IPod Touch

The iPod Touch (stylized and marketed as lowercase iPod touch; also colloquially referred to as the iTouch, by analogy to the iPhone) is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, gaming console, and Wi-Fi mobile device designed and marketed by Apple. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPod line. It is the first iPod with wireless access to the iTunes Store, and also has access to Apple's App Store, enabling content to be purchased and downloaded directly on the device. As of March 2011, Apple has sold over 60 million iPod Touch units.

First Generation
The iPod Touch (1st generation) was originally released on September 14, 2007 in black with 8GB or 16GB storage space, but later a 32GB model was added to the market on February 5, 2008. The first of its kind, the iPod touch was an instant hit; achieving success similar to the first generation iPhone, which was released a few months prior to the iPod touch. Today refurbished iPod touch 1st gens go for about $100 - $200, despite the line being discontinued on September 9, 2008.

Features
First iPod with  Wi-Fi and a  multi-touch interface. Features  Safari web browser and wireless access to the  iTunes Store and YouTube.

Second Generation
The second iPod Touch was a slightly improved iPod touch compared to it's predecessor. It's wifi antenna on the back top left was oval shaped, the rim and the casing's color was changed to silver, and instead of only being able to be updated to iOS 3.1.2., it could be updated to iOS 4.2.1, on top of a greatly improved battery lifespan. It was a vast improvement to it's predecessor but it was succeeded by the iPod touch 3rd generation.

Third Generation
The 32 GB and 64 GB models were updated to include the upgraded RAM, CPU and GPU internals from the iPhone 3GS; they include voice control support, VoiceOver, included iPhone OS version 3.x, and bundled remote earphones with microphone. The third generation iPod Touch with iPhone OS 3.1 was released on September 9, 2009. Apple's published technical specifications for the third generation iPod Touch only include references to the 32 GB and 64 GB models. Following the introduction of the third generation iPod Touch, Apple also continued offering the second generation 8 GB version, upgraded to the same iPhone OS version as the new third generation devices. The iPod Touch (third generation) is model A1318. This generation supports up to iOS 5.1.1; it does not support iOS 6. It will slow down when using some new iOS, and has a lower battery life compared to the 2nd gen version.

Fourth Generation
The iPod Touch (4th generation) was originally released on September 12, 2010 with just a black model, but later a new white model was added on October 12, 2011 at the same time as the iPhone 4S. This iPod Touch was set at the price $199-$399.

New Features
The new iPod touch included most of the new features of the iPhone 4, including the display at 326 ppi and res of 960x640, a front camera for Facetime, and a back camera for 720p HD video recording. The iPod touch 4 is 26% thinner than the iPod touch 3. The iPod touch 4 came in black and white included first the iOS 4.0 and later the iOS5.0 update, which includes the following new features:

FaceTime (video-calling): FaceTime was added to the iPod touch 4 with the front camera; it enables iPod touch users to call any Mac with video conference ability, iPhone 4 or later, iPad 2 or later or another iPod touch 4 or later and have a video chat (similar to Skype). To use FaceTime on an iPod Touch, you need to use an email address.

iMessage (texting): iMessage was introduced in the iPod touch 4 to enable users to freely text another Apple device (iPhone, iPad, Mac) running iOS 5 or OS X Mountain Lion or later by using an email address. This feature became very popular among iPod touch users who did not own mobile phones, as it allowed them to text their friends.

Reminders (personal digital assistance): Reminders was brought in on the iPod touch 4 as an alternative to Calendar or Clock alerts, and a way to create a virtual schedule day-by-day. Reminders allows users to schedule events by date, time, and month, similar to the Calendar application, but actually alerts the user when it is time to complete the task they have scheduled.

Game Center (gaming): The Game Center was added to the iPod touch 4 as a gaming leaderboard where users can create an account, add friends and access their scores while playing games on third-party applications. Users also gain a ranking on worldwide leaderboards where they can connect with other players of the game.

Newsstand (news): The Newsstand application was added as a way for users to read magazines and newspapers on their iPod touch, which they can download from the App Store. Users can also manage their magazine or newspaper subscriptions from the app.

Voice Memos (recording): Voice Memos allowed users to record important moments in their lives by utilizing the iPod touch's built-in microphone and recording audio files. These 'memos' can later be transferred onto a user's computer.

Camera: The Camera app works with the iPod touch 4's dual cameras to take pictures, record videos, and edit them all in one app. Similarly, there are synchronized sharing options within the app, so users can send their pictures to friends or post them on Facebook and Twitter with a tap of the screen.

Notification Center (notifications): The Notification Center is a central place where iPod touch users can view all of their notifications from third-party and built-in applications and mark them as read. It is an easy place to catch up on what you've missed, especially if you haven't used your iPod touch for a few hours.

The iPod Touch 4 supports iOS 4 through iOS 6.

Camera and Photos
The iPod touch 4G is the first iPod touch model to have not only one camera, but two, the front camera is 0.3mp and the back is 0.7mp but supports HD video recording at 720p. There are apps on the App Store that make the camera better.

Retina Display
The display on the iPod touch 4 is designed by Apple and manufactured by LG. It features a multi-touchscreen with pixel density of 326 pixels per inch (pip) and res of 960x640. The screen is marketed as a "Retina Display", based that 300 ppi at 12 inches from the eye is the maximum amount of detail the human retina can process.

Issues
Some iPod touch 4 users have experienced Wi-Fi signal dropping when texting and browsing the web. Other users experienced sound when recording video with wifi on.

The older, original iPod touch 4th generation (not originally with iMessage installed), doesn't work with some docking stations.

October 2011 Model
On October 4, 2011 Apple announced a new white iPod touch, which was still from the 4th generation iPod touch family as it had the same specs as the original black one. All of its new features were from the new iOS 5 update that was released on October 12, 2011.

5th generation
The iPod Touch (5th generation) is the latest iPod touch released. It features a larger screen identical to that of the iPhone 5, and comes in more colours and is noticeably thinner than previous models. It was originally introduced in October 2012 and is $299 for the 32GB version and $399 for the 64GB version. In May 2013, a 16GB 5th Gen model was released for $229 to replace the 4th Gen model before iOS 7 was released, as the 4th Gen model was not going to be supported. The 16GB model only comes in one color, a black front with a silver back panel. The metal buttons were also replaced with black plasitc buttons, and the back camera along with the iPod touch loop were dropped to save money.

New Features
The 5th generation iPod touch came with the same dual cameras featured on the previous model, but both cameras had new capability to take pictures in panorama mode and record in 1080p HD, effectively replacing digital point-and-shoot cameras. The 5th generation iPod touch also featured the iPod touch loop, it's to prevent users from dropping their iPod touch. The iPod touch 5th Gen has the similar specifications of the iPhone 4S such as 512MB of RAM and A5 processor, but the camera is the same as iPhone 4's camera.

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