iPod Touch Speed Tests Confirm Apple's Claims of 'Up to 50% Faster Performance'

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/09/15/ipod-touch-speed-tests-confirm-apples-claims-of-up-to-50-faster-performance/)

At Apple's "It's Only Rock and Roll" media event last week, the company introduced (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/09/09/apple-updates-entire-ipod-family-bringing-capacity-and-performance-bumps-to-ipod-touch-and-video-camera-to-ipod-nano/) new iPod touch models with 32 GB and 64 GB capacities, advertising the devices as offering "up to 50 percent faster performance". Macworld has performed speed tests (http://www.macworld.com/article/142793/2009/09/ipodtouch3gspeed.html) comparing the new iPod touch to the previous-generation model, and found that on a number of tasks the new model does meet or exceed Apple's performance claims.

http://images.macrumors.com/article/2009/09/15/160605-ipod_touch_speed_tests.png

The speed tests conducted were similar to ones run in June (http://www.macworld.com/article/141281/2009/06/iphone3gs_review.html) on the iPhone 3GS, and while the new iPhone running Apple's just-released iPhone OS 3.1 was not included in the latest comparison, the new iPod touch appears to even be slightly faster at some tasks than the iPhone 3GS.

But it's not just in benchmarks such as these where the new iPod wins out. Just as the iPhone 3GS was faster than the iPhone 3G at everything, the new iPod touch feels much faster at any task you throw at it: applications launch (and quit) faster, Web pages load more quickly, processor-intensive games and programs perform better -- you name it.

We'll be testing the latest iPod touch's performance -- compared to both the previous touch and the iPhone 3GS -- for our official review, but it's clear that Apple has beefed up its newest touchscreen device.

Article Link: iPod Touch Speed Tests Confirm Apple's Claims of 'Up to 50% Faster Performance' (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/09/15/ipod-touch-speed-tests-confirm-apples-claims-of-up-to-50-faster-performance/)

[thegoldenmackid]

Does it have a camera...oh wait, no one cares..

[MasterDev]

Too bad they didn't add on a coffee maker. Tsk tsk tsk.

[Vandam500]

Does it have a camera...oh wait, no one cares..

Rofl but it is faster... sigh Apple

[eawmp1]

Snappier...just no snapshots.

This has been a year of questionable upgrades (MacPro, iPod Touch). At least the iPhone and the Nano rose to the occasion). Just bought 2 iPod Touches (2G) at a significant discount and not regretting it a bit.

[peepboon]

well see it on the positive part guys... nothing really major has come out this year... i mean snow leopard is great but its not a whole new OS now is it?

The fact that nothing major has changed just adds more speculation that they're just too busy with the damn tablet... a good thing or a bad thing?

[Jimmy James]

This has been a year of questionable upgrades (MacPro, iPod Touch)

The processor performance and increased memory are the big upgrades.

Had they included the camera but left the rest alone, well, things would be much worse.

[mifka]

Both devices were tested under iPhone OS ?3.1.1?

[BornAgainMac]

I wish a limited edition iPod Touch would come out with the camera and video and GPS. $499 or something and people would have paid it.

[cababah]

Really? Faster even than iPhone 3GS in some cases?

Maybe that is because it has all the same specs but without having to include software and operation for being a phone.

Random thought: The iPhone 3GS has been out for several months and the new 3G iPod Touch just came out with comparable graphics capabilities. By the time there are games that fully utilize the 3GS/iPod Touch specs (if ever) there will be a bigger better iPhone. When will developers get to catch up to put out good apps for current devices????

[PeterQVenkman]

No Camera?

Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble!

http://images.southparkstudios.com/crap/downloads/preview_image_thumbnail.php?id=1847

[kockgunner]

Is seems like a lot of posters already have iPod touches and were waiting to upgrade. A product is barely a year old yet they feel the need to sell it and replace it with a new one. If Apple came out with an iPod with a camera, I bet people would be complaining how obsolete their iPod is and how Apple keeps on updating their products too much. Buy an iPod when you need a replacement or absolutely need that new camera, not just because it's the latest and the greatest.



