iPod touch The iPod touch is getting father behind each year

[Scorpion008]

Since the ipod touch 4th gen, the ipod touch has not been receiving equal hardware as the equivalent iphone.

The iPhone 4 had the A4 chip and 512gb or ram. The iPod Touch 4 had the A4 chip and 256gb ram. That year the ipod touch was only behind by having half as much the ram as the iphone. Because of this the iphone 4 is able to run iOS 7 and the ipod touch isn't.

Then, the iPhone 4s came out with the A5 (dual core, unlike the A4) and 512gb ram, while the ipod touch remained the same. Now the iphone has the next gen chip AND double the ram.

The next year, the iPhone 5 came out with the A5 and 1gb of ram. The ipod touch 5 had the A5 and 512gb of ram. Now the ipod touch was in the same place as last year, with a processor one gen behind and half the ram.

This year, the iPhone 5s received the A7 chip, but retained 1gb of ram. Thus the ipod touch is now behind by TWO processor gens and half the ram. (Also, the iPhone 5c came out, which is still one processor gen ahead of the ipod touch and with double the ram).

IF THIS CONTINUES:

I predict that next year the iPhone 6 will have the A8 processor with 2gb of ram and the ipod touch 6 will have the A6 and 1gb of ram.

The following year, the iPhone 6s will have the A9 and 2gb of ram, while the ipod touch 6 with have the A6 still and 1gb of ram. Thus it will be 3 processor gens begind and half the ram.


TL;DR
The iphone gets a new processor every year, while the ipod touch gets a new one every two years, and always has half the ram of the iphone. Every two years, the ipod touch will fall one processer gen farther away from that of the iphone release the same year.


What do you guys think of this? Will apple ever change this up? There are a few ways they could do this. Have an Ipod touch xS, like the "S" iphone models. Just up the processor. Or, they could jump a processor every time they upgrade the ipod touch.

If this continues, the ipod touch will not even be able to support the latest iOS when it comes out. That will be pathetic. Alternately, we may have reached a point of "good enough hardware". I say this because last year's iphone 5 runs blazingly fast, and is hardly any slower than than 5s, even in processor intensive tasks. Perhaps the ipod touch will simply be 10, the 20, then 30 percent slower than the iphone, but the lower price tag will justify it and elite users will just shun the ipod touch forever after a point.

Or the ipod touch will slowly be replaced by the iPhone "C" model. I personally do not want this to happen as I love the thinenss and lightness of the ipod touch. This year however, I returned my iPod touch 5th gen and got an iPhone 5 from someone who was buying the 5s. I will probably never buy another ipod touch if nothing changes.

(Note: I realize that the ipod touch has other relationships with the iphone, such as always getting a worse camera but getting a very similar screen. However these are not the main point of this thread.)

Again, any thoughts?

 

[Plutonius]

Since the ipod touch 4th gen, the ipod touch has not been receiving equal hardware as the equivalent iphone.

The iPhone 4 had the A4 chip and 512gb or ram. The iPod Touch 4 had the A4 chip and 256gb ram. That year the ipod touch was only behind by having half as much the ram as the iphone. Because of this the iphone 4 is able to run iOS 7 and the ipod touch isn't.

Then, the iPhone 4s came out with the A5 (dual core, unlike the A4) and 512gb ram, while the ipod touch remained the same. Now the iphone has the next gen chip AND double the ram.

The next year, the iPhone 5 came out with the A5 and 1gb of ram. The ipod touch 5 had the A5 and 512gb of ram. Now the ipod touch was in the same place as last year, with a processor one gen behind and half the ram.

This year, the iPhone 5s received the A7 chip, but retained 1gb of ram. Thus the ipod touch is now behind by TWO processor gens and half the ram. (Also, the iPhone 5c came out, which is still one processor gen ahead of the ipod touch and with double the ram).

IF THIS CONTINUES:

I predict that next year the iPhone 6 will have the A8 processor with 2gb of ram and the ipod touch 6 will have the A6 and 1gb of ram.

