iPod, the Apple (AAPL, Financial) marvel for music lovers, revolutionized the way music lovers carried their music collection. Prior to the iPod, the other choice was to carry a discman or a walkman with the headphones. But the challenge was to carry a pack of cassettes or discs. This usually limited the choice of music lovers and allowed them to enjoy only a few of their favorite tracks while on the go.
Apple then stepped into this space, digitizing music and empowering the music lovers to carry huge numbers of their loved tracks to enjoy with them while on the move. But soon after came the era of music phones and smartphones, reducing the popularity of iPod in the market. For a very long time Apple did not make any significant improvement to its iPod, and the iPod classic marched towards its death.
iPod Touch – what’s new?
Being a music lover on a more personal note, I would still prefer to keep my music packet and my phone separate because, after a long day, I would love to switch off my mobile phone and enjoy the tranquility and serenity of nature sitting in my lawn while sipping coffee, and like to pamper my senses with my loved music track loaded on my iPod. So for me, the iPod would be more like a stress buster and the phone more like a stress maker. So for people like me iPod will still hold a special value even after having the latest smartphone.
Apple had launched the first set of iPod Touch way back in October 2012, and it was high time that the Cupertino-based company did some value addition to the iPod. Even when it launched initially alongside the iPhone 5, the hardware specifications read more like an iPhone 4S – the A5 processor, 512 MB of RAM, 16/32/64 GB as storage options.
If Apple launches an updated version of iPod Touch for the festive season using components from its last design, it should result in lower cost of material since the parts design would be of an older specification. Last year’s iPhone models are still being produced, lending an economy of scale without disrupting the lead time for the release of the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus.
Going by the market speculations and the street rumors, the new iPod Touch is going to be the perfect protégé of its predecessor. It would be using technology which is a generation behind the current Apple flagship technology; it could run the latest version of iOS and the majority of applications currently in development. It is expected to have a range of fashionable colors, a sharp and dependable camera for media capture and could come with face recognition feature and might promotes Apple’s cloud services.
Apple had previously offered its 16 GB iPod touch only in silver and without a rear camera or support for the Loop wrist strap. The iPod touch in comparison would be offered with 16, 32, and 64 GB memory sizes and would be reasonably priced at $199/$249/$299 a piece, with all three models available in six different colors. The price reduction will actually increase the sales of iPod touch to a great extent, as per analysts. Once you take out the cellular hardware, all the other features are pretty much a new addition and the buyer can look forward to delight the listening senses to bring about an enhanced range of media experience.
The final cut
As stated earlier, the price will possibly be the sales driver, as it would be the first time that the Apple iPod is sporting a frugal sticker price affordable by several tech-savvy citizens. Let’s wait for the final release into the market which will offer a better understanding on the near future of Apple’s iPod Touch in terms of its effect on the company’s top and bottom line. Surely this will keep the iPod legacy alive for a few more years as the smartphone war gets intense.
