By Dan Moren
July 28, 2017 7:27 AM PT
Apple’s meager iPod touch boost
Note: This story has not been updated for several years.
In addition to discontinuing the iPods nano and shuffle, Apple also took the time to bolster its last remaining iPod yesterday. The iPod touch, sole bearer of its name, got a storage bump: instead of four models starting at 16GB, there are now just two options: 32GB for $199, and 128GB for $299.
There are a couple of things to take away from this announcement: firstly, the iPod touch isn’t dead. It may not be a top seller, but it’s clearly doing well enough at the moment that it survived the cull of the rest of its siblings. But keep in mind that the tech inside the iPod touch isn’t exactly state of the art: that A8 chip is Apple’s current workhorse, powering not only the Apple TV but also the upcoming HomePod. Basically, it’s a power-efficient 64-bit chip that Apple can probably make in large volume for cheap. But it also debuted in the iPhone 6 back in 2014, which means that it’s far from cutting edge.
Secondly, the rearrangement of the iPod touch line now, at the end of July, means that if you were hoping for a sizable iPod touch upgrade in the fall, well, think again. This is just enough attention shown to the iPod touch to show that it’s not being ignored, but it’s not likely to get any additional love. And to those holding out for some sort of other small, non-phone replacement for the touch/iPad mini, well, it could happen, but I definitely wouldn’t put my money down on it.
Like the nano, shuffle, and even the iPod classic before them, the iPod touch will stick around just as long as it makes sense in Apple’s line-up. And knowing the company, that could be a few years.
[Dan Moren is the East Coast Bureau Chief of Six Colors. You can find him on Mastodon at @dmoren@zeppelin.flights or reach him by email at dan@sixcolors.com. His latest novel, the supernatural detective story All Souls Lost, is out now.]
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