Our beloved iPod Touch... As much as I hate to believe it, I have no choice but to. Apple really doesn't care much anymore.
Let us start from the beginning.
iPod Touch vs iPhone. Winner: TIE
Both were equipped with a 412 MegaHertz Single Core processor with 128 Megabytes of RAM.
Alright, this is the first of each series, so it's not like Apple had much choice to skimp out on Hardware ie: "300 Megahertz processor with 64 Megabytes of RAM." That'd be awful.
iPod Touch 2nd Gen vs iPhone 3G. Winner: iPod Touch 2nd Gen
In this generation the iPod Touch tops up the iPhone 3G at 533 MegaHertz vs 412 MegaHertz. The speed bump was quite apparent in side by side comparisons in iPhone OS 3, and ever more apparent in "iOS 4." In fact, once iOS 4 was released, the iPhone 3G was the only device in the lineup that had a special OS upgrade to slightly fix the terrible performance issues. The 1st Generation iPod Touch and iPhone were left behind. This was a damned if you do, damned if you don't moment for Apple because users would've complained that the phone (iPhone 3G) they just bought didn't get a software update, even though the hardware is not truly capable of running the software properly. The iPod Touch 2nd Generation had some hiccups and omitted feature set on iOS 4 as well, but not as bad as the iPhone 3G.
iPod Touch 3rd Gen vs iPhone 3GS. Winner: TIE
Like the first generation of iDevices, both of this generation share the same enhanced internals. Both were equipped with a 600 MegaHertz Processor and 256 Megabytes of RAM; HOWEVER, and this is a big however. Only the 16GB and 32GB models had the newer specs. The 8GB model was a a 2nd Gen with iPhone OS 3 out of the box. At that point in time, iPod Touch users had to pay for major OS updates (not incremental ones.)
iPod Touch 4th Gen vs iPhone 4. Winner: iPhone 4
Here's where the joy ride ends. The iPod Touch is no longer just an "iPhone without the phone." This is the generation where the iPod Touch starts to go downhill. Both devices are powered by a 1 Gigahertz A4 Chip; however, the iPod Touch comes with half the RAM (which severely cripples performance). Both have the "Retina Display", but... the iPod Touch lacks IPS. And though it finally gets a camera, it's not the fantastic 5 Megapixel shooter with flash like it's more loved sister. It's most likely recycled iPhone 3GS units (which isn't terrible by any means, no camera is worse than a lesser camera.) Due to the small amount of RAM powering the Retina Display, this iPod Touch actually performs WORSE than the previous generation. (More frame rate drops / stuttering and load times.)
There was no major iPod Touch counterpart to the iPhone 4S.
iPod Touch 5th Gen vs iPhone 5. Winner: iPhone 5.
This is the first iPod Touch to be "one behind" the iPhone it was released with. The iPod Touch 5th Gen is by no means a bad upgrade / device (at this time), but it is still no iPhone 5 (performance wise). In fact, it is more closely related to the iPhone 4S (albeit with a larger screen with IPS this time around and weaker camera). An A5 chip with 512 MB RAM versus an A6 with 1 GB RAM believe it or not is not as bad of a comparison compared to the last generation. The dual core processor helps a lot here.
There was no iPod Touch Counterpart to the iPhone 5S.
There is no iPod Touch Counterpart to the iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus.
Which leaves us to the NOW.
In 2012 an A5 and 512 Megabytes was still excellent for the requirements of iOS. Now? It still... erm, works. But it lacks that OOMPH terribly. I know most people agree / speculate that it may be equipped with an A7. But if the iPod Touch continues the Fall release trend, an A7 is too little for such a long hiatus of no upgrades. The A8 will still continue the "one generation behind SoC" while not being too expensive since iPhone's of that time will have A9's.
I'd be happy with the A7, but I think the A8 will suit it better, especially if there isn't going to a size increase. I currently own the iPod Touch 5th generation on iOS 6.1. It's a media device for me, so I use it for music and occasional web browsing / social media. iOS doesn't scale well that well for older devices.
For example, my iPod Touch 5th Gen on iOS 6.1 vs an iPhone 5 on iOS 8.4 and iPad 4th Gen on iOS 8.4 (A5 vs A6 vs A6X) not only powers up and down quicker, it launches applications faster, scrolls through menus more smoothly, and doesn't have any frame rate drops whatsoever with normal usage. iOS 7 and iOS 8 visually appears the same, and with the flatter UI, what is making the the A6 and A6X work so hard to the point there is framerate slowdown on basic things like scrolling in the Settings Menu? That's just a personal nitpick, but I feel like it shouldn't be happening at all.
I can't imagine what life is like on 8.4 with an A5, if the A6 and A6X has hiccups here and there. I don't own an A7 or A8 device, so I cannot speak of UI responsiveness of those chipsets.
Anyway, what are your thoughts on an iPod Touch 6th Gen with an A8 or A7. Which would you want / think is likely to happen? I want an A8, and don't think it's TOO unlikely seeing how at one point in time, the iPod Touch was faster than the iPhone...