...

Random thought: The iPhone 3GS has been out for several months and the new 3G iPod Touch just came out with comparable graphics capabilities. By the time there are games that fully utilize the 3GS/iPod Touch specs (if ever) there will be a bigger better iPhone. When will developers get to catch up to put out good apps for current devices????

I was wondering this too. There was so much hype about FW 3.0 and Open GL and stuff in the beginning, but the iPhone still has no apps that make particular use of those features. Once, it's past December into the new year, it will already be unwise to buy an iPhone since June is when they usually release a new one. I feel like my iPhone 3GS was just a point upgrade until the multi-core mobile chips come out :(

[ratGT]

Both devices were tested under iPhone OS ?3.1.1?

Yeah... That was a bit weird... 3.1 is all I know... Maybe it's a typo (i doubt it's an early seed they've installed for testing purposes)

[MorphingDragon]

Another 5ms taken off my waiting time. ;)

[Djlild7hina]

the ipod touches have build 3.1.1 and iphones have 3.1

[cavemonkey50]

Yeah... That was a bit weird... 3.1 is all I know... Maybe it's a typo (i doubt it's an early seed they've installed for testing purposes)

3.1.1 is the same as 3.1, just for iPod touches. The build number is one number greater than the iPhone 3.1 build, indicating there was only a minor change (perhaps related to the hardware difference between the two devices).

Any new versions released next would be 3.1.2 or 3.2.

[wizard]

Yeah... That was a bit weird... 3.1 is all I know... Maybe it's a typo (i doubt it's an early seed they've installed for testing purposes)

That is the correct version number of the iPod Touches. There was a last minute update for some reason. Some speculate that it is due to the camera being removed.

[Eidorian]

Speed bumps aren't all that attractive when there are no new hardware features otherwise.

[twoodcc]

glad to see apple lives up to it's talk. but again, where's the camera?

[wizard]

What I really want to see is a bit of detective work. That is I want to find out the following:

How much RAM is contained in the latest rev iTouches.
What is the GPU implemented in the device.
Is that GPU running at the same clock rate as the iPhone 3GS
What is the clock rate of the CPU
For that matter how does the CPU differ from the one in the 3GS
What is the data rate the device can sustain over WiFi


Frankly even a bit of that info above would really add spice to the reporting and complement the test data.

Dave

[nagromme]

glad to see apple lives up to it's talk. but again, where's the camera?

It doesn't have a camera. That was a reliable rumor, but it didn't happen (and Apple never said it would). It just got faster, better graphics and more storage for the same price.

Cheer up: the Touch is apparently not thick enough for the nice still-capable auto-focus camera in the iPhone anyway :) If anything, it would (will eventually?) get the small, video-only camera as seen in the Nano. So new Touch owners aren't missing all that much--just a nice rumored extra. And OLD Touch owners shouldn't need to get every new model anyway. I'm on the every-other-year plan myself :)

[wizard]

Speed bumps aren't all that attractive when there are no new hardware features otherwise.

First; off this rev has me thinking about getting an iPod Touch even though I have an iPhone. There are two reasons. One is the speedier interface and the other is the acres of flash. Well those two and it would be a good test platform.

Second; the value equation is much better and that is a good reason to buy also. Faster, more flash and other enhancements for less $$$$$$$, is a good thing in my book.

Plus I really don't care about the camera. I have one on my iPhone and I hardly use it. I could do better with water colors applied with cinders.



Dave

[Chimpy]

It's so tempting to upgrade my old Touch even though I don't really need it...damn you Apple and your beguiling ways!

[Eidorian]

First; off this rev has me thinking about getting an iPod Touch even though I have an iPhone. There are two reasons. One is the speedier interface and the other is the acres of flash. Well those two and it would be a good test platform.

Second; the value equation is much better and that is a good reason to buy also. Faster, more flash and other enhancements for less $$$$$$$, is a good thing in my book.

Plus I really don't care about the camera. I have one on my iPhone and I hardly use it. I could do better with water colors applied with cinders.



DaveIt seems like a waste if you already have an iPhone.

