Apple has unveiling its first new iPod Touch since 2015, proving there’s still life left in the firm’s touchscreen MP3 player.
The arrival of the iPhone in 2007 heralded a significant drop in demand for the US tech giant’s range of iPods, with fans instead using their smartphones as portable music players. The iPod Classic and Nano were dropped from the range in 2014 and 2017 respectively, leaving only the Touch.
Offering the functionality of an iPhone minus the ability to make phone calls, the Touch remains popular with customers who want to play mobile games and listen to music on the go, without spending close to £1,000 on an iPhone.
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The new model is more gaming friendly than any of its predecessors, with a new processor that should allow users to play all the titles available on the company’s upcoming Arcade streaming service, reports TechRadar.
With orders for the seventh-generation MP3 player now open on Apple’s website, here are the key details for the new model:
How much does it cost?
That depends on which storage option you choose. Entry-level 32GB models carry a price tag of £199, rising to £299 for 128GB devices. The largest storage option, 256GB, comes in at £399.
What colours are available?
Apple has offered iPods in a range of bright colours in the past, and that tradition continues with the new Touch.
Buyers get a choice of six finishes: blue, gold, pink, silver, space grey and (Product) Red - with some of the proceeds going towards the Aids charity Red with the final option.
Design
There had been rumours that the next iPod Touch might sport an all-new design inspired by the iPhone XR, but that isn’t the case with the seventh-generation model.
The new Touch’s design is almost identical to that of its predecessor, with the same 4in Retina display and a physical home button rather than the company’s Touch ID fingerprint scanner, says MacRumors.
Althought some fans may be disappointed by the MP3 player’s more traditional design, one returning feature is sure to be a hit with audiophiles: the seventh-generation iPod Touch retains the old model’s 3.5mm audio port, so users don’t need to buy an adapter to plug in their wired headphones.
Specs and performance
The music player’s styling may be relatively unchanged but its underpinnings have been given a thorough refresh.
Indeed, under the aluminium casing sits the same A10 processing chip that currently powers the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.
This may be the “least powerful” chip that the company offers but it offers “enough firepower for a few new features” on the Touch, says The Verge. These include Group FaceTime calls and support for Apple’s ARKit, allowing buyers to use augmented reality (AR) apps.
The ramped-up new iPod Touch has been released ahead of the autumn launch of Apple’s Arcade and should be able to run all the titles offered on the gaming subscription service, the tech site notes.
