Apple’s New iPod: A Touch Short of Useful

With the latest iPod Touch — propagation 6 ! — Apple ’s iOS runt gets a better camera and powerful backbone , which make it experience like a sister iPhone that does n’t make call . But why would you buy it if you already have an iPhone ?

What is it?

An iPod Touch , which depend identical to the last . But despite its tiny dimensions and lamentable screen , the 2015 iPod Touch ’s guts have been upgrade . It ’s got a beefy A8 processor , including the M8 movement coprocessor for activity trailing . It also rollick an 8 - megapixel tv camera , which is the same solving as the iPhone 6 ’s detector . The base 16 GB theoretical account cost $ 200 .

Why does it matter?

For most normal human being , an iPod — Touch or otherwise — cease make common sense the 2nd you get a smartphone . It ’s been that way for years , and yet the iPod Touch remains , a slightly passee keepsake people give their youngster until they ’re honest-to-goodness enough to have phone .

The iPod Touch ’s squawk up specification , however , lookimpressive enoughto make the iPod something a unconstipated mortal might apply as , for example , a Wi - Fi enabled tv camera with easy access code to email and Instagram . Moreover , with the mogul encouragement , the iPod has the potential to be that third machine that consumers crave . What if instead of screwing around on a tablet when you ’re sitting on the couch , you screw around on the iPod that lives in your living room ?

Then again , as the iPod becomes more and more like a smartphone , it sort of makes you wonder why you would need a slightly underpowered smartphone that wo n’t make calls .

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Design

iPhone 6 vs. newfangled iPod touch

It looks pretty much identical to the last iPod Touch . Except now it derive in gold , too ! ( I went with blue , plain . ) It ’s father a four - column inch display and weigh just 3.1 ounces .

Using it

I wo n’t bore you with a whole walkthrough of the equipment . It runs iOS 8 , and of course , it plays medicine and has apps . The overall experience is a spot like using a tiny iPhone , except of grade , the iPod does n’t have mobile phone service . The screen really feels a lot smaller than even the 4.7 - inch display on the regular iPhone 6 . The flipside here is that it ’s light enough to carry around without even notice it .

The art performance is satisfying but not quite up to snuff with upright smartphones . The raw guts are fast , and even bigger game load without any problems . Which is to say : you’re able to act games on the new iPod Touch . You could watch movies on it , too . I would n’t really desire to . It ’s relatively small and low - resolving power if you ’ve upgraded your phone in the last few yr . For this grounds it ’s not really a suited permutation for a pill , either .

As for the young camera , it ’s not the beast we ’d hoped . in the beginning this calendar week Michael Hessionput the camera through our usual battery of tests , and the iPod Touch come up short compared to the latest generation iPhones on everything from particular to colorize to low-toned - light functioning . The iPod ’s camera performs more like camera on the iPhone 5S. That ’s completely respectable , but just cutting - edge .

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This is the first iPod that can track your action natively , making it a totally worthy run companion . It ’s way lighter than smartphones and you do n’t have to worry about dropping it during your political campaign . Your running play info is give chase in Apple ’s Health app , and syncs up with the activity you lumber with other devices .

Like

The camera ’s solid .

No like

The screen is really small by contemporary standards , which makes it hard to do things like read and watch video .

Should you buy it?

This is the dependable iPod Apple ’s ever made — secure enough that it ’s loose to bury it ’s not a earpiece at sentence . But it ’s not a speech sound , and if you already have a smartphone , it ’s backbreaking to vindicate buying another contraption that replicates its functionality without give you something else .

There are plenty of niche scenarios in which the iPod Touch might be useful . The most convincing use is as a spendy exercise accessory . I could see it as a small , cheap connected gimmick to leave on your coffee bean board , or maybe a compact travel tool . But do you have a use for it that would n’t be satisfied with , uh , an iPad mini or something ? There ’s nothing amiss with the unexampled iPod — it ’s completely fun .

It just finger like a toy . You know , for child .

Photo: Jae C. Hong