iPod touch How do you think the future of the iPod touch will play out? (2021)

[Homme]

It’s a hard question. Sure the iPod Touch is a niche product and doesn’t have the feel of its glory days when it was a gateway to the iPhone ( now replaced by the iPhone SE) but the iPod Touch still has its uses

In regards to future iOS support for the current model 3 things come to mind. 1. it’s underclocked A10, 2. The poor battery life compared to other A10 devices and 3. A9X devices perform better than this device, I can imagine sort to speak that maybe ( and a big IF) Apple discontinues the Apple TV HD and replaces it with another new TV HD but with the touch’s A10 with 1.64Ghz instead. that can work but unlikely

But ultimately leakers nowadays don’t mention a new iPod Touch besides other products and we have to wait and see for next year hopefully.

but for older models which still have iOS/iPadOS 15 then I believe only one conclusion remains… the discontinuation of the Apple TV HD since that has the same A8/2GB of RAM as the Mini 4. This is a no brainer and although the touch is faster, I can believe a scenario when apple drops support for both the iPhone SE And iPod Touch 7 due to the screen size ( which developers moan and whine about) and if a future touch gets a bigger screen ( especially before WWDC) then it’s most likely it

But uh yeah

 

[ackmondual]

I ended up getting a 9th gen iPad. I valued the iPod Touch's portability, especially in the pocket of some article of clothing, but the dinky 4" screen is too small. I was going to get a used iPhone with a 4.7" to 6" screen, but couldn't have been bothered all those years (since the IpT6 and 7th gen got introduced). I'd rather trade off the portability for a much larger screen if I'm going to pay roughly the same amount of money

 

[philrock]

I ended up getting a 9th gen iPad. I valued the iPod Touch's portability, especially in the pocket of some article of clothing, but the dinky 4" screen is too small. I was going to get a used iPhone with a 4.7" to 6" screen, but couldn't have been bothered all those years (since the IpT6 and 7th gen got introduced). I'd rather trade off the portability for a much larger screen if I'm going to pay roughly the same amount of money

I feel like this is an apple to oranges comparison. I cannot imagine anybody needing or wanting iPad functionality actually considering an iPod Touch or vice versa... That's like shopping for a SMART car and buying a Suburban.

 

[ackmondual]

I feel like this is an apple to oranges comparison. I cannot imagine anybody needing or wanting iPad functionality actually considering an iPod Touch or vice versa... That's like shopping for a SMART car and buying a Suburban.

There's definitely overlap between the 2. If somebody just wants an iDevice that's brand new and also the latest generation, your choices include the lowest end iPhone, Ipod Touch 7, and the cheaper iPads. For some, screen size and portability aren't as hard requirements as for my case

 

[mikehalloran]

It's been announced that the Touch 7 will be compatible with iOS 16. Not that I believe for a second there will be any benefits for us…

 

[Slix]

It's been announced that the Touch 7 will be compatible with iOS 16. Not that I believe for a second there will be any benefits for us…

It has not been announced. It has been rumored, maybe. We won't know until Apple tells us what devices will support iOS 16.

 

[mikehalloran]

It has not been announced. It has been rumored, maybe. We won't know until Apple tells us what devices will support iOS 16.

Oh really? This is pretty well known among the alpha community:

https://gizpie.com/ios-16-release-date-iphones/

The only thing unknown is that older devices without A10 chips will not run it—Apple has surprised everyone on that before. Since that does not apply to the Touch 7, no reason to expect that iOS 16 will not run.

Touch 7 specs

Apple has an excellent track record of supporting hardware for three years or more after last release. Since it has the A10 Fusion chip, no reason to believe that's going to stop anytime soon, especially since it can still be purchased new directly from Apple and their stores.

Purchase iPod Touch 7

There are none available in the Refurb Store

 

[Slix]

Oh really? This is pretty well known among the alpha community:

https://gizpie.com/ios-16-release-date-iphones/

The only thing unknown is that older devices without A10 chips will not run it—Apple has surprised everyone on that before. Since that does not apply to the Touch 7, no reason to expect that iOS 16 will not run.

Touch 7 specs

Apple has an excellent track record of supporting hardware for three years or more after last release. Since it has the A10 Fusion chip, no reason to believe that's going to stop anytime soon, especially since it can still be purchased new directly from Apple and their stores.

Purchase iPod Touch 7

There are none available in the Refurb Store

That article is literally just saying when to expect iOS 16, nothing concrete at all is mentioned there. It's just "next year, expect the yearly update!" Another article just saying what they hope/expect will happen, no concrete rumors or sources, even.

 

[mikehalloran]

That article is literally just saying when to expect iOS 16, nothing concrete at all is mentioned there. It's just "next year, expect the yearly update!" Another article just saying what they hope/expect will happen, no concrete rumors or sources, even.

