By Graham K. Rogers

This week I have been trying out the latest iPods: a range of devices that many critics had thought was on its last legs, especially after the end of the iPod with a hard disk. Flash-based iPods remained on sale, but with the release of Apple Music in June this year, advertising materials showed new colors for the iPod shuffle, the iPod nano and the iPod touch.

Introduction

Also with the new colors like the iPod shuffle, the iPod nano has been updated to link with the USB on a computer via a Lightning port on the device instead of the 32-pin connector before. Heavier than the iPod shuffle (at 31.5 grams) it also has several more functions and its 16 GB storage can be used for music, photos, video and podcasts as well as Nike+ connection. With the updated ear buds acting as antenna, it also has radio reception capabilities.

I also have the latest iPod touch on my desk. . . .

Background

At that time, of course, no one realised how - particularly with the later advent of 3rd party apps - internet connectivity would be the prime function for most users. The iPhone was released to the public in June 2007 and a few months later, Apple put out the iPod touch, which was like an iPhone without the phone.

I had one of the first generation iPod touch devices on review in September 2007 and even without apps I enjoyed the limited use the 8 GB version allowed me, particularly as the iPhone was not to arrive in Thailand until 16 January 2009. The 8 GB iPod touch was then 12,990 baht, with the 16 GB costing 16,690 baht. The current 16 GB iPod touch is less than half that price (see below). A 32 GB version was released in February of 2008.

A few months after my first review of the iPhone, I was in San Francisco again for the announcement of the MacBook Air. In the same keynote presentation, the iPod touch 2 was introduced. It had a few changes to the original specifications (including a detuned processor) and lower prices. For those with the original iPod touch there was a firmware update for $20, but I was infuriated as "the download comes via the iTunes music store and that means all of us with no online iTunes store are sunk".

I railed long and hard at one member of Apple personnel who actually agreed with me, but said "marketing had insisted" on this approach. Later that day I put to him the idea of a two-tier iTunes Store, as the labels owned music copyright, while Apple controlled the apps. That would also give Apple user and credit card data. He nodded sagely. A few months later, the iTunes App Store arrived here.

I tried hard to buy the new iPod touch in several Bay area shops I visited (included Cupertino) but these had not yet arrived. On the last day in San Francisco I was in the Stockton Street Apple Store looking for the iPod touch when a voice behind me said, "Wait till you get back to Bangkok". It was Apple's country manager. True to his word, not long after, I was directed to Fortune Town where I was able to buy one of the first 2nd generation iPod touch devices in Thailand.

iPod Family - Image Courtesy of Apple

iPod touch Generation 6

Like the earlier iPod touch, the 64-bit processor is under-clocked to 1.10 GHz per core and there are a number of other slight reductions to the specifications which make it clear this is not a SIM-less iPhone 6. For a good look at the insides and some of the technical details, our friends at iFixit produced one of their excellent tear-downs in mid-July.

I have been given access to a 128 GB iPod touch which allows me to make a good comparison with my own 128 GB iPhone 6. I have also been carrying an iPhone 6 Plus without a SIM card, because I want to try out the photo and video capabilities of the larger-screened device.

In the box were the iPod itself, the usual documentation, new-style ear buds, but with no volume control like those I found with the iPod nano. I noticed right away that the iPod felt smaller than the iPhone 6 and this is clear when the two are placed side by side. The dimensions are 123.4 x 58.6 x 6.1 mm (the iPhone 6 is 138.1 x 67 x 6.9 mm). The iPod touch weighs 88 grams, while the iPhone 6 is 129 grams.

I turned it on and after selecting the language and country, I entered WiFi password. I was then offered options of Setup as new, Restore from iCoud Backup, or Restore from iTunes backup. I chose the first option and was prompted for my account details (if the user has no account, this can be created at this time). I skipped security questions, then faced Terms & Conditions in 5 sections: iOS, iCloud, Game Center, Privacy Policy and Warranty. Annoyingly iCloud, Game Center, Privacy Policy and Warranty texts are in Thai. Only iOS Terms & Conditions are in English. I have mentioned this many times: as there are Thai and non-Thai users here, alternatives should be offered.

Once iCloud was set up and data was being transferred, I turned my attentions to apps. First, however, I had to log out of iTunes as the device was using the Apple ID for iCloud; I have another for purchases. I brought up the purchased list and ran down it, clicking on those I wanted. As a note, iWork (Keynote, Numbers and Pages) was already installed. A couple of photo apps were not available for the iPod touch. Nonetheless, I had almost all the apps I work with on the iPhone 6.

Once done I could begin to play with the device. Over the next few hours (with brain still in iPhone mode) a number of differences affected the way I was working.

