iPod Touch 5

 Image from : http://www.apple.com/ipod-touch/

After two years Apple finally updated their most popular iPod, the iPod Touch. Its thinner, lighter, faster, and has a much better camera this time around. The new Touch even includes a wrist strap retainer cleverly built into the thin body that clicks to hide or rise for use. Perhaps the coolest feature included on this iPod is Siri. It also sports a new 4inch 1134 x 640 display! They even throw in a set of the newly designed EarPods!  Can this combination of new features create a worthy off contract iPhone alternative over wifi ? Yes! Will I buy one? NO 

http://www.apple.com/ipod-touch/

The iPod Touch is a handheld computer. It is a mobile internet device (MID), a personal digital assistant (PDA) a personal media player (PMP) and a portable gaming platform (PGP). The iPod Touch is also a camera, and this time a decent one.

With the beautiful new 4 retina display, you have a better screen for one handed operation. The 16:9 format allows for widescreen video display and give a little more room for the onscreen keyboard so you can see more of your content while typing. 

http://www.apple.com/ipod-touch/

Apple has updated the Camera in the new iPod touch to 5MP 5lens F2.4 BSI CMOS setup with autofocus and an LED flash. They also include the Auto-panoramic mode which expertly stitches together panoramic images.

www.apple.com

The powerful dual-core A5 SOC from the 2nd Generation iPad comes to the iPod Touch. This beastly processor enables powerful image processing, faster browsing, enhanced graphics performance with games, and enhanced camera performance. It is a second generation A5 SOC litho'd in the 32nm flavor, enabling enhanced power efficiency over the 45nm variant used in the aforementioned iPad 2. Apple claims 2x better processing performance and 7x better graphics verses the previous generation iPod Touch.


It is the thinnest and lightest iPod Touch yet. Using an aluminum and glass design, they were able to reduce the thickness and weight while maintaining excellent structural rigidity.

(C) Apple 2012

The new EarPods from apple replace the now iconic ear-buds they have included with over 600 million of their iPod, iPhone, iPad and iThings. Applying fastidious attention to detail, the new EarPods are the result of modeling 600 different real ears, and designing a shape that is a natural fit for almost everyone. The driver and housing was specifically designed to enhance mid range and base response while producing crisp high end performance. This is not a sound isolating type, it is a channel focusing earbud that delivers natural sound, not hip hot style base. I am looking forward to trying these out!

The eco-norm of Apple also applies here. Highly recyclable base materials. Highly minimized IC and main-board area. Lead free solder. Mercury free LED display. BFR and PVC free.


Veto : No Buy 

iFixIt recently tore down the new iPod Touch :
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPod+Touch+5th+Generation+Teardown/10803/1

It is glued and soldered together: WTF Apple. This makes it nearly impossible to repair! This After apple has harassed me when I tried to redeem and iTunes card: they claim was never activated by the retailer..... customer service my a**!

Apple waits two years to update their iPod, and while it is a complete improvement all around over the 4th generation, the new anodized back is scuffgate approved, and cluttered with visual disruptions like that wifi-antena, wrist strap attachment, and new protruding (albeit much better) camera setup.

No GPS again. The Nexus 7 costs $100 less and includes GPS. The lack of GPS in the new touch almost makes me want to curse. Many of the Apps require location data to function correctly!

No Micro-SD again. Starting at $300 for 32GB (29user accessible) it goes to $400+tax for 64Gb(61user accessible). Without a card expansion slot, you are stuck with the built in storage. Add in the soldered to a ribbon cable and glued together setup, and it looks like Apple has designed this one to be disposable e-waste.

While the new screen is fantastic (identical to the one in the iPhone 5) and that camera is greatly improved, and while siri-is included, the lack of GPS is the real let down: the frustrating as f8ch to fix assembly method is worthy of a veto. Fail!

I am sure people will buy these by the millions, but not I. I will stick with my aging 4th gen iPod touch for another year or two when the 6th gen touch launches: hopefully the base memory will be 64GB by then, or 32GB for less than $299. They had better add a GPS chip too or I will veto buying another one until this feature is added: or switch to a Google product that does the same sorts of things on Android 4.1 or later: if such a device ever see's the light of day. I am tired of Apple's languishing antics of iterative updates that miss the nail. I think Steve's departure is having a seriously negative effect on Apple from the inside out..... sadly!

Apple Tax: the retina macbook pro is so overpriced I am not sure where to begin: while it also fails in terms of reparability construction: lock screws and glue et. al.

I have long been a fan of Apple, but lately, since getting the Nexus 7, my brand loyalty has been seriously wavering. I hate to say it, but the change has been nice, I was beginning to feel a bit of iOS staleness after camping on the 4th gen iPod for more than 24 months now; with its anemic camera....

The 5th Gen iPod touch is in a league of its own, and I will leave it there. $300+tax for something that is not nearly as cool as the Google Nexus 7. I have real cameras for taking pictures anyway :P and the kirfy camera on the 4th gen Touch works fine when utilized with AutoStitch....

Take your iPod Touch 5 and keep it Apple. You failed to put GPS in this "     " and that was a deal breaker for me. Gluing AND clipping this "    " together and soldering the thin delicate ribbon cables to the IO and battery was an insult! You bird dropped on your customers and it was big enough to steer me away!

Oh and that latest iPod Nano::: WTF were they thinking: the last nano made an awesome watch. All they needed to add to it was blue-tooth so it could sync with an iPhone and they would have shipped it by the loads as an accessory! Fail Apple! Fail! Your failure is annoying me : Hello Google Android 4.1 Nexus 7 et. al. : Your competition has finally arrived Apple!