iPod touch

It has only been one day since Apple discontinued the iPod touch forever. And although the company said that customers could still buy the product “while supplies last,” it seems that the supplies didn’t last very long. Right now, the iPod touch is completely sold out in the US Apple Online Store.

Just a few days ago, I wrote an article asking why Apple is still selling the iPod touch in 2022. Coincidentally or not, the company announced on Tuesday that the iPod touch and the iPod brand have reached the end of their lives. What’s interesting to think about is that, now obsolete, the iPod touch was once the gateway to the iOS ecosystem.

It’s the end of an era: Apple is officially discontinuing the iPod touch. The company says that the device will be available only “while supplies last.” This also means that the “iPod” brand is officially retired, as the iPod touch was the last iPod in Apple’s lineup.

It’s the end of an era for a product that was once one of the most popular gadgets in the world.

Exactly a year ago, I wrote an opinion piece saying why Apple should discontinue the Apple Watch Series 3. Well, it turns out, Series 3 is still part of Apple’s lineup for some reason – but it’s not the only product that the company should leave behind. It’s 2022, so why is Apple still selling these products?

Thirteen years ago, Apple unveiled the third-generation iPod touch. With up to 64GB of storage, the iPhone counterpart didn’t have a camera, nor a fancy processor, but somehow its 3.5-inch multitouch screen conquered a new generation of Apple users – myself included. Now, in 2022, you can still take advantage of this device – sort of.

This upcoming May will mark three years since Apple released the 7th generation iPod touch. That’s enough time for a newborn baby to learn to walk and communicate, so that must mean the iPod touch 8 is coming this year, right?

Apple is usually praised for the release of new products. The iPhone 13 Pro and M1 Pro/Max MacBook Pro are definitely some of the best launches of the company in 2021. But as we near 2022, there are some products Apple should definitely stop selling, as they don’t make sense in its lineup anymore.

We here at 9to5Mac have talked about how Apple should kill the Apple Watch Series 3 for a while now. It’s Apple’s “white elephant,” as my colleague José has said, while Filipe noted, “If the company really cares about the user experience, it should discontinue the Apple Watch Series 3 while it can.” The primary issue with the Apple Watch Series 3 is really just that it’s getting slower and can’t handle updates. As it turns out, there’s precedent for Apple killing a product immediately before WWDC because it was going to drop compatibility for it. That product was an iPod touch.

Remember the good old days when the iPod touch was the go-to device when you didn’t have an iPhone or iPad? Unfortunately, these days are slowly falling behind us. Apple doesn’t promote any iPods anymore, and it’s time to let this device rest in peace alongside all the other iPods — or upgrade it.

Images have surfaced on Twitter this weekend offering a look at an unreleased first-generation iPod touch prototype. In these images, the iPod touch features a glossy black coating on the back, which the leaker says is the “same coating as the 2013 Mac Pro.”

It’s been about eight months since I first reviewed the 7th-generation iPod touch, and since that time both iOS 13 and Apple Arcade, two releases that significantly affect the hardware, have been released. How well has the iPod touch 7 held up since that time, and should you still consider an iPod in 2020? Watch our latest hands-on episode of the Rewind for more details. 
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Earlier this week the iPod touch received a modest upgrade, arriving with little fanfare via an Apple press release. The new 7th-generation iPod touch has little in the way of new features, but it does receive a CPU spec-bump that takes it from an iPhone 6-era Apple A8 to an iPhone 7-era A10 Fusion chip, not to mention double the RAM of the previous generation.

The new hardware upgrades make it so that iPod touch users can enjoy Augmented Reality (AR) apps along with Group FaceTime capability for the first time. There’s also a new 256 GB flash storage tier, another first for the iPod lineup. It means that in 2019, there’s finally an iPod that bests the 160GB iPod Classic in terms of storage space.

While the iPod touch isn’t the mass market item that earlier members of the product line once were, Apple believes that there continues to be a viable audience for such a device. Not only is it ideal for storing large music libraries locally, but with the upcoming launch of the new Apple Arcade subscription gaming service, Apple continues to position the iPod touch as a handheld gaming option.

All of that said, should you consider buying this new iPod touch? Watch our hands-on video review for the details.
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Apple has just announced a new iPod touch featuring an Apple A10 Fusion chip. The new iPod looks the same as the previous generation, with a 4-inch screen flanked by large bezels and a non-Touch ID physical home button.

In addition to the new chip, the device comes in a 256 GB model for the first time. The 2019 iPod touch is available to order online now at $199 for 32 GB storage, $299 for 128 GB and $399 for the 256 GB configuration.

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Where is the new iPod touch? It’s been 1,364 days since the last update that broke the 1,036 day streak of the previous iPod touch being sold. That’s an age that’s given new meaning to the clever caption engraved on the iPod touch in Apple’s marketing material: “You’re only as old as your playlist.”

If Apple doesn’t plan on replacing the aging iPod touch hardware with a new model, we’re entering the point in its product life where it should probably be discontinued. Fortunately, there’s hope for future iPod touch customers …

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At the start of the week, you could reasonably guess that Apple might hold its semi-regular spring event to unveil a new 10-inch iPad and smaller iPad mini 5, an updated iPod touch, possibly AirPods 2, and new features in iOS 12.2. Reliable reporting has since adjusted expectations, giving us a rumored event date and a focus on new subscription news and video services in place of any hardware. So when should we expect to see all that rumored hardware if there’s no hardware event?

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Concept image via ConceptsiPhone

As we’re going on four years since the iPod touch last saw an update, 2019 looks like it could be the year that Apple releases the 7th generation iPod touch. As the last remaining iPod product, here’s everything we know about the rumored 7th generation iPod touch release.

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Earlier today, we reported that new iPad models had been registered with the Eurasian Economic Commission. The registration indicates that Apple plans on releasing several new iPads sometime this year. Recent reports have suggested that these may include an updated iPad mini and 10-inch iPad. We’ve also found a reference to what could be the 7th generation iPod touch. However, it doesn’t appear to include Face ID or Touch ID.

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According to a new report from supply chain blog Macotakara, Apple could be in the process of developing a revised 7th generation iPod touch. Further, the report says the 2019 iPhone might make the jump to USB-C, just like the 2018 iPad Pros.

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As we recently noted, the iOS 12 public beta has been released for those interested in trying iOS 12 before it officially launches later this fall. In other words, you don’t have to be a registered Apple developer in order to install iOS 12 prior to its public debut.

The public beta process is for anyone wishing to take the software for an early test drive. In this hands-on walkthrough, we’ll guide you through the iOS 12 public beta install process step-by-step for your eligible iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
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