Apple's white iPod touch to use different lamination process than iPhone

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Apple's forthcoming iPod touch refresh is not expected to feature any updated internal hardware, but a new white model will be made with a different lamination process than is used for the white iPhone.



Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said on Monday that because of that different approach to painting the glass, the new white iPod touch will look "a little different" than the white iPhone. Apple still expects the black model to be more popular, and is expected to represent 60 percent of units manufactured for launch.



Kuo said he expects the new white model to be "helpful to sales," but its impact will remain limited because there will not be a new design element or a hardware update for the iPod touch. He believes total iPod touch shipments in 2011 will be less than they were in 2010.



However, he sees 2012 as an opportunity for Apple to boost sales of its flagship iPod with a potential design change and upgraded hardware. Last quarter, the iPod touch accounted for more than half of the 7.54 million iPods Apple shipped during the three-month frame.



Kuo first indicated in July that Apple's product roadmap revealed Apple plans to release a white iPod touch in 2011. But beyond a new color option, build plans for the new iPod touch indicated there will be few, if any, distinguishable changes from the existing black models first introduced in September 2010.







Supporting Kuo's details, code found in betas of Apple's iOS 5 references an unreleased iPod identified as "4,2." That reference suggests that a new iPod touch will not be significantly different from the fourth-generation model released in 2010, as a major hardware update would presumably carry an "iPod 5,1" identifier.



Evidence supporting the upcoming release of a white iPod touch has also come in the form of leaked components from overseas suppliers. They have shown a white front panel, as well as a headphone jack that would fit the new model's color scheme. Neither component suggested there will be any major changes to the device from the fourth-generation model.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 24
    reganregan Posts: 474member
    No internal changes?



    Ha! I seriously doubt that.



    Merely painting one ipod touch white is not an update. I will wager good money that it will see more than that. There have been so many rumors. From it being the so called tear drop design that was leaked, or possibly getting 3G(especially with the cloud and ios 5 coming), a better camera(since the current one is universally considered crap), etc etc. Maybe they all won't come true for this update....but I bet some of em' do.



    At least i would count on more than a white paint job being the only update.



    Guess we will find out soon enough. :-)
  • Reply 2 of 24
    I can't believe Apple wont put an A5 in it.
  • Reply 3 of 24
    Again, this is rehashed crap. Is someone struggling for "news"?



    Speculation in need of a speculum?
  • Reply 4 of 24
    It better at least have 512mb of ram in it!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Reply 5 of 24
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aizmov View Post


    I can't believe Apple wont put an A5 in it.



    Me too. Plus at least a 4" screen I hope. Skipped last year's model but will buy an A5 + 4 inch screen model.
  • Reply 6 of 24
    I'm tired of all these conflicting runours now - just want to see the real things at last.



    Apart from the iPad we've seen no new designs from Apple all year. It would be nice to have something to get excited about again.
  • Reply 7 of 24
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Seriously even a 4,2 device could get a serious update to the internals. I'm not saying it will or won't but past experience tells us that internals can be bumped. Beyond that Touch as we know it could migrate to the low end with a potential high end Touch. That is a machine with a larger screen and more powerful motherboard.



    In any event all this iOS speculation is getting old. Most likely a debut is a couple of weeks away as such I suspect much of this speculation will look foolish soon.
  • Reply 8 of 24
    I feel like i am watching a tennis match with all this back and forth. It's going to get a redesign....its NOT going to get one....oh now it IS going to....nope! Now its not!....oops it is....this just in its NOT....



    On and on ad infinum.



    Enuff.



    Tuning out until the official announcement from Apple. Lol. :-D
  • Reply 9 of 24
    I haven't heard anything so there will be no changes - eh what a load of crap.
  • Reply 10 of 24
    All about the internals this year - e.g. for iPhone, and in some parts iPod Touch

    BCM4330 to give BT 4.0

    GPS chip upgrade

    8MP front camera

    A5 (perhaps modified)

    Maybe an improvement to the iPod Touch screen (to get parity with iPhone 4)



    Faster GPU, CPU, BT 4.0 (so low power accessories coming sharpish), better camera - likely a tweak to the antennae to make a more worldwide design...



    It may be inside but there will be decent changes to let it take the throne off the iPhone 4 for a best seller.
  • Reply 11 of 24
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    If my signature isn't true it should be. The iPod touch is a strange device for Apple at this point, and would sell really well if it contained 3G and cellular radios. It would hurt Android a lot I believe.



    And the 8 MP iPhone 4S would be the premium model?
  • Reply 12 of 24
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by regan View Post


    No internal changes?



    Ha! I seriously doubt that.



    Merely painting one ipod touch white is not an update. I will wager good money that it will see more than that. There have been so many rumors. From it being the so called tear drop design that was leaked, or possibly getting 3G(especially with the cloud and ios 5 coming), a better camera(since the current one is universally considered crap), etc etc. Maybe they all won't come true for this update....but I bet some of em' do.



    At least i would count on more than a white paint job being the only update.



