Sales of iPods might be falling at double-digit rates, but that isn’t preventing Apple from launching an updated iPod Touch that comes with faster processor, improved camera, faster Wi-Fi, new choice of colours and a new memory capacity of 128GB.
The new iPod touch starts with a recommended retail price of $279 for the 16GB model, $349 for the 32GB model and $419 for a 64GB model.
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They’re available now through the Apple Online Store, Apple’s retail stores, and select authorized retailers.
The new colours, also available for all iPod models, are Space Grey, silver, gold, pink and blue.
The new Touches features 4-inch Retina display, iSight camera with 8 megapixels instead of 5 megapixels, an improved FaceTime HD camera for selfies, the iPhone 6’s Apple-designed 64-bit A8 chip with 10 times faster graphics performance, and improved fitness tracking via the new M8 motion coprocessor.
With the stepped-up iSight and FaceTime HD cameras, iPod Touch owners for the first time access such new features as Slo-Mo and burst modes. The Touch comes with iOS 8.4 and preloaded Apple Music streaming service.
Sales of iPods were at their highest during 2008 following the launch of the first iPod Touch at the end of 2007.
The iPod Touch was designed to look like an iPhone, played music and ran apps, but could not make calls.
Similar sales were seen in 2009 thanks to the launch of the third-generation shuffle, fourth-generation nano and second-generation Touch.
Since January 2014, reports claim Apple has sold around 12 million units, which is less than half of 2013 sales figures.
Following its iPhone 6 launch in in September, Apple silently killed off the Classic iPod.
When Apple’s online store came back online following its iPhone 6 event in September, this later model was missing from the iPod lineup.
Apple did not make any formal announcement about ceasing the line at the time.
However, it wasn’t a drop in sales that brought about its demise, according to boss Tim Cook, instead it was blamed on a lack of parts.
David Richards has been writing about technology for more than 30 years. A former Fleet Street journalist, he wrote the Award Winning Series on the Federated Ships Painters + Dockers Union for the Bulletin that led to a Royal Commission. He is also a Logie Winner for Outstanding Contribution To TV Journalism with a story called The Werribee Affair. In 1997, he built the largest Australian technology media company and prior to that the third largest PR company that became the foundation company for Ogilvy PR. Today he writes about technology and the impact on both business and consumers.