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iPod Touch: What is it, what is it for, and is it really worth buying today?

iPod Touch: What is it

Apple is an American company that relies on the design and production of electronic equipment , as well as online software and services for its billions of users. Thus, in addition to the iPhone and iPad, the iPod Touch are also considered the main devices developed by Apple.

In this sense, since its first generation officially launched in 2007, the iPod Touch took great recognition and power worldwide . So, it became one of the most important multimedia players and, therefore, developed several generations that were presenting remarkable improvements to deliver excellent assistance.

However, since 2015, Apple has not released a new version of the iPod Touch, so it was rumored that was a line that was already dead in Apple’s development. But, this company surprised its followers because presented a great renewal of the iPod during this 2019. Next, we mention all the details of interest of the iPod Touch so far.

What is an iPod Touch and what are these devices for? Apple?

First of all, it is very important to know what an iPod Touch is. Given this, we note that it is a portable device created by Apple that works as a media player, PDA, portable video console and WiFi mobile platform . Which was presented to the public on September 5, 2007, that is, 12 years ago.

It is known that, Apple has sold more than 130 million iPod Touch around the world. Which means that it was a device widely accepted by people of all ages thanks to its excellent characteristics. Taking into account that, mainly, these devices are used to play music ; which you can host in your 32 GB or 128 GB of storage (depending on your variant).

In that sense, an iPod Touch allows you to use Bluetooth headphones or headphones such as AirPods, so you can enjoy your music wherever you want. Also, can be used as a remote control and thanks to that, they allow you to control your Apple TV through the TV Remote app and also HomeKit compatible devices.

Among other utilities that are given to Apple’s iPod Touch, we find the following:

  • It works as an ideal substitute for your car radio . Since, its storage capacity will allow you to load all your music without problems and due to the loss of coverage of the radio or mobile signal while traveling, you will not be affected to listen to music.
  • It is a perfect device to listen to music when you exercise or are in your workouts . Since, thanks to its lightness it provides ease to hold it to the arm by means of a bracelet or carry it in your pocket.

What are all the generations of iPods developed by Apple?

On the other hand, in order to know a little about the history and evolution of the Apple iPod, it is very useful to know what all its generations are so far , just as they are characterized each of them and the aspects of greatest interest.

For that reason, we present a list mentioning and detailing the existing generations of iPod Touch:

¿Cuáles son todas las generaciones de iPod que ha desarrollado Apple?

First generation

Its official launch was held on September 14, 2007 , based on its 8 and 16 GB variants. However, there was also a 32GB first-generation iPod Touch that was launched a year later, that is, during 2008. It should be noted that, this generation was characterized by belonging to the initial operating system iPod OS 1.1 and its maximum supported version was iOS 3.1.3. It is currently discontinued.

Main features:

  • A screen of 5 inches or 89 mm , LCD type bright glass cover with LED backlight.
  • It had Samsung chip S5L8900 .
  • Your GPU was PowerVR MBX Lite .
  • Your RAM was 128 MiB DRAM .
  • Does not include camera.
  • Audio processor Wolfson Microelectronics WM8758BG .

Second generation

Its initial operating system corresponds to iPod iOS 2.1.1 and was released to the market on September 9, 2008 . Which, also had versions of 8, 16 and 32 GB. However, all these were discontinued in 2009 (16 and 32 GB) and during 2010 the 8 GB. On the other hand, it had a net weight of 115 grams and its maximum supported version was iOS 4.2.1 .

Main features:

  • Displays a screen of 5 inches or 89 mm , LCD-type bright glass cover with LED backlight.
  • It has a Samsung chip S5L8720 .
  • Like the previous generation, it has GPU PowerVR MBX Lite .
  • A RAM memory 128 MiB DRAM .
  • Another version that does not contain a camera .
  • Its audio processor is Cirrus Logic CS4398 .

Third generation

We have reached the third generation of the Apple media player, in which its initial system was iPod OS 3.1.1 and with respect to its maximum supported version, we highlight that it was iOS 5.1.1 . Now, the official launch of the third generation of the iPod Touch, occurred exactly on September 9, 2009 and was discontinued on September 12, 2010.

Main features:

  • It also showed a screen of 5 inches or 89 mm , LCD-type bright glass cover with LED backlight.
  • The chip was Samsung S5L8920 .
  • In the third generation of the iPod there was the change of the GPU, for PowerVR SGX535 .
  • Your RAM was already 256 MiB DRAM .
  • Apple’s iPod Touch still without adding a camera .
  • As well as its predecessor generation, it’s also it had an audio processor Cirrus Logic CS4398 .

Fourth generation

With respect to the fourth generation of the iPod, we detail that its operating system was initially iOS 4 / iOS 5 / iOS 6 and the maximum supported version was until the iOS 6.1.6 . In this sense, the launch of this music player was divided into two parts: on September 6, 2010 (WWDC 2010) the iPod Touch of this generation of 8 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB was released in black and white ; then on December 8, 2010, the 16 GB was released. Which were discontinued between 2012 and 2013.

