Behold, Another iPod Touch

This is it , iPod lover , the upgrade you ’ve been waiting for . After four recollective years , Apple is refreshing itsiPod touchwith — get excited — a slimly less - old central processing unit .

The Modern touch — which wasrumorback before Apple ’s teem case in March , when analystMing - Chi Kuo forecasteda unexampled iPod soupcon arriving this year — will be powered by Apple ’s A10 Fusion fleck , plunk for Group FaceTime and augmented reality , and starts at $ 200 . It ’ll also come in a new 256 GB option , andApple ’s releasenot - so - casually mention all the incremental upgrades makes it a solid pick for its upcomingApple Arcadeservice . That say , you ’re still stuck with a 4 - inch display , and it wo n’t substantiate Touch ID and Face ID — although thespec sheetreveals you do get a well-disposed little headphone gob . No dice on thoseUSB - C rumorsthough .

While the iPod touching is much inexpensive than a full - fledged phone — at most it ’ll coiffure you back $ 400 for the 256 GB variation — it still provoke a few questions for Apple . Like , why not just make a chintzy phone ? And , in 2019 , who is this really for ?

Screenshot:Apple

The obvious answer : children . Its collection is as a cheap standalone video and mobile gaming gimmick that you’re able to over to a small tiddler without worrying that every drop , spill , or accident becomes a thousand - dollar bill penalty . Weary parent get a few hours of quiet , while Apple effectively get a gateway drug for young user .

Still , in 2019 it ’s sort of difficult to find a compelling grounds for anyone with a function smartphone to get onboard with the feeling . Even when it come to kids , all you ’re really mother is the illusion of with child parental dominance . Wifi exists , and the only affair really sort out an iPod touch from say , an iPhone 7 , is its inability to link up to data networks between destinations . You might just end up with a swarm of tiny WLAN zombi spirit who can still get up to plenty of mischief once they receive an internet connector .

To be honest , back in the day , getting an iPod touch for Christmas is what finally win over my broke college self to beat out for a smartphone . Ostensibly , it could be a cheap direction to lure Android user into Apple ’s clutches via Arcade , News+ , and Apple Music , or as some kind of coffee - table distant ascendency twist . But again … why not just get an iPad or , you know , a smartphone ?

Image: Apple