Apple reveals a brand new iPod touch family

26 Jun 2014

iPod touch

Just when you thought Apple had given up the ghost on the iPod it does the opposite, revealing a new family of iOS 7-based iPod touch devices with a 5-megapixel iSight camera with prices starting at €209.

The new devices are capable of recording in 1080p HD, feature a 4-inch Retina display and are powered by an A5 chip.

The ultra-thin devices are available in pink, yellow, blue, silver, space grey and (PRODUCT) RED. iPod touch comes in a 16GB model for €209, 32GB for €259, and 64GB for €309.  

The iOS 7 operating system adds 200 features, including camera app filters to add photo effects.

Apple also confirmed iOS 8 will be supported on the entire iPod touch line-up.

Launched in 2004, the iPod originally dominated the digital music industry and by 2007 accounted for 48pc of Apple’s sales.

However, its heyday has passed and the device family has been surpassed by the popularity of other Apple devices, such as the iPhone and iPad, which incidentally have iPod technology built in.

In recent quarters, Apple has stopped including details of how many iPod devices have shipped. As of September 2012, the total number of iPod devices sold in the world stood at 350m.

Phoenix rising

But Apple has a unique take on its own technologies that most people tend to overlook. The reason Apple never got into making digital cameras? It didn’t need to – it had its digital camera technology already installed on must-have consumer gadgets, such as iPods, iPads and iPhones.

And let’s not forget Apple’s favourite hobby, the Apple TV. It has been suggested that the entertainment hub is potentially a Trojan horse in terms of Apple’s new HomeKit technology, which will eventually enable people to control devices in the household.

Only Apple really knows what it is doing. Perhaps the best is yet to come for the iPod.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com