Now that Apple's sixth generation iPhone is out, all eyes are on the new iPod Touch. Originally thought to launch along side the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in September, insiders are now saying that it will launch along with the Apple Watch in early 2015, but will Apple skip the important holiday season for the first time, or is the iPod Touch 6 even coming at all?
The first four generations of the iPod Touch were released in the month of September, while the fifth came out in October of 2012 after a two-year wait. It's now been two years since that fifth gen iPod Touch released, making this the longest we've waited for a new iPod Touch since the device first released in 2007. This has many Apple fans worried that the Touch has become outdated in light of the much more popular iPhones and iPads.
But some are saying that this is the year for a resurgence of the iPod Touch, especially in combination with its size and the new Apple Pay.
Apple Pay is a mobile payment service that allows users to pay at participating stores with securely stored credit card info. This means a more sucure transaction using Touch ID fingerprint technology which means you don't need to flash your credit card around after fishing it out from your wallet. Apple Pay uses Near Field Communication (NFC) to communicate with special kiosks at participating stores, and it's beleived that the iPod Touch will include said technology on the sixth gen device.
But some major retailers, like Walmart and Best Buy, are already saying that they won't accept Apple Pay while CVS Pharmacy and Rite-Aid disabled their own NFC payment systems in late October. This concerns Apple fans as it may mean that Apple Pay is flopping and that may be part of the delay on the iPod Touch 6G.
But we haven't seen the full scope of what Apple Pay is caple of, especially considering the fact that it will be most useful with the upcoming Apple Watch. If the iPod Touch 6G will spotlight Apple Pay as its selling point to establish a further distinction from the iPhone, the Touch and Apple Watch may be releasing simultaneously to focus on the NFC technology.
The iPod Touch 6G is rumored to feature higher screen resolution with Retina, as much as 128 GB storage space, and Touch ID. The device often mimics the features in each new iPhone without cell capabilities, so it's a sure bet that we can expect the same from this sixth gen. But the question is, will the iPod Touch 6G make the leap from 4.7-inch screen to the iPhone 6's 5.5-inch screen? At that point, the Touch is encroaching in on the iPad Mini's territory.
Price is also a big factor with the iPod Touch 6G. With the iPhone, prices can be extremely low when the device is bundled with a cell carrier's two-year contract deal, but since the iPod Touch doesn't have that option, you're paying full price. That's never really stopped consumers before, but it may be a factor in the device's release.
