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iPod touch The Future of the iPod touch
- Thread starter Yebubbleman
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Apple hasn't dropped the 2 yet. They slowed production, but they still sell it..
Regarding the iPod touch, I agree. When Apple decided not to refresh the 4th Gen after the A5 came out in 2011, they made a bad decision. Now, when the new touch was introduced in 2012 Apple, it was already underpowered. The main problem I think is they have the 4s technology (meant for a 3.5" display) driving a 4" screen.
Every time a new touch was introduced, from the 1st Gen to the 4th Gen, it always used the specs of the newest iPhone except for maybe less RAM, less space, etc.
If the new iPad mini can use the same specs as the bigger one at a lower cost, why couldn't they do the same thing with iPod touch and bump it to maybe a lower-powered A8 with slightly less RAM? Per-say they make the new A8 a quad core 1.7GHz processor with 2GB of RAM, put the touch in with an A8 at 1.3GHz with a 1.5GB of RAM.
Good questions, I think the 5th Gen Touch was the first time the Touch did not match the iPhone chip spec.
You are correct. The 4th Gen (introduced Fall-2010) used the same chip as the iPhone 4 (Summer-2010) except it had half the RAM. Same with the third gen, second, and first.
Ding, Ding, Ding. You're ringing my bell. I did the exact same thing, only I purchased an iPhone 5 off contract and am using Walmart's Straight Talk plan. While it works great, I really didn't need it. The only advantage is that I can stop the service at any time. However, it's a mighty expensive iPod Touch, isn't it?
I think the iPod touch will get an A6 processor in it's next update and will stay with a 4 inch display.
Touch 6:
4.7" display (not the same exact display as the iPhone 6 because of the thickness of the Touch).
A7
1GB RAM
The iPod touch 6 will be released in 2H14 and will include:
- the design language of the last iPod touch, the iPad mini, the iPad Air, and the iPhone 6
- the 4.7 inch screen of the iPhone 6
- the processor and camera of the iPhone 5S
There have been no iPod Touch 6 leaks because:
-decreased demand for iPod touch
-the device will simply be a combination of the iPod touch 5, iPhone 5S, and iPhone 6
There were more iPod touch 5 leaks because:
-the device introduced a major new redesign
-Apple had to start developing the device sooner
- the design language of the last iPod touch, the iPad mini, the iPad Air, and the iPhone 6
- the 4.7 inch screen of the iPhone 6
- the processor and camera of the iPhone 5S
There have been no iPod Touch 6 leaks because:
-decreased demand for iPod touch
-the device will simply be a combination of the iPod touch 5, iPhone 5S, and iPhone 6
There were more iPod touch 5 leaks because:
-the device introduced a major new redesign
-Apple had to start developing the device sooner
Actually, the internals of the iPod touch have varied widely compared to the corresponding iPhone.
2007 1st gen: same processor/ram
2008 2nd gen: processor is clocked higher
2009 3rd gen: same processor/ram, one iOS version less
2010 4th gen: half the ram and the ram is slower, one iOS version less
2012 5th gen: same processor/ram as the previous iPhone
I'm going to offer up another hypothesis. Apple has a dying iPod line right now. All of the products in it are stale. Even in 2012, they got a pretty solid update (at least to half of them), but there's not much else that you can do to innovate on them as a whole. The most innovative idea was the wrist-band for the sixth generation iPod nano and that may have started the iWatch phenomenon/nonsense. But that's it.
The iPods have always been about "x thousand songs in your pocket" and with an increasing screen size of the iPod touch from 4" to 4.7", it's starting to become less of a small device. Also, whether it is due to the A6 not being thermally efficient or not, the fifth generation iPod touch was a year behind out of the gate, which is sad. They have now skipped a year making it two behind and unlike the first generation iPad mini that was released right around the same time, there is no modern successor to it. I'd love an A8 iPod touch with the iPhone 6 form factor; hell, I'll even settle for an A7 iPod touch with the iPhone 6 form factor or even the current form factor; but alas, I don't think that we'll get either.
This being said, Apple could kill all four iPod product lines, replace it with a single model, give it the iPhone 4S's 3.5" retina display and multi-touch, slap it with 128GB and 256GB flash storage capacities, slim the bezels down from what you currently have on the iPhone 4S (you don't need cameras, or an earpiece, and you could certainly slim the area by the home button (as well as the 4S home button itself), and you could slim it by a bit since it doesn't need cellular radios either. If you want to throw in the ability to side-load some iOS apps via iTunes, fine, I guess, but that's not its explicit purpose. Maybe give it WiFi for iTunes Radio and an iOS 7-inspired UI, and boom, call it "iPod". Or seventh generation iPod. And that'll be the final wave the iPod rides out on. No more iPod touch (bummer), no more iPod classic, no more iPod nano, and no more iPod shuffle. It'd be portable enough for any situation, more capacious than any iPod touch ever was and better than any non-iPod touch iPod has ever been in terms of ability. This sounds like a logical way for Apple to phase out the iPods without fully doing so. That said, I hope they don't go that route as I do like the iPod touch and the iPod classic, as well as the shuffle.
