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iPod touch Is a 5th gen touch worth buying?

ssledoux

ssledoux

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 16, 2006
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Down south
I'm looking to get an iPod touch for my 5yo grandson. He has an iPad mini 2, but loves taking pictures and I think he'd have fun with an iPod for that and some games that may play better on a small device.

I'm looking to stay on the lower priced end, but don't want to get something that's basically useless. I know I want 32 gb, and I'm looking at close to $200, even used, for a 6th gen. If I have to do that, fine, but if I could go 5th gen, that'd be awesome.

Input? We haven't had iPods since we starting using iPhones, so I'm a little out of that loop.

Thanks for the help!
 
6th gen has a decent camera (similar but not exact specs to iPhone 6). So if it's for photo taking you should strongly consider it over the 5th. 5th gen has the loop for a wrist strap whereas the 6th gen does not. It's a thin design and can be slippery so consider getting a case from Amazon.

Best Buy will occasionally have units that were returned within the first couple weeks for sell and those will typically be under $200.

Battery life is not great when compared to an iPad but if he's 5 it will be more than enough.
 
I'm gonna get a case either way - would the wrist strap work with a case on it if I got the 5th gen? I'm just thinking for the price difference, since he's 5, I may do the 5th gen. I'm more worried about the operating system not being able to be updated and apps not working well. How much of an issue is that?
 
ssledoux said:
I'm gonna get a case either way - would the wrist strap work with a case on it if I got the 5th gen? I'm just thinking for the price difference, since he's 5, I may do the 5th gen. I'm more worried about the operating system not being able to be updated and apps not working well. How much of an issue is that?
Click to expand...

Usually a case made for 5th gen will have the cut out for the strap. But not all so you'll have to look. It looks like a hole near the bottom of the case.

The chip in the 5th gen is an underclocked version of the iPhone 4s chip. Since then Apple has come out with the 5, 5s, 6, 6s and 7. So that should be a good indicator of how old the chip is. Most current apps especially games will not play well on it. Expect long load times and lag. Definitely do not update the OS from what it comes with as in my experience it made the iPod 5 lag quite a bit.

Another factor is the 6th gen is 64 bit whereas the 5th is 32 bit. This may affect what apps will be available to the devices.

I think the 5th gen would be ok for him. But it would have to be a significantly discounted one to be worth purchasing.

*Edit. The 5th gen released with iOS 6. Anything beyond 7 did not run well on it.
[doublepost=1477853326][/doublepost]Here's an example of an iPod Touch 5 case. Notice the wrist strap attachment point in the lower left of the pic.
 

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ssledoux said:
I'm looking to get an iPod touch for my 5yo grandson. He has an iPad mini 2, but loves taking pictures and I think he'd have fun with an iPod for that and some games that may play better on a small device.

I'm looking to stay on the lower priced end, but don't want to get something that's basically useless. I know I want 32 gb, and I'm looking at close to $200, even used, for a 6th gen. If I have to do that, fine, but if I could go 5th gen, that'd be awesome.

Input? We haven't had iPods since we starting using iPhones, so I'm a little out of that loop.

Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...

Get the 6th gen.
 
Only get the 5th gen if you can get it for uber cheap. And I mean uber-cheap as in around $50 new, as that's really about all they're worth these days... it's VERY old tech. Also go with this if he's more inclined to lose/break it.

OTOH, get a 6th gen (there should be discounts, like Best Buy as mentioned above, or Amazon where it's $50 to $100 off list price). This here is more future proof, which should last him for years. Also, if he becomes "techie enough", he'll know that you sprung for the "deluxe IpT", and was willing to put more $$ and thought into your gift ;)
 
Only buy the 6G if battery life isn't important to you. See battery life info in this forum. Otherwise, it is a vey solid device with excellent performance.
 
ssledoux said:
When you say, "no it's not," to what post are you referring?
Click to expand...
as in get a 6th gen iPod. The 5th gen is very very slow.

I went through hell with this device and our clients as well that use our B2B app.
 
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