[ramuman]

For a reference, I just received a time of 15.4s on SunSpider on my 3GS running iPhone OS 3.1.

[cababah]

For a reference, I just received a time of 15.4s on SunSpider on my 3GS running iPhone OS 3.1.

pwned!

Nice to see a fellow 3GSer still ahead of the game






(:rolleyes:)

[lucas]

Speed bumps aren't all that attractive when there are no new hardware features otherwise.

you're obviously a lot more patient than I am.

the iphone 3g was annoyingly slow and unresponsive (at least in my eyes), while the 3gs finally feels like the phone can keep up with what the user wants to do. if the ipod touch speed boost was even close to as big (i know the previous touch was a little faster than the 3g) then it'd be extraordinarily attractive (if I didnt already have the iphone)

[catracho]

Ipod Touch 3G without camera is a fail Apple.

You have 1 year to make this thing..come on! and one month earlier..ups..the cameras does not work...lets say that is game machine! xD xD

[Eidorian]

you're obviously a lot more patient than I am.

the iphone 3g was annoyingly slow and unresponsive (at least in my eyes), while the 3gs finally feels like the phone can keep up with what the user wants to do. if the ipod touch speed boost was even close to as big (i know the previous touch was a little faster than the 3g) then it'd be extraordinarily attractive (if I didnt already have the iphone)I have plenty of other toys to keep my time occupied in waiting for Apple to get their products right. :p

My Core i5 750 has me occupied for now.

[dave1812dave]

Not to rain on anyone's parade but my two 2nd gen Touchs with 2.2 can boot in 22 seconds, so the 31 seconds listed for 3.1.1 is a step in the wrong direction.

[Vandam500]

Not to rain on anyone's parade but my two 2nd gen Touchs with 2.2 can boot in 22 seconds, so the 31 seconds listed for 3.1.1 is a step in the wrong direction.

Obviously 3.1.1 is slower?

[XciteMe]

Am I the only one who finds it unfair that the new iPod Touch 32/64 GB is slightly FASTER than even the 3GS???

I mean, the 3GS is new too, and we have to pay $100+ a month to use it. And we are bound to a contract.

And now iPod Touch owners can buy one, not pay anything else afterwards, and theirs is faster than the 3GS.

NOT FAIR, Apple. Honestly why couldn't it have been the same speed as the 3GS???

[Capoc]

Am I the only one who finds it unfair that the new iPod Touch 32/64 GB is slightly FASTER than even the 3GS???

I mean, the 3GS is new too, and we have to pay $100+ a month to use it. And we are bound to a contract.

And now iPod Touch owners can buy one, not pay anything else afterwards, and theirs is faster than the 3GS.

NOT FAIR, Apple. Honestly why couldn't it have been the same speed as the 3GS???

...


you have a camera, a phone, and all the time internet.

If you're serious, please go jump in a pool with your iphone in hand.

If you're not, cute comment.

[ob81]

This whole faster thing is always great, but now with some solid competition, it won't hold up in the long run. I don't care much for the camera, but there is only so much that apple can do with this thing. Leaving stuff out isn't the answer.

[commander.data]

Am I the only one who finds it unfair that the new iPod Touch 32/64 GB is slightly FASTER than even the 3GS???

I mean, the 3GS is new too, and we have to pay $100+ a month to use it. And we are bound to a contract.

And now iPod Touch owners can buy one, not pay anything else afterwards, and theirs is faster than the 3GS.

NOT FAIR, Apple. Honestly why couldn't it have been the same speed as the 3GS???
The iPod Touch runs less background tasks since it doesn't need to support phone functionality and always be checking the cell network. That means that even with identical processor specs, which seems to be the case here, the iPod Touch would often be faster than the iPhone 3G S since it has more free RAM and free CPU cycles. If you feel this is such a big concern for you, then you can always use one of Apple's feedback forms and ask them to further cripple/software bloat the iPod Touch to ensure they can never outperform a comparatively specced iPhone. I guess it's a good thing Apple didn't include a camera in the iPod Touch otherwise existing iPhone owners would be up at arms. :eek:

[XciteMe]

^ So are you saying putting an iPhone in Airplane Mode will make it run just as fast as the new 3G Touch??? Or, if not that, at least a little faster than it would with Airplane Mode off???

