Although the iPhone 5 stole the spotlight in today’s media event, Apple pulled out all the stops to ensure that the fifth generation iPod touch was of a great standard. Not only did the display size of the iPod follow the footsteps of the iPhone, but many other improvements were made, such as new form factor, better camera and the like. So without further ado, let’s take a look at the new iPod touch

Design:

The fifth-generation iPod touch has been completely redesigned, with little resemblance to its predecessor. This iPod touch is the thinnest one ever, at just 6.1mm. Weight has also dropped to 88 grams, making it lighter than its predecessor, and much more than the iPhone.

Although most of the focus has been on the different form factor of the iPod, which is unlike anything seen before it. Due to the new 4-inch display, the iPod must be taller, which doesn’t exactly warrant such a dramatic change, but alters the dimensions of the device.

Following the trend of the smaller iPods, the nano and shuffle, the touch adopts a new range of colors that is now the hallmark of the iPod range. The backing is made from the same anodized aluminium seen in Apple’s MacBook line. The enclosure of the device is machined out of one piece of aluminium, making for a much sleeker backing than perviously seen.

According to Apple, the iPod touch is “practically made of color,” but they have good reason for stating this. The aluminium enclosure of the device does not simply have colors painted on, they are actually bonded to the aluminium. This makes for a much more visually appealing experience when inspecting the device up close, and in general usage.

Display:

Again following suit from the iPhone 5, the iPod touch utilizes a 4-inch retina display, that is just as vibrant as the last time. The 16:9 widescreen display makes media consumption much better, with movies not suffering from the traditional ‘letterbox’ effect seen in all the other iPod touch iterations.

The resolution of the display is identical to the iPhone 5′s, with 326 pixels per inch in the 1136 x 640 screen.

If an application has not been updated to fit the iPod’s new display, it will be viewed in a non-optimised form, whereby the app is placed in the middle of the screen, leaving two black portions on either side. This is because many apps will only be suited to Apple’s 3.5-inch display, and until a plethora of updates are rolled out, this will happen on a regular basis.

Camera:

A popular gripe regarding the previous generation iPod touch was the camera. At only 2 megapixels, it was hardly a good point-and-shoot device. However, the new iPod touch is set out to change this, with its 5 megapixel camera taking much better shots.

Features of the camera include tap to focus, LED flash and face detection. In addition to this, the camera will also shoot 1080p HD video, and the front camera is also improved for FaceTime calling.

The panorama feature seen in the iPhone 5 is also present on the iPod touch. Holding the iPod in portrait mode and slowly tracking to the right can lead to great shots, spliced together in live time using the more powerful processor.

A5 chip:

Speaking of processing power, the iPod touch now features the same dual core A5 processor seen in the iPhone 4S. This new and improved processor may be old technology to the iPhone, but will bring twice the processing power and up to seven times faster graphics to the iPod touch.

The battery functions have also been improved, with up to 40 hours of music or 8 hours of video attainable on a single charge.

EarPods:

Music and video consumption are at the core of the iPod touch experience, and now there is a better way to hear audio, through Apple’s new EarPods. These EarPods replace Apple’s ageing earphones, and promise to bring much more to the table than their predecessor did, poor sound quality and sound leakage.

Apple promises that the audio quality in these new earphones is nothing short of remarkable, and will rival high-end headphones that cost much more. We’ll have to wait and see whether this is true, but from what we’ve seen design wise, these are a big improvement over the old version.

Siri:

Apple is now extending the reach of their personal assistant, Siri. It was initially exclusive to the iPhone 4S, and then was brought to the third-gen iPad, but now you can use it on the latest iPod touch.

Functionality of the personal assistant is much the same as the iPhone, with new functionalities in iOS 6 being movie times, sports scores, and a few more.

Since Siri works of Apple’s servers, the iPod touch will require a Wi-Fi connection to operate, otherwise, it’s pretty much useless.

Lightning connector:

Apple is now rolling out their improved Lightning connector across their portable devices. The iPod touch is no exception, with a improved dock connector at the bottom of the device for docking.

An adapter is sold separately for $29 if connection to old accessories is needed, but otherwise, the included cable will be perfectly adequate.

The Loop:

We reported on the loop a couple of days ago, when just the name was known, and the fact that it would come in a variety of colors, but now the real thing has been confirmed.

The loop is a lanyard that attaches itself to the iPod, and although Apple is trying to market it as something different, that’s really what it is. Considering that this iPod is claimed to be the killer of point-and-shoot cameras, it is appropriate that it sports a lanyard, since that’s a common feature with its competition.

Although the difference between the iPod touch lanyard and and camera lanyards is a significant one. While digital cameras require the strap to be threaded into the device, Apple uses a different, more easier method with the loop. A small metallic button on the back of the iPod can be pressed, which will the elevate, and allow the loop to be placed over. Then the lanyard can be tugged a little, and it is in place.

When the lanyard is not needed, the button will sit flush in the aluminium backing of the iPod.

(PRODUCT) RED:

The iPod touch will retail in five unique colors, however, a red version of the device is accessible if you purchase the (PRODUCT) RED iPod touch. As has been the case for several years now, devices sold under the (PRODUCT) RED banner will contribute to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. Purchasing of the device is to be done exclusively through the Apple Store, in order to ensure funds are correctly donated.

Models:

The fifth-generation iPod touch will come in two storage capacities, 32GB and 64GB. Unlike the older iPod touch, it will not be available in an 8GB version, as the older iPod touch will fill this slot by becoming the budget version. The 32GB model will retail for $299 in America, and the 64GB version will cost $399. Inside the box comes the device, EarPods and the loop. Preorders will start on September 14th.