Hands on: iPod touch 5th Generation review

Apple's iPod touch gets a well-deserved makeover

By Susie Ochs September 18th 20120 Comments
The poor, neglected iPod touch hasn't been upgraded since late 2010, when the fourth-generation version got a Retina display and the A4 chip that powered the iPhone 4. But when the iPhone 4S came out, Apple did nothing with the iPod touch - they lowered the price a bit, and touted its ability to run iOS 5, but the actual hardware stayed the same.
No more. Apple's most popular iPod got a big upgrade at the Sept. 12 event, including the same taller screen as the iPhone 5. Measuring 4 inches diagonally, the screen is 640 pixels wide but now 1136 pixels high, leaving room for an extra row of icons on the home screen.
With its 16:9 ratio, you can watch widescreen video without letterboxing. We watched some scenes from The Avengers, and every pixel was used for video, a welcome change for anyone who uses the iPod touch for entertainment.
Developers will be able to upgrade their apps to take advantage of the extra real estate. Any apps written for the older 960x640 iPhones and iPod touch models run just fine, with the interface centered on the screen and black bars above and below. For the demo units Apple included an unmodified version of Algoriddim's djay app (which has a great design and a relatively dark interface), and the black bars weren't distracting or even quite noticeable while we used the app.
New body design
When you pick up the iPod touch you'll quickly notice how thin and light it is. At less than a quarter-inch thick (0.24 inch, 6.1millimetres) and barely more than 3 ounces (3.10 ounces, 88 grams), it feels almost inconsequential, like a stack of 10 index cards, something you could just toss around. But when you look closer, it's a precisely machined single piece of aluminum, seamless, with a handsome matte finish, vibrant colors, and a shiny Apple logo on the back. We actually prefer the black version, since it has a black face. The silver, pink, yellow, blue, and red iPods have white faces.
The back of the iPod touch has a new surprise, too. Press a silver button at the bottom-left, and it pops out just a bit. Then you can attach a rubber wrist strap called the iPod touch loop - think of it like the leash that keeps you from dropping your Wii remote. It's a clever idea, comfortable, adjustable, and free - Apple includes a matching loop with each iPod touch.
Better cameras
The rear camera shoots 1080p video (the last iPod touch could only do 720p), with image stabilization and face detection, and it can take 5-megapixel stills. Conditions in the demo room weren't ideal for testing photo quality, but the iPod touch took pictures quickly. And the cool Panorama feature (also on iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S) is easy to use and produces impressive results almost instantly.
The front camera is upgraded, too - it can take 720p video at 30 frames per second, perfect for high-quality video calls or vlog posts. It also takes 1.2 megapixel stills that look a lot better than the VGA stills the old iPod touch's front camera could muster.
Performance and software
Apple packed a dual-core A5 system-on-a-chip, with twice the processing power and seven times the graphics performance as the last iPod touch's A4 chip. Apps opened nearly instantly, everything felt speedy and responsive. No apps should be off-limits to this hardware.
For example, this is the first iPod touch that can run Apple's iPhoto and iMovie apps and handle AirPlay Mirroring to an Apple TV.
This is also the first iPod touch to have Siri, which does require Internet access. It's getting new tricks with iOS 6 (sports scores, Rotten Tomatoes movie data, OpenTable restaurant reservations), but Apple's site still lists it in beta.
Siri's been working better on our iPhone 4S lately, so we hope performance doesn't take a huge hit once a few million iPad 3 and fifth-gen iPod touch users jump on board too. In the demo room, Siri could hear us relatively well, with good dictation results.
Maps has Flyover and Turn-by-Turn, although you'll need Wi-Fi for turn-by-turn directions, maybe through a product like the MiFi. (Flyover and Turn-by-Turn are also on iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPad 3, and iPad 2, but not supported by the old fourth-gen iPod touch.) We couldn't test Turn-by-Turn in the demo room, but Flyover was a neat way to pan around a 3D image of a city, like Google Earth.
Of course, not every city is supported, and you need an Internet connection for maps to load - performance was a little sluggish in our hands-on time, probably due to so many people hammering the same Wi-Fi network at once.
Some other things we couldn't test in the demo room will have to wait for the full review: Battery life (Apple claims 40 hours' of music, eight hours' of video); the quality of the built-in speaker and the microphone sensitivity; the new durability and sync speed of the new Lightning connector, which replaces the 30-pin connector and allows the incredibly thin design; and the dual-band Wi-Fi, 2.4GHz and 5GHz 802.11n, which can allow theoretical download speeds of 150Mbps.
Early verdict
Both in design and its hardware capabilities, the fifth-gen iPod touch is a big step forward. Its battery life and low cost of ownership (since it has no cellular contract) beat the iPhone, and it can do just as much, in a thinner, lighter package.
It's definitely a worthy upgrade for owners of previous iPod touch models that want to take full advantage of iOS 6's new features. Apple's fifth-gen iPod touch can be preordered at www.apple.com: $299 (249) for 32GB and $399 (£329) for 64GB, and it ships in October.
Apple's iOS 6 Release Date is Wednesday, September 19; Upgrading to the New Software is Simple and Quick
Apple unveiled its iPhone 5 last week and the next-gen smartphone will arrive on customers doorsteps and in stores by Friday. Tomorrow, however, Apple is making its highly anticipated iOS6 available for download.
The new operating system will have support for the iPhone 4s, iPhone 4, iPhone 3Gs, iPad 2, iPad 3 and 4th generation iPod Touch on Wednesday. It will be available on the iPhone 5 on Friday and will be incorporated into the 5th generation iPod Touch in October.
The iOS 6 will have a ton of new upgrades for all Apple devices. Some of them are as follows:

