It’s always hard to tell if the iPod line is ever actually dead or not. The music-focused iPods that made Apple wildly successful throughout the 2010s are more or less dead, sure, but there’s still that iPod touch line that Apple continues to sell to this day. Historically these have been pretty cool devices as they more or less mimic the major features of an iPhone but without any sort of contract or cell service obligations, and while they’re typically less powerful than the top-of-the-line iPhone devices that also enables them to be sold for quite a bit cheaper.
The problem is they don’t really refresh the iPod touch line all that often. It was nearly four years ago that Apple , which at that time featured the A8 processor of the previous year’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. And it was more when the 5th generation iPod touch was announced alongside the iPhone 5 in 2012, featuring the A5 chip of the previous year’s iPhone 4S. So yeah, iPod touch refreshes don’t come around all that often, but out of the blue this week Apple did just that when they quietly unveiled the 7th generation iPod touch . The iPod lives!
This 7th generation iPod touch features the A10 Fusion chip from the 2016 iPhone 7 and 7 Plus as well as the 2018 iPad, and supports Apple’s new Group Facetime feature as well as ARKit augmented reality experiences. Physically it features the same design as the previous two generations, with a 4-inch 1136×640 screen and no Touch ID. But it DOES have a headphone jack! I’m a little disappointed to not see the iPod touch enter the realm of edge-to-edge displays like the iPhone X and iPad Pro lines, but I’m sure it makes sense from a cost-saving perspective. Indeed the new iPod touch starts at just $199 for a 32GB model, which isn’t all that much space in this day and age but that does make it the cheapest entry into the iOS device ecosystem. There’s also a 128GB model for $299 and a 256GB model for $399, and any of these options comes in one of six colors: Space Grey, Silver, Gold, Pink, Blue, or (Product) Red.
Honestly I love the iPod touch, and until the iPhone 4 came along in 2010 the iPod touch actually was my gateway into the world of iOS. They’re great little devices for people who don’t want a full-blown smartphone or already have another phone they’re happy with, but want a second iOS device that’s not an iPad. And this week’s refresh actually brings some pretty decent spec bumps to the iPod touch. If that describes you, then they’re shipping right now and you can pick up a new iPod touch .
The problem is they don’t really refresh the iPod touch line all that often. It was nearly four years ago that Apple , which at that time featured the A8 processor of the previous year’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. And it was more when the 5th generation iPod touch was announced alongside the iPhone 5 in 2012, featuring the A5 chip of the previous year’s iPhone 4S. So yeah, iPod touch refreshes don’t come around all that often, but out of the blue this week Apple did just that when they quietly unveiled the 7th generation iPod touch . The iPod lives!
This 7th generation iPod touch features the A10 Fusion chip from the 2016 iPhone 7 and 7 Plus as well as the 2018 iPad, and supports Apple’s new Group Facetime feature as well as ARKit augmented reality experiences. Physically it features the same design as the previous two generations, with a 4-inch 1136×640 screen and no Touch ID. But it DOES have a headphone jack! I’m a little disappointed to not see the iPod touch enter the realm of edge-to-edge displays like the iPhone X and iPad Pro lines, but I’m sure it makes sense from a cost-saving perspective. Indeed the new iPod touch starts at just $199 for a 32GB model, which isn’t all that much space in this day and age but that does make it the cheapest entry into the iOS device ecosystem. There’s also a 128GB model for $299 and a 256GB model for $399, and any of these options comes in one of six colors: Space Grey, Silver, Gold, Pink, Blue, or (Product) Red.
Honestly I love the iPod touch, and until the iPhone 4 came along in 2010 the iPod touch actually was my gateway into the world of iOS. They’re great little devices for people who don’t want a full-blown smartphone or already have another phone they’re happy with, but want a second iOS device that’s not an iPad. And this week’s refresh actually brings some pretty decent spec bumps to the iPod touch. If that describes you, then they’re shipping right now and you can pick up a new iPod touch .