• Like the iPads and the iPod nano, the Off switch is on top of the device. I don't actually like it at the side, as it is on the iPhone, because I am left handed: I take a lot of screen shots showing the volume control panel; and resetting the device is not as easy as I would want (I have to think "right hand"). On the iPad and the iPod touch, my brain keeps seeking out the Off switch on the side. I wish Apple would make a decision on this switch placement: not either/or.

• Another difference was the lack of touch Fingerprint identification. I have this on iPads and other iPhones, so the need to use the code to unlock each time caught me out once or twice.

• I noticed when I first set the device up that the battery showed only the level (in green) and a lighting bolt when being charged. I went looking for the way to add the percentage to the display but this is not available on the iPod touch. It is shown when the device is connected to iTunes in the sync panel on the computer.

On my first run out of the apartment, I tried the camera in a number of settings and using some of the camera apps I like, especially 645 Pro MkIII and Camera Noir (unfortunately no longer on the iTunes App Store). I also edited several of the images in Photos and exported one using Waterlogue. GPS data was recorded even when wifi was not available.

iPod touch Image - Edited on iPod using Waterlogue

Despite the slightly lower specifications for the camera in the iPod touch, according to iFixit, 8 MP, 1080p iSight camera with ƒ/2.4 aperture and 1.2 MP, 720p HD Facetime camera with ƒ/2.2 aperture (iPhone 6 - 8-megapixel iSight camera with 1.5 mp and ƒ/2.2 aperture), I was quite happy with the output, both interior and exterior shots, and with the editing. Some of the images were the same 2448 x 3264 resolution and up to 2.4 MB unedited. One of the 645 Pro images was 21 MB but I save in TIFF format when I use this app. At the price, the camera feature alone makes the iPod touch a good competitor for the iPhone.

Having given the device its first street test, I added much of the data from the Music and Video libraries via iTunes. Taking up the largest space was Podcasts, although these include several Apple keynotes. This still left me over 40 MB free. The iPhone has over 50 MB, but I do not put all the podcasts on. I saved some more space by turning on "Convert higher bit rate songs to 128 kbps AAC" as the final output - earbuds or Bluetooth speaker - is not in the realm of the Hi-Fi enthusiast. The final installation left me enough room for several full length videos and a lot more besides.

Music

As the iPod touch has Bluetooth (4.1) I connected it to my Harman Kardon speaker and the output was just what I expected, even with some serious classical music and opera. The device performs to reasonable standards: enough for most users.

Comments

For the last month or two I have had a couple of spare iPhones: running without SIM cards. With the wider availability of WiFi in a modern city (even Bangkok) the devices are still usable and I miss little. I can use the Personal Hotspot on the iPhone 6 if I really need connectivity, but that is rare because the iPhone 6 has the data I work with.

The biggest problem I have found with the SIM-less iPhones is the slowness in transferring images via iCloud to Photos on the Mac. I manage to deal with that as the original images are transferred via the older PhotoStream and they appear in Aperture if I need them immediately.

The images I took with the iPod touch appeared in Photos fairly quickly, although I was away from home only a couple of hours: the iPhone 6 Plus often takes longer.

Naturally the iPod touch has to be compared to the iPhone 6 and a number of points arise. The slightly lighter weight of the iPod touch did not make much difference to me but the dimensions did. It felt smaller and more delicate in my hands, but this is not a negative. A friend who does not use iPhones regularly asked me why Apple doesn't make a size like this for the iPhone? He particularly liked its size, especially that relative lightness.

The other major comparison must be with price. There are four iPod touch sizes: 16 GB, 32 GB 64 GB and 128 GB. Like the iPod nano and iPod shuffle, these are available in silver, gold, space gray, pink, blue and (PRODUCT) red. US prices are respectively, $199, $249, $299 and $399. Thai prices are 7200, 8900, 10900 and 14500 baht respectively. Taking the US prices, converting to Baht and adding 7%, found 7482, 9361, 11242 and 15001 baht: these figures are in line with other iPod prices bearing in mind recent exchange-rate fluctuations here.

Also consider that the iPhone with 128 GB capacity costs 32,900 baht here, so a number of users could have many of the same functions that are available on the more expensive device for a fraction of the cost. Like the other iPods I examined in the last few days, these could have a function as additional media devices in some offices or homes.

The iPod touch handles music, video, podcasts and photos in pretty much the same way as the iPhone. It could be used as a heavy-capacity content device with a smaller phone. Output from the iPod touch can be sent to larger screen devices (via Apple TV or HDMI cable); and connecting more powerful speakers than the Bluetooth ones I used could be a party mixer, keeping the iPhone safe.

There is always the consideration of such devices as gifts, with the year end approaching. The iPod touch and the other iPods offer a number of ways in which such devices can continue to be used even when the critics have already written them off: a lot of life left here still.

See also:

Cassandra: iPod nano - Another Updated Member of the iPod Range

Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs. He is now continuing that in the Bangkok Post supplement, Life.