Now that the wait is finally over and Apple have officially started shipping out the iPod touch fifth-generation to consumers, we can truly get an insight into what the new portable media player is like from an aesthetic and technical aspect and how it actually stacks up against its predecessor as well as the sixth-generation iPhone.
We begin to look forward to the traditional iFixit device teardown that always seem to happen like clockwork whenever Apple pushes out a new device to the market. We are very rarely let down by the quality of the analysis and images that are associated with the experiment, with this time being no exception as the team got their hands on the new fifth-generation iPod touch to see just what Apple have managed to pack in that tiny little slim frame.
Our readers may not remember this as vividly as the iPhone 5 announcement, but Apple announced major revisions to two of their most popular iPods – the iPod touch and iPod nano – at their media event a few weeks ago.
The fifth-generation iPod touch was announced alongside the iPhone 5 at the September 12th media event in San Francisco, but while Tim Cook proudly proclaimed that the new smartphone would begin shipping just over a week later, there was no such news about the rather colorful new iPod touch range. Rather than lavish us with all of the necessary launch details for the new iPod touch, Apple deemed it acceptable to give a vague October deadline instead of a proper date.
The last couple of months consisted of intense speculation surrounding Apple as a company, with a lot of that attention being paid to the fact that they were planning on holding this media event that would feature a number of yet undisclosed product announcements. As is usually the case when these kinds of events are on the horizon, there is always going to be one major announcement with the possibility of the company introducing a few smaller, but still notably important products to the masses.
The main focus of attention at today's Apple media event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco is, without doubt, the next-generation iPhone. Fans have yearned for months for this day to arrive, and despite the anticipation regarding the fruit company's smartphone, it's by no means the only thing on show at the event.
As the release of the iPhone 5 draws nearer, more and more reports have indicated what we might be seeing with the purported iPod range refresh. With most using their smartphones as digital music players, it's easy to see why the iPod has been left somewhat in the shade, but it certainly looks as though Apple isn't about to ditch its iconic brand of portable entertainment.
Although sales of the iPod touch have been declining in recent years, it still remains one of the most powerful and aesthetically attractive devices of its kind on the market. With fairly powerful technical specifications, large internal storage and additional benefits like the Retina display, access to the official iOS App Store for downloading apps and games, it isn't hard to see why Apple is so proud of their little media powerhouse.
Now that we have officially entered the final quarter of 2012, we are undoubtedly going to start seeing an influx of new and upgraded product lines hitting shelves across the world just in time for the beginning of the holiday shopping season. It's no secret that this is one the busiest time of the year for consumers, and a good holiday season can turn a good financial year into a great one for companies who manage to launch the right product at the right time.
A while ago, my colleague made some good points with regards to the importance of the iPod touch. With the iPad and iPhone having lead the way, the touch has taken something of a backseat, amounting to little more than a mere footnote in the continually-evolving story of the iOS device family.
