iPod touch Impressions of IPT6 After Two Months

[Vesuvio Cat]

While the IPT6 has some battery issues, it is overall a huge improvement over previous generations and has left behind some its redundancy from the iPhone.

To clarify, I travel a lot internationally, mostly within sub-Saharan Africa. I also have an iPhone 6 Plus and an iPad. I am an Apple junkie, and a flaming proud fan boy. So what does the IPT6 add?

Well, for one I can carry it around in the field (I work in humanitarian aid) and take great pictures with it. The camera is simply amazing. The iPhone 6 Plus and iPad aren't nearly as discrete. It also shoots great video.

It is incredibly small, even though it is the same as IPT5 in dimensions. You can easily slip it in and out of your pocket discretely. It doesn't attract any attention.

It has a great processor for gaming, and I feel like I can finally do some good portable gaming on an iPod. The IPT5 really stuttered a lot. This device hums along and renders graphics smoothly. The main drawback here is that it drains battery pretty quickly. You can game for about 2 1/2 hours before you've killed the battery.

With a pair of wireless headphones, the IPT6 is a great music and podcast machine. It is also great for watching TV shows. This is my primary use for the IPT6. I go through hours and hours of podcasts a day and usually fall asleep listening to music or watching a TV show. I usually just slip my IPT6 into my Beats headphones carrying case and have an entire entertainment system in my hands.

While it isn't totally necessary, it is nice to have. It is also certainly the best iPod Apple has ever made.

 

[Vansman]

I very much agree with you in all aspects of this excellent device. Dispite the battery life being suboptimal for gaming and other power extensive tasks, it still remains one very handy, convenient, and powerful device.

I wonder what the primary issue is with this rather short battery life? Is the battery itself to blame? Is the processor to blame? Is it iOS to blame? I'm just very curious what's sucking away the battery life...you'd think such a updated processor (3 generations) would yield better performance, and a slightly larger battery would add to that, and with iOS itself being pretty much the most efficient mobile operating system ever created... Something just doesn't add up guys. Here's my take, it's the A8 processor. The A8 was designed specifically for a larger device, iPhone 6 and 6 plus, those phones have larger batteries that can maintain a healthier power/consumption envelope. All Apple did was underclock the Chip a few MHz, and then dropped it into these iPods. This does not change the fact that the chip was designed to function in a larger device. This was no mistake either, It's their expertise, and strategy. They know what they're doing. This generation might be the last they want to make, so they ease off with a reduction in iPod usage capability, so users will be forced to notice the flagship phone's superior performance. Yes, I believe we got shorthanded this time. But of course, it's just a guess that makes sense to me.

 

[Vesuvio Cat]

I should have mentioned that the IPT6 works as a great iPhone backup. When your phone is low on juice a IPT6 is a good music, podcast, or TV show player.

 

[Andres Cantu]

I wonder what the primary issue is with this rather short battery life? Is the battery itself to blame? Is the processor to blame? Is it iOS to blame? I'm just very curious what's sucking away the battery life...you'd think such a updated processor (3 generations) would yield better performance, and a slightly larger battery would add to that, and with iOS itself being pretty much the most efficient mobile operating system ever created... Something just doesn't add up guys. Here's my take, it's the A8 processor. The A8 was designed specifically for a larger device, iPhone 6 and 6 plus, those phones have larger batteries that can maintain a healthier power/consumption envelope. All Apple did was underclock the Chip a few MHz, and then dropped it into these iPods. This does not change the fact that the chip was designed to function in a larger device. This was no mistake either, It's their expertise, and strategy. They know what they're doing. This generation might be the last they want to make, so they ease off with a reduction in iPod usage capability, so users will be forced to notice the flagship phone's superior performance. Yes, I believe we got shorthanded this time. But of course, it's just a guess that makes sense to me.

