Apple's urge to "resurrect" its devices is definitely there. In 2017, we saw a TV box comeback, in 2018, more than 3.5 years later, the return of the updated Mac mini took place. So the iPod - the device that turned the audio marketplace in 2001 - is back in service after four years of quiet. A gadget similar to a remote control from an air conditioner began its triumphant march 18 years ago. In 2004, a branch of evolution sprouted in the direction of the iPod Mini and iPod Nano, and a year later Apple launched the iPod Shuffl line. The updated iPod touch is a direct descendant of that same fat man from 2001: in 2007 it lost its serial numbering and received the word classic in its name. In the same year - following the appearance of the first iPhone - a new version of the device was released.
Now it's just an iPod, and a buttonless iPod touch. Sequential numbering on it will resume. The last (until recently) sixth generation was released in 2015 - although after the release of the sixth iPhones, many were then skeptical about Apple's plans to continue releasing iPods. But doubts were not justified. Moreover, the iPod then received much the same hardware as the "six": an A8 processor, an 8-megapixel camera and memory up to 128 GB - exactly like smartphones.
© apple.com
It's even easier to be a skeptic these days, even if you turn a blind eye to the impressive performance growth of the iPhone line over the past four years. IPod is primarily about music. Apple Music launched in the summer of 2015 alongside the sixth generation iPod touch. And what users would choose in the end: newfangled streaming or a good old device with music in their pocket is a big question. But by 2019, the answer is already there: music is everywhere - in the clouds, on devices, online or offline. So it’s not her. Or not so much in her.
The new iPod touch isn't coming out as the next official - seventh - generation. It seems to be just an iPod, an old friend. But looking at its capabilities, I want to put it on the next stage of development. Performance has increased: there is a top-end A10 Fusion processor inside. This brings a leap in gaming performance and, for the first time, an iPod supports augmented reality (AR) and FaceTime group calling. The amount of internal memory has doubled compared to 2015 - here, of course, it would be strange to expect less.
© apple.com
Increased hardware performance is key for iPod touch to a new role within the Apple ecosystem. For music, an order of magnitude less capacities would be enough, but for the company's services that have appeared - especially the fresh gaming Apple Arcade, TV +, support for augmented reality in games, educational applications and when browsing the web - the capabilities of the device will be very useful.
And all this with a price tag that is several times lower than the cost of even the most "budget" iPhone, the XR model. iPod touch is a family pass for those who have long wanted to. Or for those who miss iPhones with a four-inch screen: the tach does not have a cellular module, but it has a Wi-Fi receiver. This means that the owners of the new product will have access to most of the communication options, including they will be able to send messages for free to users of other iPod touch, as well as iPhone, iPad and Mac.>
