If you were planning on snagging a 4th generation iPod touch, you might now have a better budget model on your plate. Without any fanfare, Apple quietly axed the older model, and replaced it with a slightly stripped-down version of the current (5th generation) model.
So you can say goodbye to the iPod touch 4G, with its small 3.5-inch screen. The budget iPod touch is now a 16 GB version of the 5th gen touch – only without a rear camera or loop (wrist strap).
The new budget iPod touch retails for US$229. That’s $30 more than the 16 GB version of the discontinued 4th gen model.
You lose that rear camera in the new model, but it was pretty crappy to begin with (less than 1 MP). What you gain is a dual core processor (A5 to the 4G model’s single-core A4), and probably more RAM. You also get a bigger display (4 inches to the 4G model’s 3.5-incher) and a thinner, lighter, build.
The standard 5th-gen model is, of course, still available. It starts at $299 for the 32 GB version.
Why?
So why did Apple bother? And why now, instead of waiting until the company’s next event? Well, as pointed out by 9to5Mac, Apple will probably introduce iOS 7 at its annual Worldwide Developers’ Conference (WWDC) in a few weeks. Maybe the company doesn’t want to support the older model with the new software, so it went ahead and cut its life support now?Maybe Apple is also about to phase out all of the old 3.5-inch iOS devices. That long-rumored budget iPhone could be looming on the horizon, which could replace the discounted iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S (both 3.5 inches). Assuming the budget iPhone also has a 4-inch screen (probably a solid guess, at this point), that would mean the end of the 3.5-inchers.
In the meantime, as long as you don't mind losing a camera (and paying a little more) you can check out the new and improved budget iPod touch at the Apple Store listing below.
