It’s been 652 days since the last iPod Touch hit shelves. Even for Apple, a company known to take a year to release new products, this is a long wait. But while many of us wondered if Apple was finally about to pull the plug on iPod, the brave little device still has some life left in it.
Updated on 06-26-2014 by Andy Boxall: Hours after the rumor first started to spread, Apple officially announced a refreshed version of its entry level, 16GB iPod Touch. Previously, the basic model was bereft of a camera, and only came in a single color option. Now, that’s all changed.
The new 16GB iPod Touch has been given the same 5-megapixel iSight camera fitted to the larger capacity models, and is now sold in six different colors: Space Gray, pink, yellow, blue, silver, and as the special (Product) Red edition. The revamped iPod Touch is yours for $200.
It’s available in the U.S. today, and will gradually spread throughout the world over the next days. That’s not all the good news either, as the 32GB and 64GB iPod Touch models have been given a new price. The former now costs $250, while the latter will set you back $300. Don’t worry about compatibility with iOS 8 either, the complete current iPod Touch range will be updated to the new version of the OS, due for release later this year.
Prior to its announcement, MacRumors reported that Apple would launch a $200 version of the iPod Touch next week, equipped with 16GB of memory and the same six color combinations that high-end iPods have come in for a while. Apple will likely discontinue the current 16GB iPod Touch. This doesn’t signal a renewed interest in iPod for Apple, but it does show that the company isn’t ending its music hardware line yet. It seems unlikely Apple will abandon the range entirely, but it may decide only to continue making low-cost versions.
But the question is, even at $200, would any of you opt for an iPod Touch? The market is different than it was in 2012 when the last Touch came out.
The new iPod Touch is available to purchase at Apple.com.
