Staunchly anti-streaming music lovers and those who don’t want to fully embrace the smartphone universe will be overjoyed to learn that Apple may be developing its first iPod Touch since 2015, according to Japanese supply chain blog Macotakara.
The 6th-generation iPod Touch, which launched four years ago, has long been the last iPod model for fans of downloaded content to cling to. Many of those users have switched to subscribing to Apple Music, the company’s on-demand streaming service, as their hardware slowly faded into obscurity. Apple discontinued its iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano models two years ago, and the 2015 iPod Touch model is the only iPod that the company still sells.
There are a few reasons why Apple may be considering revamping its now quite old iPod Touch design for the future. First and foremost, the older iPod Touch model is dated in terms of technology. It offers a paltry 32GB of storage for $199, and more robust 128GB for $299. Things like onboard cameras, its screen, and processing power are also a bit behind the times, though the iPod Touch is compatible with iOS 12.
The other reason that Apple could be thinking about making a new iPod Touch model is to woo younger users into its ecosystem. Those whose parents consider too young to have their own smartphone often are gifted an iPod or iPad instead, thus creating a bigger future user base for the company.
That translates into potential Apple Music subscribers, iCloud users, and more young people to get hooked on Apple’s iMessage service — which is available to those using iPods and with wireless internet. The fact is, the earlier the company can get kids hooked on its simple user interface and self-made software, the more likely they are to keep using Apple products in the future.
It could also be a play to keep those who love their headphone jacks using Apple products. Apple has long since removed the headphone jack from its smartphones, leaving those who want to listen to Apple products via wired headphones to consider an iPod Touch if they want to jam out on the go. Then again, with wireless headphones getting better than ever, who knows whether the headphone jack is enough to convince anyone to buy what is essentially an old iPhone with a headphone jack.