The following year, the iPhone 6s will have the A9 and 2gb of ram, while the ipod touch 6 with have the A6 still and 1gb of ram. Thus it will be 3 processor gens begind and half the ram.


TL;DR
The iphone gets a new processor every year, while the ipod touch gets a new one every two years, and always has half the ram of the iphone. Every two years, the ipod touch will fall one processer gen farther away from that of the iphone release the same year.


What do you guys think of this? Will apple ever change this up? There are a few ways they could do this. Have an Ipod touch xS, like the "S" iphone models. Just up the processor. Or, they could jump a processor every time they upgrade the ipod touch.

If this continues, the ipod touch will not even be able to support the latest iOS when it comes out. That will be pathetic. Alternately, we may have reached a point of "good enough hardware". I say this because last year's iphone 5 runs blazingly fast, and is hardly any slower than than 5s, even in processor intensive tasks. Perhaps the ipod touch will simply be 10, the 20, then 30 percent slower than the iphone, but the lower price tag will justify it and elite users will just shun the ipod touch forever after a point.

Or the ipod touch will slowly be replaced by the iPhone "C" model. I personally do not want this to happen as I love the thinenss and lightness of the ipod touch. This year however, I returned my iPod touch 5th gen and got an iPhone 5 from someone who was buying the 5s. I will probably never buy another ipod touch if nothing changes.

(Note: I realize that the ipod touch has other relationships with the iphone, such as always getting a worse camera but getting a very similar screen. However these are not the main point of this thread.)

Again, any thoughts?

An iPhone is much more expensive then a Touch (for 64GB, it's around a $450 difference 5S. It is less of a difference on the 5C but still a lot). The Touch gets an update every other year and it will never be close to the specs of an iPhone. If you need the iPhone specs, get an iPhone. If you want to save money, get a Touch.

 

[iBueno]

Interesting read, I've never really had an iPod Touch so I don't know how it handles having less resources (and the fact that the iPod has less to do, phone removed, no network connectivity, etc).

P.S. your TL;DR had more characters than the stuff above it .

 

[Scorpion008]

Interesting read, I've never really had an iPod Touch so I don't know how it handles having less resources (and the fact that the iPod has less to do, phone removed, no network connectivity, etc).

P.S. your TL;DR had more characters than the stuff above it .

Sorry, I meant the TL;DR to be the single paragraph below. The other paragraphs farther down were different content.

----------

An iPhone is much more expensive then a Touch (for 64GB, it's around a $450 difference 5S. It is less of a difference on the 5C but still a lot). The Touch gets an update every other year and it will never be close to the specs of an iPhone. If you need the iPhone specs, get an iPhone. If you want to save money, get a Touch.

So in your opinion the money saved legitimizes making the ipod touch exponentially worse each iteration (in comparison to the iphone). If so, the price should really go down each year.

 

[preyan]

I buy all my iPods cash. I'm actually contemplating then buying an iPhone cash, same capacity as iPod touch that I would have bought. iPod touch is becoming a rip off.

 

[stiligFox]

The iPod touch will always one generation behind in hardware, it's been like that since at least the 4.

 

[Scorpion008]

The iPod touch will always one generation behind in hardware, it's been like that since at least the 4.

Did you read the whole post? I am saying that not only will it be one gen behind, but even more gens and the years roll by, eventually being three, four, and more gens behind, at least in the processor.

 

[stiligFox]

Did you read the whole post? I am saying that not only will it be one gen behind, but even more gens and the years roll by, eventually being three, four, and more gens behind, at least in the processor.

I did, but I fail to see how it will ever fall more than 1 generation behind. Well, 2.

iPod 4 comes out with iPhone 4 internals.
Two years later, iPod 5 comes out with iPhone 4S internals.
Next year, iPod 6 will come out with iPhone 5S internals.
And so on. It'll be at most two gens behind at a given time.