[cababah]

^ So are you saying putting an iPhone in Airplane Mode will make it run just as fast as the new 3G Touch??? Or, if not that, at least a little faster than it would with Airplane Mode off???

There is still quite a bit more phone-related software that is always on the
3GS and it uses up more RAM at every startup compared to the iPod Touch.

It is only marginally faster (if it is faster at all and it probably is only marginally faster in some areas) not enough to notice anything huge.

What WAS huge though was how much faster the iPod Touch 2G was over the iPhone 3G. That was enough to have me a little POd.

[commander.data]

^ So are you saying putting an iPhone in Airplane Mode will make it run just as fast as the new 3G Touch??? Or, if not that, at least a little faster than it would with Airplane Mode off???
Possibly. It may free up a few CPU cycles, but probably won't free up RAM since the cell functionality probably didn't quit, but is just inactive. Most of the heavy cell phone communication lifting I believe is done by a dedicated modem processor, while the CPU is used for control and interfacing with the user. I doubt it'd be a noticeable difference either way. I haven't heard that the 3rd gen iPod Touch is hugely faster than the iPhone 3G S anyways.

[redman042]

The performance improvements of the 3GS and the new Touch models do not get the credit they are due. Seems like most people would prefer to have more bells and whistles plastered on rather than having the core user experience improved by leaps and bounds.

This is why Microsoft, Sony and the other PMP makers just go for more features all the time at the expense of usability. Look at the new Zune - it's got "HD" people!! Wow, HD... on a tiny low-res screen. Great. And OLED!!! With great contrast and deeper blacks... as long as you're in a dimly-lit closet that is. People chose gadgets based on the length of the spec list, not the actual usability of the product. It's a shame.

I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I'd rather have speed. I've owned various PDAs, Windows smartphones, and an iPhone 3G before I upgraded to the 3GS. Before the 3GS, I was constantly reminded that I was using a shrunk-down, compromised computer every time I waited through another lag or slow web page render. I'd often opt to go find a PC to load a web page, just because my smartphone would render it too slow. No longer. My 3GS is the first smartphone I've ever owned with amazing capabilities, a beautiful UI, and SPEED TO BACK IT ALL UP!

It's not about shaving milliseconds. With the 3GS, I probably save tens of minutes every hour that I use it, compared to the 3G.

[pika2000]

Any side-by-side comparison with the 3GS? I assume they are the same, right?

[apple101]

Am I the only one who finds it unfair that the new iPod Touch 32/64 GB is slightly FASTER than even the 3GS???

I mean, the 3GS is new too, and we have to pay $100+ a month to use it. And we are bound to a contract.

And now iPod Touch owners can buy one, not pay anything else afterwards, and theirs is faster than the 3GS.

NOT FAIR, Apple. Honestly why couldn't it have been the same speed as the 3GS???



We pay for software updates, that's where they get us iPod touch users for no contract ;)

[cababah]

It's is always funny to see people freak out when "inferior" products start encroaching in their land of elitism. This brings back the whole "Is the 13" MBP really Pro?" thing.

[Eric5h5]

Speed bumps aren't all that attractive when there are no new hardware features otherwise.

The graphics chip is significantly better. I wouldn't call 150-200% faster processing a "speed bump", either; that's quite substantial.

--Eric

[retroneo]

What I really want to see is a bit of detective work. That is I want to find out the following:

How much RAM is contained in the latest rev iTouches.
For that matter how does the CPU differ from the one in the 3GS


1. It is very likely to be 256MB, but most of the details won't be able to be verified until the phone is jailbroken.
2. The iPod touch has a Samsung S5L8922X processor+RAM package, the 3GS has a S5L8920X. It is unknown at this stage what the differences are. While it is certain it has a PowerVR SGX, it is unknown if it is the same SGX 535 variant at this stage.

[Brien]

Wow, even faster than the 3GS? Incredible.

