It’s almost surprising that Apple bothered to update the iPod touch in 2015. With most people already having a smartphone in their pockets, what place does a Wi-Fi only smartphone have in today’s marketplace? Let’s try to answer that, as Gizmag reviews the new 6th-generation iPod touch.
The new iPod touch is a more attractive product than you might expect. It doesn’t get any lighter or thinner than its predecessor(from way back in 2012), but it does hang onto the same awesome build while taking a huge step forward in raw power and camera quality.
We could jump into a long list of technical feature breakdowns(and we will cover some of that), but that one question remains: what the hell does one do with an iPod touch in a smartphone-saturated world?
When the first iPod touch launched in 2007, the iPhone was still a novelty that was out of financial reach of a large portion of consumers. The iPod touch served as a cheaper way to see what the fuss was all about. A gateway product for future iPhone owners, somewhat miscategorized as an iPod. But today iPhones, Android phones and even some Windows Phones are in nearly every pocket or purse you come across. The gateway aspect died years ago.
The iPod touch always lacked a crystal-clear identity, but today its purpose is foggier than ever.
Our best answer is children. Many parents aren’t comfortable buying smartphones for their kids until they become teens(if then), but they may still want their children to get in on the entertainment(and perhaps learning or productivity) that mobile devices can offer. So Mom and Pops are left to choose between a tablet like the iPad mini or a(slightly cheaper) portable media player like the iPod touch.
In that sense, the iPod touch is probably, first and foremost, a gaming device. More a rival to the Nintendo 3DS than to smartphones.
Thanks for reading, its a nice device