I've asked myself the same question. My theory is that battery life in iOS devices is mostly dependent on battery size. The battery from the iPod touch 5th generation to the 6th generation stayed the same, and so did the battery life. The battery from basically every iPhone generation got bigger and so did battery life. The iPhone 6 Plus has a much bigger battery and so battery life in that device is excellent. Apple knows that the bigger the battery, the better the battery life, which is why they refuse to put a 2,000+mAh battery in the regular-sized iPhone. That would mean a regular iPhone with excellent battery life, and they would much rather sell you a Plus version for $100 more if you need the extra battery life.

 

[ackmondual]

Well, for one I can carry it around in the field (I work in humanitarian aid) and take great pictures with it. The camera is simply amazing. The iPhone 6 Plus and iPad aren't nearly as discrete. It also shoots great video.

It is incredibly small, even though it is the same as IPT5 in dimensions. You can easily slip it in and out of your pocket discretely. It doesn't attract any attention.

I don't really take too much heed in this, as if I'm in a public area, I expect there to be some stray photographs. However, a few MR users have expressed disdain with taking photos of things and people without their permission.

 

[OldCorpse]

I just bought the iPT6G, in slate gray, 64GB. I should receive it in a couple of weeks. I have the iPT5G and the iPT4G before that. I'm looking forward to the better camera - the one in iPT5G is barely functional. I am not so much looking for "artistic" photo capability, but more for quality that's good enough to take photos that work as a "note" - so, I'll take a photo of a price tag, or where I'm parked, or some item I want to buy, or such. In other words, purely functional.

The other thing is I have hopes of a better web surfing experience with more RAM memory. That would be great, though I fear it may not be an improvement over the iPT5G I currently have. We'll see.

I guess I'll give my impressions after purchase and after using it for awhile.

 

[kazmac]

I'm pretty happy with mine. There's a little stuttering in iOS9 and the battery life could be better, but I am not surprised the battery life is less. Otherwise, no complaints. Does exactly what I bought it for, without the carrier cost / headache / bs.

 

[mlovergaard]

I should have mentioned that the IPT6 works as a great iPhone backup. When your phone is low on juice a IPT6 is a good music, podcast, or TV show player.

This is exactly why I am considering getting the Touch

 

[sracer]

While the IPT6 has some battery issues, it is overall a huge improvement over previous generations and has left behind some its redundancy from the iPhone.

To clarify, I travel a lot internationally, mostly within sub-Saharan Africa. I also have an iPhone 6 Plus and an iPad. I am an Apple junkie, and a flaming proud fan boy. So what does the IPT6 add?

Well, for one I can carry it around in the field (I work in humanitarian aid) and take great pictures with it. The camera is simply amazing. The iPhone 6 Plus and iPad aren't nearly as discrete. It also shoots great video.

It is incredibly small, even though it is the same as IPT5 in dimensions. You can easily slip it in and out of your pocket discretely. It doesn't attract any attention.

When I took my 64GB iPT4 with me as my only electronic device when I traveled internationally a few years ago, I was sold on the iPod Touch as THE travel companion. Small, light, discrete, with the fastest camera of any pocketable device I owned. That's what really impressed me... in a split-second, I was able to pull out my iPT from my pocket, wake it up and snap a photo. I took photos that I wouldn't have been able to any other way... unless I walked around, camera in hand ready to shoot.

Yeah, the camera was 0.7MP but the photos were fine... I was even able to take 3D photos with it!

I've replaced the 64GB 4G with a 32GB 6G... both still and video quality is terrific. Oh, I happen to use it for music, videos, and light gaming too.

 

[1961 Scout]

Here's my take on two months with my blue 128GB IPT 6. This device is freaking awesome. I am still so stoked that Apple updated the touch, I thought all hope was lost when time and again it was bypassed for an update. Then, out of the blue, we got our new touch. This thing is super fast and takes great pictures. Mine has never crashed an app, shut down or even hiccupped. This sucker takes super pictures and videos...(if you get the lighting right) and offers true one hand operation. I don't care if they ever upgrade again. I've got the perfect device...except for the battery life...two months later and I am still jazzed .

 

[jedisaga]

I very much agree with you in all aspects of this excellent device. Dispite the battery life being suboptimal for gaming and other power extensive tasks, it still remains one very handy, convenient, and powerful device.

