MP3 is officially dead, original developer declares

MP3. File photo

The so-called children of the ’90s could very well relate the good old days of music to the  Digital Audio Player, popularly known as the MP3 Player.

But after two decades since its initial public release, the portable audio device is now completely obsolete.

The MP3’s original developer, Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits, recently announced the termination of their mp3 licensing program.

“Although there are more efficient audio codecs with advanced features available today, mp3 is still very popular amongst consumers,” the German company said in a press release, as relayed by CIO.com.

“However, most state-of-the-art media services such as streaming or TV and radio broadcasting use modern ISO-MPEG codecs such as the AAC family or in the future MPEG-H. Those can deliver more features and a higher audio quality at much lower bitrates compared to mp3.”

The rise of modern technology has certainly spelled the demise for the once revolutionary product, as better audio device alternatives have become available over the years.

Surprisingly, the MP3 lasted longer than one of its successors—the iPod Classic—which halted production three years before in September 2014.  Khristian Ibarrola /ra