Main features:

  • At this point, the iPod screen was improved by a 3.5-inch one with a 2: 3 aspect ratio, shining glass cover with LED backlight and 24-bit color .
  • Now the chip was A45 (S5L8930) .
  • Like the previous generation, its GPU was PowerVR SGX535 .
  • It had a characteristic RAM of 256 MiB DRAM .
  • It was the first generation with camera, both rear (CMOS sensor with video) as well as forward (photos with VGA quality and video at 30 fps). Thanks to this, the fourth generation was ranked as one of the most momentous of the iPod Touch.
  • Regarding the audio processor, this was Cirrus Logic CS42L61 .

Fifth generation

Basically, its initial operating system was iOS 6.1.3 and the maximum supported version was the iOS 9.3.5 . Being an Apple device launched between 2012 and 2013; since the September 12, 2012 was released to the public the fifth-generation iPod Touch 32 and 64 GB, while the May 30, 2013 , was celebrated the official launch of the 16GB iPod. But, all were discontinued on July 15, 2015 , specifically.

Main features:

  • Now, the screen was increased to 4 inches or 100 mm , LCD-type with glossy glass-covered IPS technology with LED backlight, 24-bit color and an aspect ratio 16 : 9.
  • The chip of this generation was A5 (S5L8942) .
  • It contained a GPU PowerVR SGX543MP2 .
  • Its RAM was 512 MiB .
  • Camera rear (except the 16 GB model), camera front and 5 megapixel iSight camera with autofocus. Thus, it offered a five-element lens, backlighting, easy detection, an HDR function, 1080p video recording.
  • An audio processor Cirrus Logic 338S1077 .

Sixth generation

Before the release of a new version of iPod Touch 2019 was known, this has been the current model of such a media player. Which, officially launched on July 15, 2015 (all versions: 16, 32, 64 and 128GB), its initial operating system was based on iOS 8.4 and The maximum supported version is about iOS 12.4.2 . It is appropriate to note that, it has been the generation of iPod that lasted the longest in force, compared to the previous ones.

Main features:

  • The same fifth-generation display : 4 inches or 100 mm, LCD-type with glossy glass-covered IPS technology with LED backlighting, 24-bit color and an aspect ratio 16: 9.
  • Its chip is A8.
  • With respect to its GPU, it is characterized by being PowerVR G6430 (quad-core ) GPU .
  • RAM of 1 GiB .
  • Displays a much more advanced camera . Basically, it stands out for containing: autofocus, enhanced face detection, panoramic photos, burst mode, one-touch focus, backlight sensor, automatic HDR for photos and videos, photo tagging, slow motion video, etc.
  • The audio processor of this generation is Cirrus Logic 338S1116 .

iPod 2019 What news does this new model bring?

iPod 2019 ¿Qué novedades trae este nuevo modelo?

As we have mentioned since the beginning of the post, after 4 years, the Steve Jobs company decided to renew with its seventh generation iPod Touch or, 2019, which, is released in May of that year, specifically.

Now, you will surely wonder what features this new model exhibits and of course, what are its novelties of greatest interest.

So, then we highlight its main features :

Chip or processor

Among its biggest improvements, we find that the iPod 2019 has A10 Fusion processor ; which is the same one that was released with the famous iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Thanks to this, the seventh generation iPod is considered to be an extremely powerful device compared to the vast majority of media players that exist today.

It is valuable to highlight that, due to this feature, said iPhone is the most complete and versatile . Apart from that, with this great optimization, it will allow to exploit the augmented reality in which the famous Cupertino company has worked so much.

Physical aspect

Physically, Apple’s new iPod Touch is presented as a copy of the previous generation , that is, of the sixth generation that was still in force. Since, it still has very large frames and for that reason, it does not exhibit interesting improvements with respect to its physical structure.

Other features:

  • Contains an 8 MP camera and FaceTime HD camera.
  • Its capacity has been categorized into three specific models, which are: 32, 128 and 256 GB .
  • Their prices, depending on their capacity, are:
    • 32 GB: 239 euros .
    • 128 GB: 349 euros .
    • 256 GB: 459 euros .
  • Regarding your navigation , is characterized by being Multi-Touch screen .
  • The 4-inch screen has the same format as the iPhone 5 . For what has been cataloged as an iPhone from a few generations ago, but without the possibility of calling and installing apps.

Is it worth buying an iPod currently? Aspects to consider

On the other hand, noting that the improvements of the iPod Touch 2019 are remarkable, but not the most incredible and apart from this, that its price is really high; you may wonder: “Is it worth buying an iPod today?” .

Well, many users had completely forgotten about the evolution of the iPod, because the developer was already 4 years old without updating the device. Therefore, although many people looked forward to this 2019 release, the truth is that their expectations were very broad for what Apple showed.

Since, although it improved certain aspects, the vast majority of its functions can be found on the sixth generation iPod .

In addition to that, the question not only lies in whether it is necessary to upgrade from an old iPod Touch to the new one, but also based on the sense that it may or may not have, buy a device of such type when, Today, you can manage all these functions directly from your smartphone .

For that reason, if you only want to use the new iPod Touch to listen to music from there, it doesn’t make much sense to buy it . Since, you can easily do this from your mobile phone and even, in it you have more options to get music thanks to the various apps that you can download for it.

On the other hand, if you are a fan of iPod users and are determined to try Apple’s new proposal for being a faithful follower of technological advances, Why not try this product? Taking into account that, it can serve you perfectly as an independent music player for when you exercise and want to disconnect from your mobile.