Battery life isn't great, but at least it charges rather quickly. When I know I'm going to use it extensively, I keep it plugged in if possible.

J

 

[0003462]

The other thing is I have hopes of a better web surfing experience with more RAM memory. That would be great, though I fear it may not be an improvement over the iPT5G I currently have. We'll see.

From my own experience, I noticed an enormous difference when returning to Safari from other apps and when switching tabs. The kind of difference I thought I'd need 2GB RAM to get. Content blockers contribute significantly to memory performance.

Admittedly, I mostly use the built-in apps only, and nothing RAM-intensive like games.

 

[DUCKofD3ATH]

The main drawback here is that it drains battery pretty quickly. You can game for about 2 1/2 hours before you've killed the battery.

Have you looked at the Battery panel under Settings to see what's draining the iPod? I was getting short battery life too until I checked and found the app Footsteps was eating up 80% of the juice by running in the background. I shut that app's background function down and the battery life soared.

 

[mwebb]

In my limited experience - running and restarting, before it ends, a 2 hour 720p movie on YouTube, until the device is down to 5% - on both my old IPT5 and new IPT6, battery life was about the same, about 6 hours IIRC (I recall the "sameness" more than the actual hours - I do recall thinking "that sure isn't the 10 hours the ads made me expect, but I'm running 100% brightness (albeit 0% volume)").

HOWEVER the 6th gen was getting about 2/3 or just 1/2 the time on web browsing as the 5th gen.

I was flabbergasted and angry, then realized I was actually doing about the same amount of actual browsing though - I just covered much more ground in the same time on the 6th gen (this assumes jumping to sites that then have to load etc., as opposed to landing on a text heavy site and reading it all - like the News app). When both chips are "loping" (loading and reading a lot of text) battery life is about the same or about 5-10% less, it seems, on the 6th gen. When you are working the processor hard, the 6th gen has much less battery life, but then it is also working much harder. It doesn't surprise me at all that you only get 2.5 hours of gaming life - I'm assuming a demanding game.

I've been pretty disappointed by the 5th and 6th on long (14 hour) flights with Kindle and brightness around 50% - just 8 hours. I have "expired" (been replaced) Android phones that last longer than that, but they have 2000-2500 mAh batteries, and the Touch is just 1050 mAh.

I'm ok with them keeping the Touch with a 1050 mAh battery - it makes it ultra slim and light. What I don't understand is Apple reducing battery size in their new phones by arguing iOS is more efficient. Apple has the best ever "standby" or "sleep mode" battery life, but active - browsing, e-chatting - battery life could be better.

While the IPT6 has some battery issues, it is overall a huge improvement over previous generations and has left behind some its redundancy from the iPhone.

To clarify, I travel a lot internationally, mostly within sub-Saharan Africa. I also have an iPhone 6 Plus and an iPad. I am an Apple junkie, and a flaming proud fan boy. So what does the IPT6 add?

Well, for one I can carry it around in the field (I work in humanitarian aid) and take great pictures with it. The camera is simply amazing. The iPhone 6 Plus and iPad aren't nearly as discrete. It also shoots great video.

It is incredibly small, even though it is the same as IPT5 in dimensions. You can easily slip it in and out of your pocket discretely. It doesn't attract any attention.

It has a great processor for gaming, and I feel like I can finally do some good portable gaming on an iPod. The IPT5 really stuttered a lot. This device hums along and renders graphics smoothly. The main drawback here is that it drains battery pretty quickly. You can game for about 2 1/2 hours before you've killed the battery.

With a pair of wireless headphones, the IPT6 is a great music and podcast machine. It is also great for watching TV shows. This is my primary use for the IPT6. I go through hours and hours of podcasts a day and usually fall asleep listening to music or watching a TV show. I usually just slip my IPT6 into my Beats headphones carrying case and have an entire entertainment system in my hands.

While it isn't totally necessary, it is nice to have. It is also certainly the best iPod Apple has ever made.