Siri will now be available for the iPad. In addition, she has learned new languages and works in new countries. She will now help users get sports updates, make restaurant reservations, watch movie trailers & offer showtimes, launch apps by voice, Tweet and post to Facebook. While on the subject, according to reports Facebook will integrate with the new operating system in a similar way to how Twitter integrates with the iOS 5.1.1.
iOS 6 has a number of new features for iPhone users. There will be a new "Do Not Disturb" option so "you won't be bothered by anyone," Apple says on its Web site. Also, when users decline an incoming call they will now have the option to instantly reply to the caller with a text message or set a callback reminder.
iCloud Tabs will now enable all iCloud-connected devices to allow users to switch between their various devices with the same Safari Internet tabs open on each one.
Apple is no longer utilizing Google Maps in its iOS 6. The company has partnered with TomTom to make available detailed graphics and text, high-resolution cityscapes and will have visual and spoken turn-by-turn navigation and real-time traffic updates.
FaceTime will now be enabled over 3G networks as well as WiFi on the iOS 6 and users will be able to make and receive FaceTime calls on their iPads using their phone numbers. "That means you can use FaceTime wherever you are, on any device. And never miss another wink, smile, air kiss, or eye roll," Apple says.
With Passbook, iPhone users will now be able to use their handsets as a "digital wallet." The app will let iPhones store and make available for use digital coupons, tickets and customer loyalty cards.
"With Passbook, you can scan your iPhone or iPod Touch to check in for a flight, get into a movie and redeem a coupon. You can also see when your coupons expire, where your concert seats are, and the balance left on that all-important coffee bar card," Apple boasts on its Web site.

Apple’s 5th-gen iPod touch: It’s stripped down $299 iPhone 5 without the phone

Apple has unveiled its next-generation iPod touch. It looks like an iPhone 5, with the same 4 inch, 1136 x 640 pixel display. But the 5th-generation iPod touch doesn’t make phone calls, it’s even thinner than the new iPhone, and it has a last-generation processor.
It’s availab for pre-order for $299 and up. That’s more expensive than last the 4th gen model, but that’s because the new iPod touch has a faster processor, bigger screen, and a better camera, among other improvements.

