Apple's long-awaited update to its iPod touch line of devices is now available. In addition to new specs, the new iPod touch also comes in new colors, including gold.
This update for the iPod touch is a long time coming. The last time the line was properly updated was back in October 2012. A lot has happened since then in the world of technology, especially on the iOS side.
The new iPod touch looks similar to the old iPod touch. It has the same 4-inch screen and has the same dimensions as the old model. Apple did get rid of the lanyard attachment, but from the outside the device looks the same. Except now it has new colors. The new iPod touch is available in gold, silver, space grey, blue, pink and Product (RED).
Specs aplenty
The big news with the iPod touch is on the inside. The A5 chip from the old iPod touch has been replaced with the A8 — the same chip that powers the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
Apple says that means that it's now six times faster than the old version and the graphics are 10 times faster.
That new GPU support means that the iPod touch supports Metal, a set of frameworks Apple introduced in iOS 8 that allows developers to write code to take advantage of the pure hardware capabilities of the device. Games such as Asphalt 8, Dungeon Hunter 5 and Shadowmatic all take advantage of Metal.
The iPod touch also has support for 802.11ac WiFi.
Better cameras
The cameras on the iPod touch get an upgrade, too. The rear iSight camera is now 8 megapixels and there is support for Apple's video stabilization. It also supports burst mode so that users can take dozens of photos at a clip.
The front FaceTime camera now has a bigger sensor for better selfies and FaceTime calls. It also supports HDR and HDR video and burst-mode selfies.
Price
The new iPod touch starts at $199 for the 16GB version. The 32GB version is $249 and the 64GB is $299. Apple is also introducing a 128GB iPod touch for $399. This is significant because it's the first iPod to get a capacity of over 100GB since the discontinuation of the iPod classic (RIP).
Other iPod updates
The iPod shuffle and iPod nano are still available. The 16GB iPod nano is $149 and the 2GB iPod shuffle is $49. Both now come in gold, space grey, silver, pink, blue and Product (RED).
The new product line is for sale on Apple.com and at retail stores. We'll be getting our own review unit for the iPod touch soon, so look for our full review.