After a two year gap, Apple finally came out with the iPod touch 5th Generation (5th gen.) back in September. A few days ago, I managed to get my hands on one and decided to review it since it is one of the best devices I have played with in a long time. Everything on this device was checked for quality, which is why this device is so powerful, while lacking phone and 3G/4G capabilities. With many new features over its older sibling, the 4th generation, this is definitely the best iPod touch to date. Check out my full review after the break.
The new iPod touch is hands down, the best iPod touch to come out of Apple. While, the price tag of $299 may be a little steep for some people, this is still the cheapest device to come out of Apple.
The Design
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| A look at the rear and sides of the iPod touch 5th Gen. |
The 5th gen. has many design improvements over its predecessors - taking away the silver metal backing and making it a solid color of your choice (Black/Slate, White/Silver, Pink, Yellow, Blue, and (Product)red). The screen is also different as well, while keeping the same Retina Display graphics and the same width, Apple increased the height of the screen to make a 4 inch diagonal screen size, which adds a fifth row of apps to the Home Screen. The depth of the iPod (how 'thick' the device is) is also different, but instead of making it bigger like the screen size, they made it smaller - 0.04 inches (1.1 mm) smaller to be exact. While that may not sound like a big difference, it's a big enough difference for someone to notice. Probably the most noticeable feature of the new iPod, however, is the weight difference. This little device now weighs a mere 3.1 ounces - down from the 3.56 ounces the 4th Gen. weighed at.
While the basics of the iPod haven't moved (i.e.:single lock button on top, volume buttons on the side, home button in the middle, etc.), many of those things have changed in their design. For starters, the 5th Gen. no longer uses the 30-pin connector and instead uses the new Lightning Charger that fellow iPhones and 4th Gen. iPads and iPad Mini's use. Another basic that was changed is the rear camera, which now protrudes a bit from the device as (I presume) Apple could not get it small enough to fit in the .24 inch (6.1 mm) thick iPod. The main new feature of the now 5 megapixel camera is the flash. A feature that was missing from the old 0.7 megapixel 4th Gen. camera, it is a great new addition to this device flourishing with new features.
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| The 'iPod touch Loop' in blue. |
Another new feature on the 5th Gen. is what Apple calls the 'iPod touch loop.' The iPod touch loop is a safety wristband that can connect to your iPod touch. Just press the button on the back and the button will pop up, allowing you to slip the protective wristband onto the button. While practical, the wristband feels cheaply made (at least to me) and is probably one new feature that I am not going to use that often as just getting a case for it makes more sense to me. This is however, a good idea and I can see third parties making so-called 'iPod touch Loops' soon.
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| iPod Touch 4th Gen. and iPod Touch 5th Gen. Comparison |
The Software
While Apple is still using the same iOS 6 on the new iPod touch 5th Gen. as on all of their portable devices, the larger screen and new design features allow the device to do more than it could ever do before.
Screen Size
A major new feature that the 5th Gen. has is also one of its most noticeable - the larger screen size. But along with the larger screen size, Apple made iOS 6 take up the whole screen, since what would the larger screen be like without the software taking advantage of it? With that, Apple was able to add a fifth row of apps to its home screen and a fourth row of apps to folders, allowing for over 3,500 apps on the device (which is still less than 0.01% of all apps on the app store) - all that's needed now is the storage space.
Along with more space for apps, the apps themselves can take advantage of the larger screen. Most newer apps at the time of this writing have already made the switch, but the ones that haven't yet are centered on the screen and black bars are put on the top and bottom of the apps. And those bars are almost unnoticeable on the Black/Slate iPod Touch.
Processor
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| The A5 Chip |
Along with the larger screen, the new iPod Touch sports the dual-core A5 processor, a step up from the A4 processor the 4th Gen. contained (I should point out however, that the iPhone 5 contains the new triple-core A6 processor and the fourth generation iPad contains an even faster quad-core A6X processor). While this processor is over a year old (and with Apple that is an old technology) you can still play your favorite games that were designed for the iPhone 4S. One such example is Infinity Blade - while buggy and freezes all the time on the 4th gen., it is smooth and fluid on the new 5th Gen.
Siri
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| Siri on the 5th Generation iPod Touch |
Besides the larger screen and the updated processor, Apple has added major additions to the 5th Gen. that make it seem more like an iPhone without the 'phone' or 3G/4G part than a new iPod touch. One such feature has been in the iPhone's software since the 4S - Siri. Siri, the personal assistant that can communicate with you as if it were a human being with a strange voice, has made a big splash in the iOS world - coming on the iPhone 4S, then the iPad 2 and 3 in a software update, and finally makes it onto the iPod touch. While only usable with Wi-Fi, Siri is a great addition to the iPod touch software.
Conclusion
With many new features, the 5th generation iPod Touch is the best iPod Touch to come out of the fruit company, and may even be better than some of the iPhones that Apple made. While several key iPhone features are missing from this device, such as an 8 megapixel camera, an internal vibrator, and 3G/4G, the iPod touch lineup is getting closer and closer to becoming one with the iPhone (minus the 'phone' part), and even has some unique features of its own. Overall, the iPod touch is a great device for someone who wants an iOS device, but does not want to pay $650 for an iPhone.
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