 

[SamuraiMinis]

I did, but I fail to see how it will ever fall more than 1 generation behind. Well, 2.

iPod 4 comes out with iPhone 4 internals.
Two years later, iPod 5 comes out with iPhone 4S internals.
Next year, iPod 6 will come out with iPhone 5S internals.
And so on. It'll be at most two gens behind at a given time.

I tend to agree that Apple will likely do the same thing and continue to give the iPod Touch the previous S gen iPhone processor each time they update it. I think part of the reason they started doing this is because they don't want the iPod touch to get ahead name wise, such as iPod touch 6 and iPhone 5S. That's why they waited and skipped a year until the iPhone 5 to release the iPod touch 5. Next year it will be iPhone 6 and iPod touch 6.

Like you also said, it makes it cost less to make.

 

[rdy0329]

Unfortunately, you're correct. The iPod touch is two generations behind as we speak. Apple had to make this decision precisely because they don't want the iPod touch to eat into the revenues of iPhone 5c. If more features are available for the 5c, users contemplating on what device to buy would have an easier time getting the better spec'ed one.

Next year iPod touch will get a bump to A6 and this will be the lineup

A8 - iPhone 6
A7 - iPhone 5CS (made up)
A6 - iPhone 5C + iPod touch 6

Note: apple will have a naming foasco next year lol.

 

[stiligFox]

Next year iPod touch will get a bump to A6 and this will be the lineup.

Considering everything, I would be highly surprised if the 2014 iPod touch didn't get the A7 and M7 chip.

 

[rdy0329]

Considering everything, I would be highly surprised if the 2014 iPod touch didn't get the A7 and M7 chip.

With Apple, you'll never know, actually. Some of their chips can be customized for whatever purpose they want it to have (single core A5, anyone?) It's a possibility that they may be able to give A6 some M7 lovin' but I'm not sure how Apple will be able to bump iPod touch to A7 when it's reserved for the upgrades of the colored iPhones.

I think the chips are more than capable of handling iOS7+. Next year's lineup will all have 1GB or more of RAM so I think Apple can still push the envelope and make 4S, iPod touch 5 feel like iPhone 4 in about 2 years.

 

[ElectronGuru]

What do you guys think of this? Will apple ever change this up?

When the iPhone first came out, it had the basics: Screen, button, battery, and processor. Even something like a camera was a big deal. With increased competition and subsequent generations, the number of features and concentration of technology is off the charts. Absent a subsidy, the 5s is as much as a fully spec'd iPad - with a much smaller screen. A Touch costing this much simply doesn't make sense.

To work in the line up, to be worth paying $700+, it would need to at least have an iPad capability, like a mini mini. And a retina mini can do this better.

 

[mr.bee]

A one on one comparison is not a good idea here, because the iphone has more functions to execute, like receiving calls, 3g/lte, I find it perfectly normal that the iphone has more ram.

what I find much more annoying is how limited the touch is besides listening to music.
I want to go jogging/running with it > need a gps
I want to use it in my car with maps > need a gps
I want to play great games > iphone is better
I want to use it as a camera > iphone is better

So every time I consider buying an ipod touch to free some space on my iphone and to split leisure (ipod) from work (iphone) I decide the touch is too limited to actually get one.

 

[Plutonius]

I buy all my iPods cash. I'm actually contemplating then buying an iPhone cash, same capacity as iPod touch that I would have bought. iPod touch is becoming a rip off.

Comparing the 64G Touch 5 to the iPhone 5S, it's about a $450 difference. I'm sure Apple would love everyone to buy a iPhone 5S instead of a Touch 5 because they make much more money selling the iPhone 5S.

----------

So in your opinion the money saved legitimizes making the ipod touch exponentially worse each iteration (in comparison to the iphone). If so, the price should really go down each year.

I'm not sure what you are getting at ? Apple has a set margin they are trying to get for their products regardless of the tech inside them. If demand for the Touch goes down, they might reduce the price or leave the price the same and not bother to upgrade.

----------

I want to go jogging/running with it > need a gps
I want to use it in my car with maps > need a gps

The GPS is part of the cell chips in an iPhone. The Touch will never have GPS for that reason.