    Guess we will find out soon enough. :-)



    The article calls it a "refresh" - I think this is accurate. Perhaps the $229 model bumps up to 16 GB, but I think it will be minor, if any, updates. Perfect time to introduce a new "color" - Helps introduce some newness factor



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aizmov View Post


    I can't believe Apple wont put an A5 in it.



    Maybe, but remember, the iPhone historically has been updated 3-4 months prior to the iPod touch refresh. In this case, that is not the situation. So perhaps the iPod now gets moved to Q1 along side the iPad.



    Think of it this way:



    Fall = iOS and iPhone refreshes

    Late Winter/Early Spring = iPad/iPod touch refreshes - continuing the path where the iPad introduces hardware enhancements (A6 chip in iPad, A5 in the iPod touch) - in this case, they also introduce the 4G/LTE chipset. And include it in the new iPod touch as well (mirroring the iPad 2 and assumed 3) - This will increase the testing of LTE before they put it in the iPhone. Even if the iPod touch doesn't get the cellular treatment, I still believe the iPad 3 will be the first LTE iOS device. And to me, at least, if I had to choose one device to LTE, tablet or phone, the tablet would win. I am much more likely to use data intensive apps on a tablet than my iPhone.
  • Reply 13 of 24
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by starbird73 View Post


    Maybe, but remember, the iPhone historically has been updated 3-4 months prior to the iPod touch refresh. In this case, that is not the situation. So perhaps the iPod now gets moved to Q1 along side the iPad.



    Yeah, however the driving factor to update the iPod touch now is holiday sales. Apple sells twice as many iPods during the holiday quarter (Q1) than any other quarter.



    Moving the iPod refresh to the spring would not make sense from a business perspective. The iPod product line is far more seasonal than any of Apple's other product lines.
  • Reply 14 of 24
    60% black iPTs and 40% white?



    I only see a few white iP4s here and there, not enough to justify making so many white iPTs in this round. Anyone seeing white iP4s popping up all over?
  • Reply 15 of 24
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cvaldes1831 View Post




    Moving the iPod refresh to the spring would not make sense from a business perspective. The iPod product line is far more seasonal than any of Apple's other product lines.



    Good point !!
  • Reply 16 of 24
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by stelligent View Post


    60% black iPTs and 40% white?



    I only see a few white iP4s here and there, not enough to justify making so many white iPTs in this round. Anyone seeing white iP4s popping up all over?



    You need to visit China or Western Europe if you want to see a lot of white iPhones or white iPads. Those markets have a much higher interest in white consumer electronics. It's not really a trend in North America.
  • Reply 17 of 24
    The camera will be upgraded to 4 or 5 megapixels as soon as the iPhone is upgraded to 8MP. They (frustratingly) want to keep that separation between products.



    The existing camera on the iPodTouch is terrible, and I can't wait until it's upgraded (so I can upgrade again). So yes, I'm not unbiased, but I think it makes good sense.
  • Reply 18 of 24
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said on Monday...



    Who?

    From where?

    Why?





    Analyst Dak Splunder said on Monday that the new iPod will come in four shades of white, from eggshell to cream to milk. It will contain no other changes other than coming with a live adorable puppy.



    You can quote me.



    :d
  • Reply 19 of 24
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    If my signature isn't true it should be. The iPod touch is a strange device for Apple at this point, and would sell really well if it contained 3G and cellular radios. It would hurt Android a lot I believe.



    And the 8 MP iPhone 4S would be the premium model?



    Having any iPhone "replace" the Pod touch is a horrible idea! One of the reasons, maybe the most important reason, the iPod touch is such a fantastic product is that you only have to pay what the product costs, not the never ending subscription fee that dwarfs the initial price. Seriously, not everyone feels a moral obligation to prop up the near monopoly, legacy cellphone carrier industry. The iPad 3G solution is very appealing compromise (turn on 3G service from your device, pay by the month either $15 or $30 per month). If that were added to the iPod touch as suggested by some rumors that would be tempting depending on how much higher the price would be ( + $130?).



    With apps like HeyTell, FaceTime and others together with wide availability of free wifi, I wonder when we might reach a tipping point where the seemingly never decreasing cost of legacy cellphone service becomes an app that an increasing number can do without. It certainly hasn't happened yet but part of that is a lack of awareness. In any case I think it would be a terrible blunder for Apple to close off the "cheap skate" market.
  • Reply 20 of 24
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    If my signature isn't true it should be. The iPod touch is a strange device for Apple at this point, and would sell really well if it contained 3G and cellular radios. It would hurt Android a lot I believe.



    And the 8 MP iPhone 4S would be the premium model?



    If an iPod touch contains 3G and cellular radios it IS an iPhone. It is no longer an iPod touch because you now would have to pay about $100 a month for the privilege of owning it. Apple already sells iPhones, the iPod touch is another product and Apple sells vast numbers of them. Android cannot compete in that segment of the market because its target hardware is so focused on cellphones. Why would it make sense for Apple to walk away from a market segment it completely dominates? (Answer: it makes no sense).
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