[wizard]

It seems like a waste if you already have an iPhone.

You must have missed the part about not having enough storage on iPhone. Right now the lack of Flash space is iPhones biggest problem.

Dave

[Analog Kid]

Since when are launch times considered benchmarks? Is the processor faster or just the flash interface?

Random thought: The iPhone 3GS has been out for several months and the new 3G iPod Touch just came out with comparable graphics capabilities. By the time there are games that fully utilize the 3GS/iPod Touch specs (if ever) there will be a bigger better iPhone. When will developers get to catch up to put out good apps for current devices????
The point is continuous improvement. Developers can step into the product stream at any time, and users don't try to time purchases for the perfect release. Some devs will target the latest hardware for the most whizz-bang mojo, and some devs will target the largest installed base for the most potential revenue.
Am I the only one who finds it unfair that the new iPod Touch 32/64 GB is slightly FASTER than even the 3GS???Yes.

[ramuman]

Where does it say the new Touch is faster? I posted my SunSpider results as being 15.4s on my 32GB 3GS w/ the 3.1 firmware. I repeated it twice.

You can't compare their old 3.0 firmware tests on the 3GS.

[Eidorian]

You must have missed the part about not having enough storage on iPhone. Right now the lack of Flash space is iPhones biggest problem.

DaveI didn't miss that point. You're not going to see capacity jumps on the iPhone that often.

Are you going for 64 GB?

[Beric]

I have plenty of other toys to keep my time occupied in waiting for Apple to get their products right. :p

My Core i5 750 has me occupied for now.

Ah, building a new rig? Good luck. :cool: Just helped my brother build an i7 920 rig, and it was pretty fun. Still have to overclock it though.

Unfortunately for me, I just succumbed to the iPod touch, and a 32GB 3rd gen is now on the way. My 2G Nano was getting pretty small though, and I don't have an iPhone or anything.

Glad to see the speed boost is significant! I can only hope developers take more advantage of the graphics later.

[ArcaneDevice]

Something is off with their test scores. On the new 64GB Touch everything is almost instantaneous.

Off > lock screen and Lock screen > home screen take just over a second. So that's about three seconds total boot time if you have a fast finger.

Same with most other apps and screens. My music catalog is about 40GB and it lists the entire song catalog from hitting "music" in just over a second.

NYtimes.com took 12 seconds. But that test is dependent on your own access speed. So it's not a very good benchmark.

[macshill]

you have a camera, a phone, and all the time internet.

If you're serious, please go jump in a pool with your iphone in hand.

If you're not, cute comment.

We pay for software updates, that's where they get us iPod touch users for no contract .

+1 (!!!)

[sam10685]

Does it have a camera...oh wait, no one cares..

Would you rather have it at the slower 2G speeds but with a camera or at the speeds available now.

[Patrick J]

Something is off with their test scores. On the new 64GB Touch everything is almost instantaneous.

Off > lock screen and Lock screen > home screen take just over a second. So that's about three seconds total boot time if you have a fast finger.


We are talking actually cold off - you just locked the device so the screen switched off.

[DipDog3]

Faster than the iPhone 3GS?

Say it ain't so! But I am not surprised since the iPhone still have phone things to do in the background but the Touch doesn't.

[kornyboy]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7C144 Safari/528.16)

It has to be fast to be a good gaming device. This is good to hear.

[MLupi]

Given that I expected them to as fast as the 3Gs, not more so, it's quite surprising. Like the previous poster said, if they're trying to market it as a gaming system, then the faster the better...

[ArcaneDevice]

We are talking actually cold off - you just locked the device so the screen switched off.

Ah that makes sense. Even there I get faster results. Coming in at 15 seconds.

[redman042]

Faster than the iPhone 3GS?

Say it ain't so! But I am not surprised since the iPhone still have phone things to do in the background but the Touch doesn't.

I wouldn't sweat it. I'm pretty sure the speed difference between the 3GS and the new Touch is going to be much less significant than the difference between the previous generations.

I cared a whole lot more when my 3G iPhone lagged so much, but my 3GS blazes through everything I throw at it, so I'm not worried about it now.

