After so much speculation and rumors, Apple have finally unveiled the sixth entry in their iPod Touch line, and the device has already been enjoying its fair share of attention online. Some were genuinely surprised that Apple have decided to continue the line after all, while others jumped straight to discussing the new features and the hardware specifications of the device.
Somewhat annoyingly, the company has decided to continue the iPad naming trend, dropping the model identification number from this entry – in other words, the new iPod Touch is called simply… the iPod Touch (or “iPod touch”, as the company wants us to spell it specifically). We don’t know if this trend will continue – or how – but people have been somewhat displeased with it, claiming that it does nothing but add confusion to an already slightly complicated market.
The device has been available for a few weeks in Apple’s official store now, along with new versions of other iPod devices that saw smaller changes, and people have been generally positive towards it. It comes with iOS 8.4, with rumors that it’s going to be upgraded to version 9 once that’s released, and it looks pretty much like the iOS we know from the iPhone, minus of course its cellular capabilities.
Inside, buyers get an Apple A8 processor, aided by an Apple M8 for motion-specific calculations, however it should be noted that the processor is only running at 1.1 GHz, as opposed to the 1.4 GHz clock speed in the iPhone 6/6 Plus. It also has 1 GB of RAM, which, while an upgrade over the last iPod Touch, is still slightly low for today’s standards on the mobile market.
Still, we’re talking about Apple’s closed platform here, and that’s a big factor in determining the hardware requirements. When their developers know exactly what kind of device the OS will run on, they don’t need to spend so much time on optimizing it for different hardware, and can do more with less.
On the rear of the player, there is an 8 megapixel camera that can capture 1080p video at 30 FPS, or 720p video at 120 FPS in slow-motion. It should be noted that the camera no longer comes with the advanced lens that the previous iPod Touch device was known for, although performance is still quite good.
And of course, buyers also get solid software for their player needs, as the iPod Touch offers everything one would expect from a portable multimedia device, while also being good for additional purposes like mobile gaming and watching movies. It looks like Apple are rethinking the iPod line at this point and expanding it to a more general multimedia device for the pocket, which would make sense.
Because in the end, the main reason for the rumors that the iPod would be killed off was the lack of versatility in the device. It started off as a popular product, but as smartphones became more prevalent in our lives, people found themselves less and less interested in a dedicated media player, and eventually there was speculation that Apple themselves have lost interest in the line.
But now, they have returned with new entries – and while we have no idea if the iPod Touch line will be continued beyond its current sixth installment, this is still good news for its fans as there were certainly many people who were hopeful that they would be presented with a brand new device this year.