I want to play great games > iphone is better

Games currently run great on a Touch 5.

I want to use it as a camera > iphone is better

iPhone camera is always better. It's to differentiate the iPhone.

 

[NuggetSauce]

In my opinion, the gap between the current iPod Touch, and the iPhone 5c is pretty much where it needs to be at, for the Touch to be a good device, yet not too close to the iPhone as to cannibalize it's sales.

Touch still has the same screen as the iPhone 5S. It's still lighter, thinner, has better battery life, runs iOS 7 well, aluminum enclosure, hardware is good enough to run games well. Camera is still decent.

You're getting a good device for $200 versus the $600 iPhone. And if you don't agree, compare the touch to non cellular android pocket devices that are in the same price range.

 

[mr.bee]

I want to go jogging/running with it > need a gps
I want to use it in my car with maps > need a gps

The GPS is part of the cell chips in an iPhone. The Touch will never have GPS for that reason.

There are enough industrial gps tracking solutions that do not require a phone chip

I want to play great games > iphone is better
Games currently run great on a Touch 5.

great on the touch but still better on the latest iphone
I want to use it as a camera > iphone is better

iPhone camera is always better. It's to differentiate the iPhone.

the actual phone function is the main differentiation with the touch. Sorry no that's not true. The services your telecom provider provides are the main difference with the touch, NOT a chip. a better camera as a differentiation doesn't make sense to me

Apple sees the touch as an 'entry' device, and sells it with low end configurations. And that's too bad, because i would consider one if it were slightly better and more functional.

 

[jlnr]

If this continues, the ipod touch will not even be able to support the latest iOS when it comes out. That will be pathetic.

I collect used iPods as iOS development devices and the iPod touch 4G on iOS 6 feels pathetic already. Is it because it's on 6.0.2 or is 6.1.3 also barely usable? Browsing Facebook is almost more fun on the iPod 3G w/ iOS 5.1.1.

When seeing the iPhone 5C, I was actually wondering if that's going to be the iPod touch successor, going forward. It's last-gen hardware in a colourful shell.

 

[jedisaga]

Since the ipod touch 4th gen, the ipod touch has not been receiving equal hardware as the equivalent iphone.

The iPhone 4 had the A4 chip and 512gb or ram. The iPod Touch 4 had the A4 chip and 256gb ram. That year the ipod touch was only behind by having half as much the ram as the iphone. Because of this the iphone 4 is able to run iOS 7 and the ipod touch isn't.

Then, the iPhone 4s came out with the A5 (dual core, unlike the A4) and 512gb ram, while the ipod touch remained the same. Now the iphone has the next gen chip AND double the ram.

The next year, the iPhone 5 came out with the A5 and 1gb of ram. The ipod touch 5 had the A5 and 512gb of ram. Now the ipod touch was in the same place as last year, with a processor one gen behind and half the ram.

This year, the iPhone 5s received the A7 chip, but retained 1gb of ram. Thus the ipod touch is now behind by TWO processor gens and half the ram. (Also, the iPhone 5c came out, which is still one processor gen ahead of the ipod touch and with double the ram).

IF THIS CONTINUES:

I predict that next year the iPhone 6 will have the A8 processor with 2gb of ram and the ipod touch 6 will have the A6 and 1gb of ram.

The following year, the iPhone 6s will have the A9 and 2gb of ram, while the ipod touch 6 with have the A6 still and 1gb of ram. Thus it will be 3 processor gens begind and half the ram.


TL;DR
The iphone gets a new processor every year, while the ipod touch gets a new one every two years, and always has half the ram of the iphone. Every two years, the ipod touch will fall one processer gen farther away from that of the iphone release the same year.


What do you guys think of this? Will apple ever change this up? There are a few ways they could do this. Have an Ipod touch xS, like the "S" iphone models. Just up the processor. Or, they could jump a processor every time they upgrade the ipod touch.