Let us start from the beginning.
iPod Touch vs iPhone. Winner: TIE
Both were equipped with a 412 MegaHertz Single Core processor with 128 Megabytes of RAM.
Alright, this is the first of each series, so it's not like Apple had much choice to skimp out on Hardware ie: "300 Megahertz processor with 64 Megabytes of RAM." That'd be awful.
iPod Touch 2nd Gen vs iPhone 3G. Winner: iPod Touch 2nd Gen
In this generation the iPod Touch tops up the iPhone 3G at 533 MegaHertz vs 412 MegaHertz. The speed bump was quite apparent in side by side comparisons in iPhone OS 3, and ever more apparent in "iOS 4." In fact, once iOS 4 was released, the iPhone 3G was the only device in the lineup that had a special OS upgrade to slightly fix the terrible performance issues. The 1st Generation iPod Touch and iPhone were left behind. This was a damned if you do, damned if you don't moment for Apple because users would've complained that the phone (iPhone 3G) they just bought didn't get a software update, even though the hardware is not truly capable of running the software properly. The iPod Touch 2nd Generation had some hiccups and omitted feature set on iOS 4 as well, but not as bad as the iPhone 3G.
iPod Touch 3rd Gen vs iPhone 3GS. Winner: TIE
Like the first generation of iDevices, both of this generation share the same enhanced internals. Both were equipped with a 600 MegaHertz Processor and 256 Megabytes of RAM; HOWEVER, and this is a big however. Only the 16GB and 32GB models had the newer specs. The 8GB model was a a 2nd Gen with iPhone OS 3 out of the box. At that point in time, iPod Touch users had to pay for major OS updates (not incremental ones.)
iPod Touch 4th Gen vs iPhone 4. Winner: iPhone 4
Here's where the joy ride ends. The iPod Touch is no longer just an "iPhone without the phone." This is the generation where the iPod Touch starts to go downhill. Both devices are powered by a 1 Gigahertz A4 Chip; however, the iPod Touch comes with half the RAM (which severely cripples performance). Both have the "Retina Display", but... the iPod Touch lacks IPS. And though it finally gets a camera, it's not the fantastic 5 Megapixel shooter with flash like it's more loved sister. It's most likely recycled iPhone 3GS units (which isn't terrible by any means, no camera is worse than a lesser camera.) Due to the small amount of RAM powering the Retina Display, this iPod Touch actually performs WORSE than the previous generation. (More frame rate drops / stuttering and load times.)
There was no major iPod Touch counterpart to the iPhone 4S.
iPod Touch 5th Gen vs iPhone 5. Winner: iPhone 5.
This is the first iPod Touch to be "one behind" the iPhone it was released with. The iPod Touch 5th Gen is by no means a bad upgrade / device (at this time), but it is still no iPhone 5 (performance wise). In fact, it is more closely related to the iPhone 4S (albeit with a larger screen with IPS this time around and weaker camera). An A5 chip with 512 MB RAM versus an A6 with 1 GB RAM believe it or not is not as bad of a comparison compared to the last generation. The dual core processor helps a lot here.
There was no iPod Touch Counterpart to the iPhone 5S.
There is no iPod Touch Counterpart to the iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus.
Which leaves us to the NOW.
In 2012 an A5 and 512 Megabytes was still excellent for the requirements of iOS. Now? It still... erm, works. But it lacks that OOMPH terribly. I know most people agree / speculate that it may be equipped with an A7. But if the iPod Touch continues the Fall release trend, an A7 is too little for such a long hiatus of no upgrades. The A8 will still continue the "one generation behind SoC" while not being too expensive since iPhone's of that time will have A9's.
I'd be happy with the A7, but I think the A8 will suit it better, especially if there isn't going to a size increase. I currently own the iPod Touch 5th generation on iOS 6.1. It's a media device for me, so I use it for music and occasional web browsing / social media. iOS doesn't scale well that well for older devices.
For example, my iPod Touch 5th Gen on iOS 6.1 vs an iPhone 5 on iOS 8.4 and iPad 4th Gen on iOS 8.4 (A5 vs A6 vs A6X) not only powers up and down quicker, it launches applications faster, scrolls through menus more smoothly, and doesn't have any frame rate drops whatsoever with normal usage. iOS 7 and iOS 8 visually appears the same, and with the flatter UI, what is making the the A6 and A6X work so hard to the point there is framerate slowdown on basic things like scrolling in the Settings Menu? That's just a personal nitpick, but I feel like it shouldn't be happening at all.
I can't imagine what life is like on 8.4 with an A5, if the A6 and A6X has hiccups here and there. I don't own an A7 or A8 device, so I cannot speak of UI responsiveness of those chipsets.
Anyway, what are your thoughts on an iPod Touch 6th Gen with an A8 or A7. Which would you want / think is likely to happen? I want an A8, and don't think it's TOO unlikely seeing how at one point in time, the iPod Touch was faster than the iPhone...
