The coming month is a busy one for Apple. June traditionally brings new product announcements. The company has been making sure to stay in the public eye, opening the D11 conference with teasing about new products in the pipe, a redesign of iOS by Jon Ives, and a nice slam at Google Glass. What there was not, however, is a mention of a product change. Even the smallest of design modifications are usually saved for press events. So, what gives with the sudden pulling of the fourth-gen iPod Touch?
Prior to yesterday, Apple had a 16 GB iPod Touch fourth gen as the low-end model. In its place there is now what can be best described as a feature-stripped fifth-generation iPod. While the Touch 4.5 (as I hereby dub it) has a dual core A5 chip and a 4″ Retina display, it lacks the loop attachment, color choices, and rear-facing camera of the fifth gen. The last choice baffles me, as most Touch users I know tend to use the device as a camera quite a bit. To get the camera functionality back, you need to cough up another $70 for the 32 GB fifth-gen Touch.
Is it more cost effective to get a used iPod fourth-gen? If you must have the camera, I suggest going for the 32 GB model. The fifth generation has a faster chip and upgraded Retina display (the fourth gen had a Retina display, but it was an earlier revision). One caveat though: Only purchase the 32 GB model if you simply can’t wait until after Apple’s announcements later this month.
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