Apple Refreshes iPod Touch And iPod Nano
Written by John Thompson on October 4, 2011 · Filed under Tech
We knew that today’s event was going to focus on the new iPhone, but it’s also that time of year that Apple refreshes its line-up of iPods.
If you were expecting a lot of iPod news today after Apple’s traditional September event didn’t happen, you’ll be left fairly underwhelmed. The only models to get a refresh today were the iPod Nano and iPod Touch. The iPod Shuffle remains exactly the same as last year, and lossless lovers will be glad to know that rumours of the iPod Classic’s death were greatly exaggerated, as it’s also still available to buy from Apple’s online store.
So what’s new in the iPod Touch department? Well, not a lot actually. Externally, the most obvious change is the addition of an extra colour; like the iPhone, you can now buy the iPod Touch in a choice of either black or white.
Internally, there isn’t a lot that’s noticeably different, at least not for the average consumer. One strong rumour before the event began was that the capacity of the iPod Touch will be bumped up to 128GB, and the iPod Classic would be discontinued. As it turns out, both of these rumours were false. The top capacity of the Touch remains at 64GB, the same as the previous generation, so if you want a higher capacity iPod then your only choice is still the Classic.
With the few changes made to the iPod Touch, it’s unsurprising to see that Apple has lowered the entry price slightly, hoping that sales will remain strong over the holiday season. You can now buy an iPod Touch 8GB for £169, with the 32GB and 64GB models costing £249 and £329 respectively.
The other iPod model that has seen a minor upgrade is the nano. All of the improvements made here are to the software; the hardware of the nano remains exactly the same as it was when Apple introduced it last year.
With so many people buying the iPod nano and using it as a watch, Apple has included a host of new clock faces to the software, including some novelty Disney ones of Mickey and Minnie Mouse. The new software also makes it easier to navigate the nano, as you can view one large icon at a time to access various functions, rather than looking at a 2 x 2 grid of applications on that small screen.
More improvements have also been made to the Fitness app on the nano, which can now track your walk or run from out of the box, so that you can start tracking your progress straight away without the need for any additional third party accessories. If you own the previous generation nano, you can download the new software free of charge from today.
If you want to buy a new nano, Apple has also reduced the price of the new generation slightly, and you can now buy an 8GB model for £115. If you want to double that storage to 16GB, it will cost you £129.