If this continues, the ipod touch will not even be able to support the latest iOS when it comes out. That will be pathetic. Alternately, we may have reached a point of "good enough hardware". I say this because last year's iphone 5 runs blazingly fast, and is hardly any slower than than 5s, even in processor intensive tasks. Perhaps the ipod touch will simply be 10, the 20, then 30 percent slower than the iphone, but the lower price tag will justify it and elite users will just shun the ipod touch forever after a point.

Or the ipod touch will slowly be replaced by the iPhone "C" model. I personally do not want this to happen as I love the thinenss and lightness of the ipod touch. This year however, I returned my iPod touch 5th gen and got an iPhone 5 from someone who was buying the 5s. I will probably never buy another ipod touch if nothing changes.

(Note: I realize that the ipod touch has other relationships with the iphone, such as always getting a worse camera but getting a very similar screen. However these are not the main point of this thread.)

Again, any thoughts?

Yes, unfortunately, iPhones make Apple more money than iPod Touch devices. Apple still supports the device, however, it is a fraction of what revenue Apple takes in yearly. It would be VERY nice for them to give us IPT users similar yearly updates, but from a cost perspective, it isn't feasible for them to do so.

It is very similar to their Mac Pro desktop systems vs the Mac Mini. The Mac Mini has a small niche market compared to the Mac Pros, Macbook Pros and other successful Apple computers. The Mini still receives updates, but as often as their desktop/laptop systems.

J

 

[preyan]

Comparing the 64G Touch 5 to the iPhone 5S, it's about a $450 difference. I'm sure Apple would love everyone to buy a iPhone 5S instead of a Touch 5 because they make much more money selling the iPhone 5S.

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I'm not sure what you are getting at ? Apple has a set margin they are trying to get for their products regardless of the tech inside them. If demand for the Touch goes down, they might reduce the price or leave the price the same and not bother to upgrade.

----------

Put it this way, from a reasonable consumers perspective, I think their phone is market related compared to their main competition.
I also score cause I get to carry one device with me everywhere as opposed to the current 2. I always say that not enough money can buy you time and convenience. Whilst I don't want to be ripped off, I'd much rather put quality over quantity, any day.

I honestly don't care what it costs whom. I compare specs with price and if market related, I'd go for the quality, over quantity. Some may love the Galaxy for movies, but I'm about music. iPhone quality ***** all over Samsung, whilst I prefer the Samsung for movies (which I'm not really into). I own an s3 so I speak from experience about the sound difference.

 

[Irishman]

Interesting read, I've never really had an iPod Touch so I don't know how it handles having less resources (and the fact that the iPod has less to do, phone removed, no network connectivity, etc).

P.S. your TL;DR had more characters than the stuff above it .

I have the 4th gen touch, and it handles Infinity Blade fine, but with nothing else running in the background. Infinity Blade 2? Not a chance. It crashes out almost every time.

 

[thedeejay]

The iPod Touch I guess is a small % of sales and I guess Apple feels that to keep the price down they can't afford to keep it up with the latest and greatest things. I'm sure when iPhone 6 comes out the iPod Touch 5 will have Touch ID but probably internals of iPhone 5/5C.

I hate when things get fathered. Unless it's Father's Day. Ok jokes aside...I'm just the grammar police.

 

[Ipadminiusernew]

Actually i think the 6th gen iTouch will have an A7 w/ touch ID because every new ipod is a hybrid between the new iphone and the previous S model of its lineup for example

iTouch 4g- ram/specs of iPhone 3GS / SoC of iPhone 4 and features exclusive to iPhone 4

iTouch 5g- internals of 4S / features of iPhone 5

So I predict the iTouch 6g will have a 1GB of ram compared to the iPhone 6's 2GB and an A7 SoC w/ M7 motion co-processor 1.4GHZ dual core processor but with the 6's 4.7" retina display and an 8MP camera with true tone flash

 

[ipodtouch4ever]

The next year, the iPhone 5 came out with the A5 and 1gb of ram. The ipod touch 5 had the A5 and 512gb of ram. Now the ipod touch was in the same place as last year, with a processor one gen behind and half the ram.

The iPhone 5 had the A6 not the A5.