[Bubba Satori]

Impressive. Way to go Apple.

[automan98]

The Touch is just so many things to so many people. Awesome device and even better now that it's faster.

[kernkraft]

The following thing happened to me...

A few months ago, I purchased a second-hand 3G. But the battery life, the camera and the voice clarity were poor, so I got rid of it. However, a few weeks ago I went to the US and Canada, for a long holiday. I knew that I needed an iPhone... With all those cool apps and everything, what else would you need? So hoping, that things would be different this time around, I purchased a brand new one.

Well, O2, my British network charged the hell out of me for data. It's around 10 USD (£6) for every 6 Mb or so. So data roaming on the iPhone was mostly turned off. I have to say, this device, without proper network support is useless as a phone and nowhere near to its full potential. It is a waste of money.

Meanwhile, my girlfriend had a few maps and travel guides and our long-term phone, a Nokia 6300. She got all her emails, no extra charges and no hassle. What we call mobile internet at the moment is a shameful state of denial and incapability.

The GPS is incredibly inaccurate. As I write these lines, back in the UK, the device's GPS tells me that I am in Southampton. In reality, I am 26 miles away. Also, it is pretty slow to run certain applications and downloading websites by using wifi. Of course, 3G is not available in our area.

AND NOW, APPLE BRINGS OUT AN IPOD TOUCH WITH BETTER PROCESSOR?!! AAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

[DoNoHarm]

Hey Everyone, so if you were in the market for an ipod touch, would you go for the 8gb or 32gb? Is the speed difference that noteworthy?

[MorphingDragon]

The following thing happened to me...

A few months ago, I purchased a second-hand 3G. But the battery life, the camera and the voice clarity were poor, so I got rid of it. However, a few weeks ago I went to the US and Canada, for a long holiday. I knew that I needed an iPhone... With all those cool apps and everything, what else would you need? So hoping, that things would be different this time around, I purchased a brand new one.

Well, O2, my British network charged the hell out of me for data. It's around 10 USD (£6) for every 6 Mb or so. So data roaming on the iPhone was mostly turned off. I have to say, this device, without proper network support is useless as a phone and nowhere near to its full potential. It is a waste of money.

Meanwhile, my girlfriend had a few maps and travel guides and our long-term phone, a Nokia 6300. She got all her emails, no extra charges and no hassle. What we call mobile internet at the moment is a shameful state of denial and incapability.

The GPS is incredibly inaccurate. As I write these lines, back in the UK, the device's GPS tells me that I am in Southampton. In reality, I am 26 miles away. Also, it is pretty slow to run certain applications and downloading websites by using wifi. Of course, 3G is not available in our area.

AND NOW, APPLE BRINGS OUT AN IPOD TOUCH WITH BETTER PROCESSOR?!! AAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

GPS or GSM Locator, If So...
Isnt the GPS Google's GPS? Shouldnt you be blaming Google for that...
Google maps is atrocious. Wises Maps FTW.

[felixen]

Is seems like a lot of posters already have iPod touches and were waiting to upgrade. A product is barely a year old yet they feel the need to sell it and replace it with a new one. If Apple came out with an iPod with a camera, I bet people would be complaining how obsolete their iPod is and how Apple keeps on updating their products too much. Buy an iPod when you need a replacement or absolutely need that new camera, not just because it's the latest and the greatest.



I was wondering this too. There was so much hype about FW 3.0 and Open GL and stuff in the beginning, but the iPhone still has no apps that make particular use of those features. Once, it's past December into the new year, it will already be unwise to buy an iPhone since June is when they usually release a new one. I feel like my iPhone 3GS was just a point upgrade until the multi-core mobile chips come out :(

its all good in the hood. just remember to put your 3g s up for sale in mid April. that way lots of people are still unaware of a new iphone coming out soon, so it wont **** with your price, and you'll get a new iphone for next to nothing

[depyou]

I wish a limited edition iPod (http://www.trademic.com/ipod_1__.htm) Touch would come out with the camera and video and GPS. But it's not need $ 499 I think.