Apple Updates 16GB iPod Touch With Color Options and Rear-Facing Camera
by Brandon Chester on June 26, 2014 2:33 PM EST- Posted in
- Apple
- iPod Touch
Today Apple quietly refreshed their iPod Touch lineup, with the changes specifically being focused on the 16GB iPod Touch. The fifth generation iPod Touch line was announced in September of 2012. The device was launched in 32GB and 64GB variants with six different color options and a hardware platform that borrowed from many different Apple devices on the market at the time. Internally it used the same Apple A5 chip used in the iPhone 4S which is a dual core Cortex-A9 based design running at 800MHz paired with a PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU and 512MB of LPDDR2 memory. On the front it has the same 1136x640 IPS display used in the iPhone 5, 5c, and 5s, as well as the 1.2MP front-facing camera from the iPhone 5. On the back it has the 5MP rear-facing CMOS sensor used in the iPhone 4 paired with the optical system of the iPhone 5. The 32GB and 64GB models were priced at $299 and $399 respectively.
Eight months after the initial launch of the new iPod Touch, Apple introduced a more inexpensive 16GB model which only came with a silver back and a black front face, and did not include the rear-facing camera or wrist strap from the more expensive iPod Touch models. This version was priced at $199 in the United States and until now the tradeoffs included with it were the only option for consumers who didn't want the larger storage capacity models.
Apple's new 16GB iPod Touch introduced today now comes in the full array of colors that only the more expensive models offered previously. It also includes the rear-facing camera and the wrist strap, effectively making it an identical device to the more expensive models apart from the amount of internal storage. The refreshed 16GB iPod Touch still costs $199 and is currently only available in the United States for the time being, with availability in other countries in the near future. In addition to the upgrades to the 16GB model, Apple has dropped the price of the 32GB and 64GB versions to $249 and $299 respectively.
Source: Apple
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Bob Todd - Thursday, June 26, 2014 - link
This still seems a bit overpriced when an unlocked 16GB Moto G is $199, and can actually be used as a phone if you want. Even as a media consumption device the G would be more flexible with something like MX Player. But I guess if you are locked into iTunes by choice or by force then the Touch may make sense.mikemike097 - Sunday, June 29, 2014 - link
or someone needed to replace a previous ios device would like to keep using the accessories they bought for it.Daniel Egger - Sunday, June 29, 2014 - link
Not sure how one could compare a Moto G to a an iPod touch as they're vastly different devices with different purposes. The Moto G doesn't even come close to the capabilities of an iPod touch when it comes to the main purposes: Media consumption and games.For many iTunes is just a tool to manage iOS devices and do backups. If one bought music from the iTunes Store the standard MP3 and AAC formats can also be used with other devices. Vice versa it is equally possible to put ripped CDs or otherwise retrieved music from other devices onto the iPod.
Lock-in to certain hardware is only relevant for apps but that will always be true no matter whether one is coming from Android, iOS or Windows Phone...
ezridah - Thursday, June 26, 2014 - link
Is this the first time Apple hasn't charged $100 for a memory upgrade? $50 is still highway robbery for an extra 16GB (and even an extra 32GB for that matter), but it's at least a start. Here's hoping that memory pricing strategy trickles out to the iPhone and iPad as well...dmunsie - Friday, June 27, 2014 - link
Honestly, that was my first thought as well. Hopefully future iOS devices go with a $50 increment for storage instead of the $100 which has been standard for 7 years now. The thought of what it would cost for a 128GB iPhone 6 with the current pricing scheme is a bit nauseating.ltcommanderdata - Friday, June 27, 2014 - link
When the 5th gen iPod Touch was originally introduced, the 4th gen iPod Touch dropped to $199 for 16GB and $249 for 32GB with the 5th gen iPod Touch starting at 32GB for $299. The camera-less 16GB 5th gen iPod Touch was later introduced to replace both 4th gen models at $229. It's quite possible Apple's repositioning the 5th gen iPod Touch to the lower-end in anticipation of a new 6th gen iPod Touch (hopefully A7-based) on the high-end in the fall.