That was one of many articles released over the last few days stating the same thing. How many should I quote?

Tell you what, do your own research so that you have a reason to believe I'm wrong — then and only then try to explain it. Spoiler alert: the iPod Touch 7 has an A10 Fusion at its core.

"See you in September..."

 

[Beitie]

I'm one of the few who still uses an iPod Touch daily. I bought my 64 Gig 3rd gen back in 2009, and used it daily up till yesterday when I received my 256 Gig 7th gen.

My main reasons for owning one has to do with work. I work in a factory, and we are not allowed to use our phones while on the shop floor. Personally, for me, the iPod Touch would be better if it had not camera at all, but I'll survive. I just want to be able to listen to music and podcasts with out getting written up at work.

I have also used an iPod 5.5 Gen, swapped in a 256 Gig SD card to replace the hard drive. This is a great solution for the most part, but it's not as solid and reliable, sync times are significantly slower, and low-fi podcasts don't sound as good. I'm not sure what the new DACS are doing these days, but they have focused quite a bit on low resolution podcasts, and it shows. I guess in some ways that's a good thing, though I'd prefer to just use more space up and have high quality audio.

 

[philrock]

iPod roundup says it was updated three days ago, anybody know if news dropped somewhere?

 

[mikehalloran]

iPod roundup says it was updated three days ago, anybody know if news dropped somewhere?

No idea what thar 3 Days is all about. It's still the 2019 Specs and prices.

iPod Roundup

 

[Homme]

I'm one of the few who still uses an iPod Touch daily. I bought my 64 Gig 3rd gen back in 2009, and used it daily up till yesterday when I received my 256 Gig 7th gen.

My main reasons for owning one has to do with work. I work in a factory, and we are not allowed to use our phones while on the shop floor. Personally, for me, the iPod Touch would be better if it had not camera at all, but I'll survive. I just want to be able to listen to music and podcasts with out getting written up at work.

I have also used an iPod 5.5 Gen, swapped in a 256 Gig SD card to replace the hard drive. This is a great solution for the most part, but it's not as solid and reliable, sync times are significantly slower, and low-fi podcasts don't sound as good. I'm not sure what the new DACS are doing these days, but they have focused quite a bit on low resolution podcasts, and it shows. I guess in some ways that's a good thing, though I'd prefer to just use more space up and have high quality audio.

I agree. An iPod Touch without a camera ( and a bigger battery) I’d buy straight away, that way people would be less relieved in private areas like orgies/saunas since there is no camera and people use iPhones for cameras over iPads/iPod Touch’s anyway



Speaking of the thread title. Everyone read this recent post about this on 9to5mac and express your thoughts

Could the iPod touch 7 be the last iPod ever? - 9to5Mac

This upcoming May will mark three years since Apple released the 7th generation iPod touch. That’s enough time for a...

9to5mac.com

If the current touch gets iOS 16 then so does A9X iPads. Both of them have better single and multi core scores than it, the 12.9 inch version ( despite the fact that it’s screen is over 3 times bigger, the screen resolution is like so much more, perhaps has millions and millions more pixels for the A9X and its horsepower to handle etc) has 4GB of RAM though. No A10 device ( not counting A10X) has 4GB of RAM.

and of course both devices have a clock speed of 2.26 GHz and 2.16 GHz on the smaller 9.7 inch one respectively compared to 1.64 GHz on the touch

I also believe if apple fails to implement universal control for iPadOS 15 on time and puts it for iPadOS 16 then those iPads will get the new OS( since they are in the notes to support that feature)

But I don’t believe iPhonesoft in regards to them not getting it. A8X and A9 are equal in multicore speeds, A10 from other iDevices besides the touch is better than A9X due to the massive difference in horsepower ( and battery)

 

[mikehalloran]

The opinion in the 9–5 article pretty much mirrors the one I've stated a few times so no surprise there. As long as it supports the latest iOS, no reason for Apple to dump it.

Whether something better comes along or not… doubtful but I don't remember anyone expecting that the 7 would be released either. So Apple might know if a replacement is on the horizon but no one is holding his/her breath.

If the current touch gets iOS 16 then so does A9X iPads.

Probably not. We'll know soon enough. Since the Alpha is out and the rumors are that the 2015 iPad Pro A9x is not among the supported machines, your comment strikes me as wishful thinking.

The 2nd gen iPP and the Touch 7 both have the A10 Fusion (T7) 0r A10x (iPP) which is why both of them are making the supported list for 16.

Apple has been known to grandfather older devices before Beta is released—one time, I recall after Beta but this was MacOS Yosemite a long time ago and not iOS. Again, we won't know till we know.

I have no skin in this game or I'd be betting that no A9x will make the short list. Happy to be wrong.

