iPod Touch 5

In an age where your phone can hold all the music you own you may be wondering why you might still need an iPod touch 5th Generation.The answer is that the iPod touch is not just an iPod anymore. While Apple still sells the old fashioned iPod Classic and has just rebooted with the iPod nano 7th Generation, the iPod touch has taken over as the champion of the iPod brand – it's essentially a media player par excellence that has morphed into a handheld gaming console thanks to the sheer number of excellent, and very cheap, games available via the App Store.
It's this gaming and app angle that really gives the touch its raison d'être. If you can't afford the premium tariffs that the iPhone attracts and you still want to take advantage of the thousands apps that Apple's App Store holds then the iPod touch is your cheapest route to entry.


THE BUILD

The iPod Touch is made from the same anodised aluminium as Apple has made its MacBook range from four years. The result is a phenomenally light device, weighing in at just 88 grams – about the same weight as 9 pound coins.

• Height: 4.86 inches (123.4 mm)
• Width: 2.31 inches (58.6 mm)
• Depth: 0.24 inch (6.1 mm)
• Weight: 3.10 ounces (88 grams)

Even when you do have it in your hand, you’ll want to be rather careful. The aluminium surface is prone to slide out of a cold hand, and coming up to Christmas, a case should be considered a necessity.

FEATURES



                                    

The 5th generation iPod Touch comes with iOS 6 as standard, enabling the device to be a master of all trades. This includes support for web browsing and email clients, video playback and the expansive Apple App Store for almost anything else.
Siri makes an appearance on iPod Touch now, as does FaceTime so you can chat to your phone, or your mates as you please.
Unfortunately, yes, this also means that iPod Touch users will be stuck with Apple Maps – though you’re unlikely to need or use it much, as the device only has Wi-Fi, and doesn’t support 3G internet connections.

                                                      One-handed use

              

                                The new iPod touch screen gets taller,

but not wider, so you still have 

complete one-handed control.

                        

 

Apple designers and engineers tested 124 different 
prototypes of the EarPods on over 600 people to create the all-new Apple Ear Pods. The result? A really comfortable fit and incredible sound.Unlike traditional, circular ear buds, the design  is defined by the geometry of the ear. Which makes them more comfortable for more people than any other earbud-style headphone.The speakers inside Apple EarPods have been engineered to minimize sound loss and maximize sound output. So you get high-quality audio that’s just as impressive as what you’d hear from more expensive headphones.
The Ear Pods with Remote and Mic also include a built-in remote that lets you adjust the volume, control the playback of music and video, and answer or end calls with a pinch of the cord.

In terms of camera, there's a rear-facing 5MP iSight camera, supporting 1080p video with autofocus and face detection for those without steady hands.
The test images and videos took were crisp, and though the audio is admittedly a bit ropey (no more than you would expect), there’s no sign of the purple lens flare issues that have surrounded the camera on the iPhone 5.

                                                    

The front-facing ‘Facetime’ camera has a modest 1.2 MP sensor, but still supports 720p video playback – more than enough for video chatting with your friends and family. The surface of the iSight camera is made from sapphire crystal, whose hardness is second only to diamond when it comes to transparent materials. So the surface of the lens is more resistant to scratches.

The new screen is a beautiful thing: 

4 inches of cornea-crushing, iris-enticing, 326ppi Retina display. 

Like the iPhone 5, there’s now an extra row of icons for easy access 

to your apps. Given the quality of the high definition cameras on the front and back, it makes sense to have a screen that can display your pictures and videos with crystal clarity.
As a touch-screen, the display is very responsive, thanks to power of Apple’s dual-core, 800MHz A5 processor in the background.

 The dual-core A5 chip provides up to twice the processing power and up to seven times faster graphics than the previous generation.So games are incredibly responsive and realistic.  

       Yes, quite to everyone's suprise the ipod comes with in-built Siri with the iOS 6. Now you can use your voice to send messages, set alarms and reminders, check the latest scores and a lot more than you can imagine. It now understands what you say, what you mean and talks back, all in a more efficient manner. Only one draw back is it can only be used over wifi networks as it doesn not support any cellular or 3G data.

TECH SPECS


                                                      Wireless :

                        802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz and 5GHz)
                                                   Bluetooth 4.0
                                      Maps: Location-based service
                                           Nike+ support built in

                                                        Display :

                                          

          

         4-inch (diagonal) widescreen display with Multi-Touch IPS technology
                                                Retina display
                      1136-by-640-pixel resolution at 326 pixels per inch
                                   800:1 contrast ratio (typical)
                              500 cd/m2 max brightness (typical)
                            Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating

                                                 Input & Output :

                                               Lightning connector
                                      3.5-mm stereo headphone jack
                                                  Built-in speaker
                                                    Microphone

                                             Power Performance :

                                             

                               Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
                    Music playback time: Up to 40 hours when fully charged
                    Video playback time: Up to 8 hours when fully charged
 Charging times: Fast charge in about 2 hours (80% capacity), full charge in about 4 hours

          

                       In the Box :

                       iPod touch
                   iPod touch loop
                    Apple EarPods
              Lightning to USB Cable
                   Quick Start guide

 THE VERDICT -

As a device, the Apple iPod Touch 5G is outstanding. There are a few subjective things that may bother people, such as the Touch Loop, and the light body. iOS 6 is also problematic for some – Maps is still an issue, and the Apple ecosystem is still adapting to the wholesale changes in the new operating system.
For what it’s worth, the new iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle are both excellent alternatives. They both lack the features of the Touch 5G – the former is lacking a camera and sports a smaller screen and body, whilst the latter is a barebones music player – but do what they’re supposed to do extremely well.

Money is also an issue. Even the 32GB model is an awful lot of money, especially if you already own a phone that can do a lot of what the Touch 5G does.
If you use the apps, camera and other features on your smartphone extensively, there’s a lot of unnecessary crossover with the iPod Touch, and one of the aforementioned Nano or Shuffle might be a better bet.
Ultimately, there’s no denying that the latest Touch is a stunning piece of design, and absolutely the best PMP money can buy. The only question is whether it’s worth your money.

Apple iPod Touch 5th generation release date : Available now.
Apple iPod Touch 5th generation price : £249 for 32GB, £329 for 64GB