In terms of design, the iPod touch maintains the same build materials and shape as the previous model, but trims down the total thickness to just 7.2 millimeters. One of our biggest qualms with the iPod touch design of the last two generations was the stainless steel backing, which is prone to smudges and scuffs, as well as being incredibly hard to grip, and unfortunately, these issues are present in the current model as well. Of course, most users will want to place a protective case on their $229 or more investment, but without one, the iPod touch is pretty vulnerable to damage.
Under the hood, Apple has given the iPod touch a nice performance boost with the A4 processor and new built-in gyroscope. While the benefits of the gyroscope are still limited due to the fact that so very few games and applications support it currently, the A4 processor makes the device slightly faster than its predecessors. Since the iPod touch runs iOS 4.1, a lot of processing power is devoted to multitasking and other new features, not to mention running the retina display; subsequently the observable speed improvements are small.At the unveiling of the iPod touch, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said that the iPod touch has surpassed both Nintendo and Sony as the highest selling mobile gaming platform, and with the new hardware improvements like the A4 processor, retina display, and gyroscope, the latest model is uniquely prepared to take on richer, more complex games; like the type promised by Epic's The Citadel. If you're into iPod touch gaming, the latest model may be a worthy upgrade for gaming applications alone.
But there is also FaceTime, which could appeal to social butterflies on-the-go. For those unfamiliar, FaceTime is Apple's proprietary mobile video conferencing app, which allows iPhone 4 and now iPod touch users to video chat with one another over a Wi-Fi connection using the built-in cameras. The iPod touch version of FaceTime is much like the iPhone 4's, save for the fact that instead of being tied to a phone number its linked to your email address. FaceTime on the iPod touch works with other iPod touchs, as well as the iPhone 4, which turns it into a video phone of sorts, though constrained by the availability of Wi-Fi. When paired with apps like Skype and mobile hotspot technology from providers like Sprint and Verizon, the iPod touch could actually be a powerful communication tool.
But the iPod touch isn't without significant faults, the most glaring of which is pricing. Apple has maintained the core pricing and storage capacity structure with the new iPod touch, with the 8GB base model featuring an MSRP of $229, the 32GB model for $299, and the 64GB model at $399. The iPod touch is hardly a cheap endeavor, especially if you want a reasonable amount of storage space. There is a huge gap in storage capacity between the 8GB and 32GB model, and we expected to see Apple bump up the base model to 16GBs but maintain the same entry price. Given its expanded functionality as an HD video recorder and its ability to take photos, the measly 8GBs of storage space is certain to fill up faster. As a result, anyone who intends to use the iPod touch heavily will quickly find the 8GB model's capacity insufficient and may want to consider purchasing the $299 32GB model.At the end of the day, the utility of the iPod touch is largely dependent on the user, but there is no questioning that it is the most full-featured, high performance iPods to date. It is too familiar to justify the marketing terms Apple generally prefers to use -- words like magical, revolutionary, etc. – but it is a pretty outstanding media player all the same.
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