7th-gen iPod touch with Face ID hinted at in iOS 11 GM code

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in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV
Though largely neglected in recent years, the iPod line could soon get a fresh upgrade to keep it relevant in the era of the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, code from the leaked iOS 11 golden master suggests.




The GM makes reference to a device labeled only as "iPod8,1," frequent leak source Benjamin Geskin said on Monday. In one string within setup.app, the code even includes the line "Unlock you iPod with your Face," suggesting it will support Apple's Face ID technology coming to the iPhone X.

Geskin suggested however that a new iPod was merely possible, and that it probably wouldn't have Face ID in practice -- instead, Apple may simply be future-proofing its code.

Apple would presumably release a new version of the iPod touch, having eliminated all other iPod models. The Touch was last updated in 2015, and equipped with a 4-inch display, an underclocked A8 processor, and between 16 and 128 gigabytes of storage.

A new version would presumably jump to an A9 or A10 chip, and improve storage options to be consistent with other recent Apple devices. That could potentially involve adding a 256-gigabyte version, and/or making the base capacity 64 gigabytes instead of 32.

iPods have become increasingly sidelined in light of smartphone ownership in Apple's main markets, and to a lesser extent the popularity of the iPad and Apple Watch. The iPod touch continues to serve some niches however, such as kids, fitness, or simply home-based media control.

Apple could announce a new iPod at its Sept. 12 press event, but might also choose to launch it later or more quietly, preferring not to divert attention from new iPhone, Apple Watch, and Apple TV models.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 20
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,905member
    This can also interpreted that iPhone 8 and 8 Plus both will have same Face ID feature as iPhone X.
    longpathmacplusplus
  • Reply 2 of 20
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    It would be interesting to see a relatively low-cost, non-connected solution that uses the new, rumoured technology. In the past, Apple as used lesser displays for the iPod Touch line compared to a similar looking iPhone—I wonder if they'll even use an LED-based display on this iPod. My guess is they will, and I wonder how that will compare to the quality of its iPhone cousin.
    doozydozen
  • Reply 3 of 20
    I would like a new 256GB iPod Touch!
  • Reply 4 of 20

    iPods have become increasingly sidelined in light of smartphone ownership in Apple's main markets, and to a lesser extent the popularity of the iPad and Apple Watch. The iPod touch continues to serve some niches however, such as kids, fitness, or simply home-based media control.
    Why not Android users? Not everyone needs everytime a state of the art smartphone. iPod is an excellent device to divert Android users to iOS. After an iPod Touch, their next purchase will be an iPhone.
  • Reply 5 of 20

    wood1208 said:
    This can also interpreted that iPhone 8 and 8 Plus both will have same Face ID feature as iPhone X.
    Why not? The string canPerformMultiBiometrics discovered in a previous leak should point to something tangible...
  • Reply 6 of 20
    19831983 Posts: 1,225member
    This doesn't make sense. Why would Apple offer an esoteric new feature like Face ID on an iPod Touch and not on the upcoming iPhone 8/8 Plus? The latest-gen Touch ID would suffice on such a device. Maybe its for next year, when all new iPhones (9/9 Plus) will incorporate the tech.
    edited September 2017 doozydozenradarthekat
  • Reply 7 of 20
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,335member
    The latest iPod Touch is actually a nice little machine but it's hard to really see what niche market Apple is going after with the device. It could be an awesome pocketable media consumption device if equipped with much more memory, storage, and battery capacity. But its amazingly thin and elegant design holds it back in the media department because battery life is not great. I've never gotten close to what Apple advertises. If it was twice as thick and twice as heavy it would still be considered fine for many folks - if it had 512 GB or even 1 TB storage and significantly longer battery life. Maybe add a projector to it. To fully enjoy Apple Music it really needs a persistent online connection away from WiFi. A dedicated Kindle WhisperSync-like streaming connection only usable for Apple Music/iTunes media would be interesting. But once you add in all the missing pieces to the iPod Touch it's so close to being an iPhone that there are few reasons for Apple to separately produce the device. Apple could simply sell an iPhone configuration that only works as an iPod Touch with the option to upgrade it to a full iPhone with an additional one-time charge.
  • Reply 8 of 20
    1983 said:
    This doesn't make sense. Why would Apple offer an esoteric new feature like Face ID on an iPod Touch and not on the upcoming iPhone 8/8 Plus? The latest-gen Touch ID would suffice on such a device.
    FaceID is better than TouchID in a game and media consumption device. Kids can find many creative uses of the depth sensing tech built into the Face ID, see Animojis...
    doozydozen
  • Reply 9 of 20
    1983 said:
    This doesn't make sense. Why would Apple offer an esoteric new feature like Face ID on an iPod Touch and not on the upcoming iPhone 8/8 Plus? The latest-gen Touch ID would suffice on such a device. Maybe its for next year, when all new iPhones (9/9 Plus) will incorporate the tech.
    Or maybe they're offering it on both and the analysts were wrong (as they mostly always are).
  • Reply 10 of 20
    wood1208 said:
    This can also interpreted that iPhone 8 and 8 Plus both will have same Face ID feature as iPhone X.
    I always assumed it would, not sure why people thought differently.
  • Reply 11 of 20
    Just a guess here.