 

[*~Kim~*]

A9x might make the list but the regular A9 go alongside A8/A8x. The 5th Gen was discontinued a year before the Mini 4. 5 years is very good on the base iPad.

Then I could see a RAM based drop with 2GB going in 2023, Pro 9.7 and 6th Gen. If Apple does the same as they did with the current Touch, Touch 8 would come out in May 2023 ahead of the drop.

 

[mikehalloran]

A9x might make the list

Maybe but hasn't yet. Those were released in 2015, nearly seven years ago.

We'll see…

 

[Homme]

Maybe but hasn't yet. Those were released in 2015, nearly seven years ago.

We'll see…

the 9.7 inch version was released in March 2016

 

[mikehalloran]

the 9.7 inch version was released in March 2016

Ok, that was released 6 years ago. What is your point? No A9x are on the Alpha list For iPadOS 16.

It’s doubtful that they will be grandfathered in but, with Apple, we won’t really know till Beta is rolled out in a few months. Till then, it’s wishful thinking.

Feel free to moan about it in June (in another thread) or tell me how wrong I was. I don’t care. It’s not on the list. This thread is about the iPod Touch 7 which does make the list — time to change the channel.

 

[Ludatyk]

I feel like this is an apple to oranges comparison. I cannot imagine anybody needing or wanting iPad functionality actually considering an iPod Touch or vice versa... That's like shopping for a SMART car and buying a Suburban.

But that's my case. And it's specifically for Apple Ecosystem (iCloud and iMessage) why I went with an iPad Pro. I have an Android phone... but my family and friends carry around Apple devices, thus.... iMessage a huge part of communication amongst my circles.

I have a cellular iPad Pro... which helps to keep existing iMessage threads along with using Android as my daily driver. I don't wish to derail the thread about the whole iMessage lock-in that Apple does, but perhaps that's part of the reason why iPod Touch is still around.

And in addition to that... Apple Music and Apple Arcade is a huge selling point for the iPod Touch.

 

[siri_3005]

I feel like it would either be discontinued or they would update it with a updated design. The current design of the iPT is almost a decade old ( besides of the loop button being removed from the 6th generation but still ) and doesn't really fit with the other Apple products besides the SE2020.

 

[mikehalloran]

I feel like it would either be discontinued or they would update it with a updated design. The current design of the iPT is almost a decade old ( besides of the loop button being removed from the 6th generation but still ) and doesn't really fit with the other Apple products besides the SE2020.

Although an update would be nice, it is going to be able to run iOS 16 so there's no real reason to discontinue it. There might be some markets where it still sells — since Apple never breaks down sales data to specifics, we can only guess.

My supposition that Apple won't do anything as long as it can run current iOS appears to be the course they are taking. This replaced the Touch 6 the same year that could no longer be updated, IIRC.

Gads, what if when that happened, Apple only replaced the CPU to accommodate later iOS and made no other changes? Yikes!

 

[ahurst]

That is (or at least has been) the path of least resistance, I only wonder if the current form factor is finally no longer viable - possibly at this point I’d say yes as the final 4” iPhone is just about at the end of the line and iOS doesn’t work particularly well on that display size any more. A larger display is also sure to be more desirable, but making that much of a change may be more hassle than it’s worth.

For my own niche tastes I really hope not: as someone happily using an original SE for both the headphone jack and 4” screen but recognizing it’ll stop getting updates soon, an iPod Touch with an A13-A15 and a 4” screen would be an instant buy since the 12/13 mini and current SE aren’t quite as comfortable to use one-handed.

 

[GMShadow]

Gads, what if when that happened, Apple only replaced the CPU to accommodate later iOS and made no other changes? Yikes!

Mildly disappointing but I'd probably upgrade - I use my 7th gen Touch daily.

 

[TheMacPotato]

Mildly disappointing but I'd probably upgrade - I use my 7th gen Touch daily.

Out of interest, why upgrade? Unless for memory, it's primarily a music player and any new model would do that job just as well as the old one. (disclaimer: I still have a iPod touch 2nd gen 32Gb, which I have (almost) permanently connected to an old dock, which I use quite often. Works perfectly for music still and can even stream internet radio over wifi)

 

[Traverse]

Out of interest, why upgrade? Unless for memory, it's primarily a music player and any new model would do that job just as well as the old one. (disclaimer: I still have a iPod touch 2nd gen 32Gb, which I have (almost) permanently connected to an old dock, which I use quite often. Works perfectly for music still and can even stream internet radio over wifi)

The only upgrade that I think would be worth it for the iPod touch if you really do just use it for music is a redesign for battery. The iPod touch has abysmal battery life. So much so that I've consolidated to just using my phone for music.

A combination of the Marvis app, Shortcuts, and iOS 15 focus modes lets me create a true music-focused experience without distractions when I want to just enjoy music. And the iPhone 13 Pro is rated for like 70 hour of music playback.