Anyway, the following quote from mangomind is worth bearing into mind.
That being said:
There's always a need for any currently shipping computing device to not have two generations of processing power less.
Same. Hell, I even hope it isn't the last one. Though I think both scenarios are unlikely, sadly.
The lack of a rear-camera on the 16GB model is really for them to "justify" the lower price-point. I think it's sort of dumb, but whatever. I bought one in addition to my 64GB Blue one just for the hell of it; I also like the silver backing and black front face combo; seemed reminiscent of first through fourth generation iPads. But yeah, that model was mainly intended to replace the fourth generation iPod touch ahead of WWDC where it would be announced that said iPod touch would not be receiving the iOS 7 update.
I think there's probably a technical reason that touch and the first generation iPad mini both didn't get the A6 to begin with. I remember reading that it wasn't thermally efficient. They do seem to not care much about the iPod touch, but I imagine that if the line continues at all, we'll at least get an A7 in tow.
Unless you count the RAM discrepancy between the iPhone 4 and the fourth generation iPod touch, then yes, you're right.
I think they'll either kill it or do what I suggested they might above long before that happens.
If they're continuing it, this would seem more likely based on trends. Though a lot about iPod touch trends seems uncertain at this point. Hence the topic itself.
The iPods have always been about "x thousand songs in your pocket" and with an increasing screen size of the iPod touch from 4" to 4.7", it's starting to become less of a small device. Also, whether it is due to the A6 not being thermally efficient or not, the fifth generation iPod touch was a year behind out of the gate, which is sad. They have now skipped a year making it two behind and unlike the first generation iPad mini that was released right around the same time, there is no modern successor to it. I'd love an A8 iPod touch with the iPhone 6 form factor; hell, I'll even settle for an A7 iPod touch with the iPhone 6 form factor or even the current form factor; but alas, I don't think that we'll get either.
This being said, Apple could kill all four iPod product lines, replace it with a single model, give it the iPhone 4S's 3.5" retina display and multi-touch, slap it with 128GB and 256GB flash storage capacities, slim the bezels down from what you currently have on the iPhone 4S (you don't need cameras, or an earpiece, and you could certainly slim the area by the home button (as well as the 4S home button itself), and you could slim it by a bit since it doesn't need cellular radios either. If you want to throw in the ability to side-load some iOS apps via iTunes, fine, I guess, but that's not its explicit purpose. Maybe give it WiFi for iTunes Radio and an iOS 7-inspired UI, and boom, call it "iPod". Or seventh generation iPod. And that'll be the final wave the iPod rides out on. No more iPod touch (bummer), no more iPod classic, no more iPod nano, and no more iPod shuffle. It'd be portable enough for any situation, more capacious than any iPod touch ever was and better than any non-iPod touch iPod has ever been in terms of ability. This sounds like a logical way for Apple to phase out the iPods without fully doing so. That said, I hope they don't go that route as I do like the iPod touch and the iPod classic, as well as the shuffle.
Anyway, the following quote from mangomind is worth bearing into mind.
That being said:
There's always a need for any currently shipping computing device to not have two generations of processing power less.
Same. Hell, I even hope it isn't the last one. Though I think both scenarios are unlikely, sadly.
The lack of a rear-camera on the 16GB model is really for them to "justify" the lower price-point. I think it's sort of dumb, but whatever. I bought one in addition to my 64GB Blue one just for the hell of it; I also like the silver backing and black front face combo; seemed reminiscent of first through fourth generation iPads. But yeah, that model was mainly intended to replace the fourth generation iPod touch ahead of WWDC where it would be announced that said iPod touch would not be receiving the iOS 7 update.
I think there's probably a technical reason that touch and the first generation iPad mini both didn't get the A6 to begin with. I remember reading that it wasn't thermally efficient. They do seem to not care much about the iPod touch, but I imagine that if the line continues at all, we'll at least get an A7 in tow.
Unless you count the RAM discrepancy between the iPhone 4 and the fourth generation iPod touch, then yes, you're right.
I think they'll either kill it or do what I suggested they might above long before that happens.
If they're continuing it, this would seem more likely based on trends. Though a lot about iPod touch trends seems uncertain at this point. Hence the topic itself.
Standng at the point that Apple start releasing phone-sized devices with 128GB flash, my predictions to the iPod touch (and iPod line in general) is:
- iPod touch get an update, with hardware based on iPhone 5s and a 128GB variant
- iPod classic get the axe, replaced by the 128GB iPod touch 6G
- iPod nano either get upgraded to an entry-level equivalent of
Watch (sans the band), or get the axe and got replaced by Watch entirely - iPod shuffle may survive, given that it is really the entry level iPod and nothing is repacing it.