    If a new iPod had face unlocking, I'd bet that it would have video, pics, and Apps.

    It would be a very small iPad.
  • Reply 12 of 20
    Here's an interesting thought ... what if they allowed this new iPod touch to pair with an LTE equipped Apple Watch? You could imagine that the internet connection would be gained through the watch and then you have a very thin, light and capable device without doubling up on the modem architecture inside. It would be a great sell for the young generation and you could enable the FaceID authentication for ApplePay and AR features.
    radarthekat
  • Reply 13 of 20
    I was assuming Apple was going to kill the iPod touch and just offer the iPhone SE without a sim card slot for a little cheaper, guess not.
  • Reply 14 of 20
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    I was assuming Apple was going to kill the iPod touch and just offer the iPhone SE without a sim card slot for a little cheaper, guess not.
    They may still do that, but the SE price hasn't quite dropped to the level I was expecting it to in order to make it a viable option to replace the Touch. So I can see one more generation of the iPod Touch, especially if they offer a 256 GB model, which would in effect be the ultimate replacement for the 160GB iPod Classic. I still firmly believe they will move the SE toward a multipurpose model that allow people to turn on and off cellular service as they can do with iPad, and sell it for little enough to be the perfect entry device into the Apple eco System. Much easier to get to that price point, if they aren't making a bunch of multi-colored iPods that aren't selling particularly well. 
  • Reply 15 of 20

    Please have FM radio on a new iPod Touch. I'll soon need to replace my agonizing iPod Nano with FM and Apple has discontinued the line. 
    I was looking into an iPod touch with a Bad Elf GPS for off the grid turn-by-turn GPS all while having a multi-functional device.
    Having radio for news, talk radio and music would make it even more independent of networks. 
    To save money I was even thinking of ditching my smart phone for a flip phone since I could iMessage, FaceTime, game and surf with this as long as I have WiFi. 

    So I'm very much hoping this new iPod is true and hope it does have a radio.  
    I hadn't pulled the trigger because the store recently ran out of refurbs for 128GB iPod touches, now I'll wait even if it is a few more dollars upfront. 
  • Reply 16 of 20
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    razmataz said:

    Please have FM radio on a new iPod Touch. I'll soon need to replace my agonizing iPod Nano with FM and Apple has discontinued the line. 
    I was looking into an iPod touch with a Bad Elf GPS for off the grid turn-by-turn GPS all while having a multi-functional device.
    Having radio for news, talk radio and music would make it even more independent of networks. 
    To save money I was even thinking of ditching my smart phone for a flip phone since I could iMessage, FaceTime, game and surf with this as long as I have WiFi. 

    So I'm very much hoping this new iPod is true and hope it does have a radio.  
    I hadn't pulled the trigger because the store recently ran out of refurbs for 128GB iPod touches, now I'll wait even if it is a few more dollars upfront. 
    I doubt there will ever be another FM radio in an Apple Product. All of Apple's phone chipsets support FM radio now, but Apple choses not to.
    edited September 2017
  • Reply 17 of 20
    I was assuming Apple was going to kill the iPod touch and just offer the iPhone SE without a sim card slot for a little cheaper, guess not.
    They need a gateway product for kids and ARkit games. Really surprised if we don't see a Plus model as well. 

    Still Face ID on this would make more sense with multiple user accounts. Even if just a parent and child account by why stop at two.
  • Reply 18 of 20
    foggyhill said:
    I always assumed it would, not sure why people thought differently.
    Upsell to the X because the 8/8+ still have TouchID anyway.
  • Reply 19 of 20
    foggyhill said:
    Or maybe they're offering it on both and the analysts were wrong (as they mostly always are).
    FaceID on iPod touch doesn't necessarily mean new hardware. It could just be added support for the 6th generation model when running iOS 11. If that's the case, then basically any iOS device capable of running iOS 11 should support it as they all have a front-facing camera.
  • Reply 20 of 20
    mimacmimac Posts: 872member
    256GB iPod touch? Take my money. Hell .. I'll have two please! 

    I still lament the death of the 160GB Classic, arguably the finest iPod (portable music device?) ever built, so yes... 256GB would be a respectable replacement. 512GB would be even better.  The touch interface is just okay but the click wheel was much better in terms of an easy to use music player. Too much going on with the touch. I just want a device that plays music and plays it well! I'd rather Apple focus on sound quality and ease of use rather than bells and whistles. Even bringing back something like the 5th generation nano with some added touch capability, shedloads of storage and good audio processing would be great.
    edited September 2017
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