watch is the future for semi-offline small devices you want to listen to while on the go; the nanos and shuffles of the world are the elegant, ancient weapons from a more civilized age of wired headphones and purchased music.

Long may they live on our shelves as reminders for what we used to have.

Along with the refresh of the iPod touch, Apple has today launched new versions of the iPod nano and iPod shuffle, their two smallest music players. Both the nano and shuffle come in new shades of blue, space gray, silver, red, and pink, while a new gold option as also been added for both models.

The iPod nano still comes with 16GB of storage for $149, and still requires you to connect to your Mac or PC in order to load music. The iPod shuffle still carries a tiny 2GB of storage, but will still only run you $49.

• Get the new iPod nano from Apple
• Get the new iPod shuffle from Apple

Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory, the Sundance Audience Award-winning documentary by Michael Rossato-Bennett that opens today in the U.S., soars on a single, inescapable note — that for people suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia, iPods and personal playlists can make a transformative difference.

Alive Inside presents the work of Dan Cohen, executive director of Music & Memory. A non-profit organization, its goal is to train healthcare professionals and care-givers in the use of iPods and iTunes, and the creation of individualized playlists, for people with cognitive and physical disorders.

Cohen is followed as he visits several individuals at several care facilities whose conditions have resulted in them withdrawing from the world and those who love them in it. In each case, Cohen provides them with a personal music player and playlist — an iPod shuffle, likely due to their low cost and high portability — and a set of headphones.

The results, as presented, are remarkable. Smiles appear. Voices rise up in song. Emotions swell. Memories come flooding back. Communication becomes possible.

The idea that music can play a role in memory isn't new. Both live and recorded music has been used to help treat Alzheimer's and dementia for years. Plans like the National Dementia Strategies in the UK include information on music and its benefits. Research shows that earlier memories persist longer, and music — like picture boards, scents, and other sense-triggers — can help tap into those.

As with many things, however, the advancement of technology can bring with it an advancement in accessibility and inclusivity. Technology at its best should make the world and what's in it available to everyone. Alive Inside shows the challenges involved in that on several levels. Affordability is a factor, as is portability, but so is availability, both of the devices themselves and the information about them and what they can do.

Renowned neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks — upon whose work the movie Awakenings was based — and famed musician Bobby McFerrin — Don't Worry, Be Happy — appear in support of the documentary. Sacks speaks to the process, McFerrin shares a group experience. Both talk of the connective power of music, both within ourselves and between us and others.

That's juxtaposed against the current healthcare system, which professionals interviewed for the documentary say will gladly pay hundreds of dollars for medication but is largely intractable when it comes to mere dozens of dollars for something like music. It's the difference between keeping someone alive and giving them a life.

My grandmother passed away late last year. She was in her mid-90s and in a care facility. As time went on, our ability to connect with her and her with the world diminished greatly. I don't know if a personal music system would have helped, but I do know she loved her symphonies and her hymns, and I wish it had occurred to me to try. I wish so very much we could have maintained our connection longer.

That's ultimately what Alive Inside is about — connection. Cohen's connection to this cause. Music's connection to memory. Our connection to the world and to each other.

If you are interested in what technology can help us achieve, if you work or are involved in care-giving, or if you have or know someone suffering from Alzheimer's or dementia, watch Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory. Then strap on an iPod or iPhone or iPad, hit play, and remember.

• Screening locations and show times for Alive Inside
• Donate time, money, or old iPods to Music & Memory

If you've had your eyes on a new iPod touch, iPod nano, or iPod shuffle, but prefer doing your pre-ordering through Amazon than Apple, you're in luck -- Amazon has just put their new iPod pre-order page live!

It's the same iPod touch, iPod nano, and iPod shuffle you'd get from Apple -- absent the Apple exclusive Product (RED) versions -- and you'll likely get them around the same time as you would if you ordered from Apple, but options are good, and Amazon is one of the best.

• The new iPod touch has the same 4-inch 16:9 display as the iPhone 5, as good a camera as the iPhone 4, along with an even thinner design, and a convenient carrying loop. Comes in 7 colors.
• The new iPod nano has a home button, a wider-screen display, and is even thinner than the touch. Also has Bluetooth at long last. (What will Apple do with that?)
• The new iPod shuffle isn't really that new, aside from matching the new colors of the other two. Still, cheap and convenient.

So, if you want to pre-order your new iPod from Amazon, you can do so via the link below. (iMore is an Amazon affiliate, so you'll be supporting the site at the same time -- win, win, win.)

• Pre-order from Amazon now

Back in July when iMore learned about Apple's plans for a September 12 iPhone event, we learned some new iPods would likely be coming with it, including a new iPod touch and iPod nano. Specifics were scarce, however. Now Mark Gurman from 9to5mac has a few more details:

iMore has learned that the new iPod touch is getting the same 4-inch, 16:9 aspect ration screen as the new iPhone. Whether it's the same exact panel as the iPhone 5, or Apple once again goes for a cheaper panel like the non-IPS one they went with in 2010, however, remains to be seen.

While the iPhone 4S last year got the Apple A5 processor and a bump to 64GB, the iPod touch got no processor or storage bump, only a white option. It seems logical that Apple would rev the iPod touch processor this year, but whether or not it goes to 128GB also remains in question. A 128GB iPod touch could let Apple retire the venerable iPod classic line. However, services like iTunes in the Cloud and iTunes Match have made iOS devices far less storage-constrained than they were in the past.

There have also been rumors about Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi direct device-to-device communications and connectivity. If those have any validity, while the iPhone would no doubt get much of the attention, those features could be even more compelling on the non-cellular iPod lineup.

As for the timeline, it does make sense for Apple to introduce the new iPods at the same event as the new iPhone, like they did last year. That leaves October clear for the iPad mini and whatever else Apple intends to showoff with it. Gurman's information on the iPod nano and iPod shuffle sounds reasonable as well.

Perhaps the biggest wildcard, as M.G. Siegler points out on TechCrunch, is whether or not iTunes 11 is finally good to go.

Some answers, at least, are just a week away...