Standng at the point that Apple start releasing phone-sized devices with 128GB flash, my predictions to the iPod touch (and iPod line in general) is:
- iPod touch get an update, with hardware based on iPhone 5s and a 128GB variant
- iPod classic get the axe, replaced by the 128GB iPod touch 6G
- iPod nano either get upgraded to an entry-level equivalent of
- iPod shuffle may survive, given that it is really the entry level iPod and nothing is repacing it.
Sorry but this a six month old thread. The classic is gone. No update to the touch
Hopefully there will be a new touch, as I don't think teenagers all need iPhones. The iPod Touch is a great way of getting into the ecosystem as the iPhone is just too expensive for a lot of people.
I have long wondered if the iPod Touch would become part of the iPad brand. It is far more similar to an iPad than a iPod anyway
though this is a pretty stupid idea.
I'd like if:
- The shuffle went to 4 GB
- The Nano got an interface update and was able to run Apple watch style Apps.
- The Touch got an overhaul with at least A7 and at least 128GB of storage, preferably a 256 GB model would be sold to make up for the iPod Classic. Keep it 4 inch though, as 4.7 is too big for what the touch is meant to be.
I have long wondered if the iPod Touch would become part of the iPad brand. It is far more similar to an iPad than a iPod anyway
though this is a pretty stupid idea. I'd like if:
- The shuffle went to 4 GB
- The Nano got an interface update and was able to run Apple watch style Apps.
- The Touch got an overhaul with at least A7 and at least 128GB of storage, preferably a 256 GB model would be sold to make up for the iPod Classic. Keep it 4 inch though, as 4.7 is too big for what the touch is meant to be.
Since this is an old thread that I posted to (and has seemingly come alive again), this wasn't the end of my story. I bought an iPhone 6 and my iPod Touch hasn't been used since.
What's missing from the iPod Touch, that is in the iPhone and iPad, is cellular data. There were just too many times I needed Internet access and didn't have Wifi available. So I've shelled out the $750 and am paying $30/month to TMobile. It's really crazy to be out $1470 over two years just to get data. I've used the "phone" feature for only 2 minutes in my two months of ownership.
Why didn't I get an iPad? Well it doesn't fit in my shirt pocket. If I could have bought an iPod Touch with cellular data, I'd have jumped at it!
For awhile the iPod Touch was an iPhone without the cellular capability so adding it would have pretty much made it an iPhone. I also think what may be happening or at least starting to happen is parent's give their kids their old iPhones without SIM cards, so essentially an iPod touch to play games with etc. further lowering the need for Apple to produce the iPod touch.
However adding cellular data adds $130 to the cost of an iPad, yet the difference in cost from a iPod Touch to an iPhone 5s (closest comparison) is $350. The iPhone does also act as a phone, which the iPad doesn't, so it's $220 for the phone function.
Apple doesn't need to produce the touch since there are so many used iPhones on the market now. You can purchase a deactivated sim on eBay for $3 if you don't have one and set up your own iPhone as an iPod touch. The iPhone doesn't have the battery problems that the touch has and the battery can be changed. Based on my experience with 2 iPod touch models and their battery life I will not be buying another.
Old thread or not, I think there's still valid discussion here.
Personally, the two iPod Touches in my house are used by my kids, as they are excellent gaming and music devices, and my kids are too young for phones. I'd be very disappointed if the Touch was discontinued in favor of the iPhone, because I wouldn't give my kids a phone right now to replace the Touch. They just aren't ready for that.
Personally, the two iPod Touches in my house are used by my kids, as they are excellent gaming and music devices, and my kids are too young for phones. I'd be very disappointed if the Touch was discontinued in favor of the iPhone, because I wouldn't give my kids a phone right now to replace the Touch. They just aren't ready for that.
It's cute that you think the only difference between the iPod touch and the iPhone is the cellular capabilities.
That's the major difference as far as I'm concerned. There are other features like the better camera, more processor power, GPS, compass, vibrator (for silent alarm), screen size, but for me the fact that I've got cellular data with the iPhone is the major difference. I bought it for that, alone. The other features -- I'd have been happy without.
There is a market for a new one, as a heap of parents aren't going to want to be shelling out for expensive used iPhones. A decent iPhone 5 (Really the oldest iPhone worth buying now) is around $350. An iPod Touch is ideally about $200-$250.
If people were not buying the touch they wouldn't be selling it still.If people are willing to pay money for nearly four year old specs there is definitely a demand.
If people were not buying the touch they wouldn't be selling it still.If people are willing to pay money for nearly four year old specs there is definitely a demand.