The 5th-gen iPod touch measures 6.1mm (0.24 inches) thick and weighs 88 grams (3.1 ounces). It’s the thinnest and lightest iPod touch to date, even though it has the largest screen yet.
It’s powered by an Apple A5 processor — much like the iPad 2 or the iPhone 4. That’s a step up from the 4th generation iPod touch, which has an A4 chip, but it falls short of the new A6 processor in the iPhone 5. Apple says that chip offers twice the graphics and CPU performance of an A5.
Apple says the iPod touch is the “world’s most popular” media player, and also portable gaming device — and the new dual core chip should help boost gaming performance.
The new iPod touch has a 5MP camera, LED flash and autofocus — features which weren’t available on the fixed-focus camera on the last iPod touch.
Apple is also included a panorama mode and support for 1080p HD video recording with the rear camera.
Like the iPhone 5, there’s a new FaceTime HD front-facing camera which can shoot 720p video, and the company has added an optional wrist strap which comes in handy if you plan to use the iPod touch as a point-and-shoot camera, or hand it to your kid for mobile gaming.

Apple is adding Bluetooth 4.0 to the iPod touch, along with dual-channel 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi.
The iPod touch also now gets AirPlay mirroring support, letting you pair the device with an Apple TV to stream games, videos, or other content to a TV.
And for the first time, you can now use Siri voice recognition on the iPod touch.

Apple will offer 5 color options: yellow, pink, blue, black, and white.
The 5th-gen iPod touch goes up for pre-order this week and should ship in October. A 32GB model costs $299, while a 64GB model runs $399.
Apple will also offer a cheaper option: The 4th-gen iPod touch. The company is keeping the older models alive, but it’s phasing out the 8GB version.
You can now pick up a 4th generation 16GB iPod touch for $199 or a 32GB model for $249.

iPod touch 5G with cellular data

The iPad does it so why can’t the iPod touch 5G? One of their reasons some people think it will happen is considering the iPad 3 now supports LTE/4G, which also allows for really fast cellular data. This is something that would make the next iPod touch very desirable for users that don’t need a phone so much, and considering the confirmed FaceTime over 3G it would take the abilities of an iPod touch to another level.
Major benefits for 3G/4G iPod touch include surfing the Internet anywhere, sending text messages over cellular data, and of course using Skype or other apps to make calls. It makes sense after looking at the iPad specs, but considering the size of the iPod touch is similar to the iPhone, could this make both the devices too similar?

What iPod touch 5G specs would you like to see? The latest model should see a release date at some point this month, and we’ve heard a few of our readers talk about a 2nd camera for 3G, but we’d love to know what you would like to see on the 5th generation iPod, so hit the comments and let us know. Do you think Apple would make such a move as adding cellular data to an iPod?
Our recent iMac 2012 article also featured an expected product launch schedule for Apple in September and October, which you can see in an image found here. If this is correct then we could see a new iPod before the Apple iPhone event. We are also hearing about a new design for the next iPod touch, which a leaked picture can be seen in this article.

There’s thin and light. Then there’s thin and light on a whole new level. iPod touch now has a superthin aluminum body that feels barely there in your hand or pocket. It comes in colors so fun, it’s impossible to choose just one (but you’ll have to). With brand-new Apple EarPods, iPod touch sounds as good as it looks. And the iPod touch loop makes it all even more un-put-downable. Learn more about the new design of iPod touch

More screen means, well, more of everything. More music, messages, and websites. When it’s game time, your fingers will have more room to rule. And all of your stuff looks stunning on the Retina display. Learn more about the new features of iPod touch

Picture your life and all its big, small, and everything-in-between moments with a 5-megapixel iSight camera that also shoots 1080p HD video. The new panorama feature lets you capture your whole wide world. Advanced optics, tap to focus, an LED flash, and face detection give iPod touch serious point-and-shoot skills. And the iPod touch loop keeps it all close at hand. Learn more about the new features of iPod touch

iOS 6 is packed with over 200 new features to make the things you do every day even easier. Facebook integration makes everything more Like-able. With Shared Photo Streams, you can share just the photos you want with just the people you choose. And Siri comes to iPod touch, ready to answer your questions about life, sushi, and last night’s triple overtime. Learn more about the new features of iPod touch