Promotional images suggest Apple's new iPod colors will launch July 14
Apple's newly leaked iPod colors may arrive sooner than expected, on Tuesday, July 14, if the company's carefully designed marketing materials once again prove accurate.
The newly released iTunes 12.2 update includes a number of images of the iPod touch, iPod nano and iPod shuffle in a trio of new colors -- a darker blue, a brighter pink, and a new gold color. But the images also include another strong hint at a release date, as the iPod touch calendar is set to Tuesday the 14th.
The 14th day of July also falls on a Tuesday this year --?not likely a coincidence, based on Apple's well-established marketing strategies.
Take, for example, the Apple Watch. In all of its promotional images, it is shown with the date Monday the 9th. The Apple Watch event this year was held on Monday, March 9.
The same goes for the iPhone 6, which features a calendar set to Monday the 9th. The iPhone 6 event was held on Monday, Sept. 9, 2014. Apple's current iPod touch marketing also has the same Monday the 14th on its calendar, updated to reflect iOS 9.
AppleInsider exclusively reported in April that the iPod lineup would be updated this year.
Lending even more support to an impending launch for the new iPod touch colors is the fact that the iPod touch is shown running iOS 8. Specifically, the iPod touch features the iOS 8 Passbook and Newsstand branding and icons, which will be updated and renamed to Wallet and News, respectively, in iOS 9.
Currently in beta, iOS 9 is expected to launch to the public this September, which is usually when Apple updates its iPhone hardware. If Apple were holding new iPods for a September event, then the iPod touch would likely ship with iOS 9 instead of iOS 8.
Of course, it's also possible that the new colors, the date and the operating system are all the result of a mockup mixup in Apple's marketing department. But given how carefully and deliberately Apple rolls out new products, that seems highly unlikely.
It's also worth noting that the iPod touch pictured does not feature a Touch ID sensor in the home button, which would also suggest that Apple Pay support will not be included in the new model.
As for the iPod nano, the images found in iTunes 12.2 appear to show the same iOS 6-inspired design, implying the diminutive touchscreen media player will not feature a software refresh.
The newly released iTunes 12.2 update includes a number of images of the iPod touch, iPod nano and iPod shuffle in a trio of new colors -- a darker blue, a brighter pink, and a new gold color. But the images also include another strong hint at a release date, as the iPod touch calendar is set to Tuesday the 14th.
The 14th day of July also falls on a Tuesday this year --?not likely a coincidence, based on Apple's well-established marketing strategies.
Take, for example, the Apple Watch. In all of its promotional images, it is shown with the date Monday the 9th. The Apple Watch event this year was held on Monday, March 9.
The same goes for the iPhone 6, which features a calendar set to Monday the 9th. The iPhone 6 event was held on Monday, Sept. 9, 2014. Apple's current iPod touch marketing also has the same Monday the 14th on its calendar, updated to reflect iOS 9.
AppleInsider exclusively reported in April that the iPod lineup would be updated this year.
Lending even more support to an impending launch for the new iPod touch colors is the fact that the iPod touch is shown running iOS 8. Specifically, the iPod touch features the iOS 8 Passbook and Newsstand branding and icons, which will be updated and renamed to Wallet and News, respectively, in iOS 9.
Currently in beta, iOS 9 is expected to launch to the public this September, which is usually when Apple updates its iPhone hardware. If Apple were holding new iPods for a September event, then the iPod touch would likely ship with iOS 9 instead of iOS 8.
Of course, it's also possible that the new colors, the date and the operating system are all the result of a mockup mixup in Apple's marketing department. But given how carefully and deliberately Apple rolls out new products, that seems highly unlikely.
It's also worth noting that the iPod touch pictured does not feature a Touch ID sensor in the home button, which would also suggest that Apple Pay support will not be included in the new model.
As for the iPod nano, the images found in iTunes 12.2 appear to show the same iOS 6-inspired design, implying the diminutive touchscreen media player will not feature a software refresh.
Comments
That's exactly one week before Apple earnings. I'm not surprised that the new iPod Touches will not have Touch ID though, which is kind of ironic, since they're called iPod Touch afterall." src="http://forums-files.appleinsider.com/images/smilies//lol.gif" />
At times it appears that Apple is hell bent on making sure iPod Touch fails. I waited for years to see a decent upgrade come to the machine and have given up on it happening. For one thing the platform should have gone 64 bit a year ago so that it would support the growing raft of 64 bit only apps. As you note Touch ID would be valuable also.
Instead we seem to have a whole line of iPods coming that are focused on colors. I hope this isn't true but the leaks aren't encouraging. Rumors have iPod sales in the tank, basically a dead product line, the only way to breath new life into such a line is via useful improvements and real gains in performance.
Adding colors to existing products isn't exactly a sign of life. IPods, especially the Touch, need real overhauls to address performance and feature issues. Gaming for example is an important activity on Touch but the SoC hasn't been updated in years so many titles can't even run properly on the platform.
Adding colors to existing products isn't exactly a sign of life. IPods, especially the Touch, need real overhauls to address performance and feature issues. Gaming for example is an important activity on Touch but the SoC hasn't been updated in years so many titles can't even run properly on the platform.
WTF are you talking about? The Dual-Core A5 chip can run all the apps in the App Store and Apple will even continue to support iOS 9 on the chip. There are many iPad 2, iPad 3, and iPhone 4Ss on the market that use the chip and no one has any complaints of games not running properly on them. Stop spreading your FUD.
One might even call it a mockup cockup
(for the Brits ).
No one has any complaints? Because you know every person that owns an A5 device and uses it to play games? If all Apple is doing is updating colors and I hope it's a silent update and the new colors just show up in the store.
WTF are you talking about? The Dual-Core A5 chip can run all the apps in the App Store and Apple will even continue to support iOS 9 on the chip. There are many iPad 2, iPad 3, and iPhone 4Ss on the market that use the chip and no one has any complaints of games not running properly on them. Stop spreading your FUD.
Nope, nope, nope. There are plenty of games which specify they won't run on the 4S, iPad 2, iPad mini and iPod Touch. Bioshock Infinite was one of them.
Nope, nope, nope. There are plenty of games which specify they won't run on the 4S, iPad 2, iPad mini and iPod Touch. Bioshock Infinite was one of them.
Well that is one game but "plenty"? I have over 1,400 apps and some may be iPad only but I have not noticed any significant shortage of apps that run on the fifth generation iPod touch. On the other hand I have noticed a shortage of monthly bills that I have to pay in order to use my iPod touch. What I find puzzling is how many iPhone fans seem almost obsessed that Apple no longer update and sell mobile devices that don't require a monthly bill. If the new iPod touch is an update (i.e. not just new colors), I will definitely be buying one.
(fingers crossed all the spec rumors are true) new colors are not what the touch needs right now, what they need is serious and massive overhauls to screen size,camera, ram
(basically everything) so apple I hope you know what you're doing, right now I am not very confident.
Not sure how they would expect Apple Pay to work without communication to Apple, tho.
It would work the same way it does on the ?Watch. When the watch is used alone without the iPhone, the secure tokens are still generated through the store's POST. To the extent the watch stores any payment information necessary to be downloaded to the phone, that will happen once they are reunited, if ever. And to the extent the phone actually needs to pass any of this information on, it will happen once the iPhone reconnects to the web, if ever. It strikes me that the phone isn't actually needed, because one could go out, run up a huge tab on the watch, then wipe the watch and the phone, and never get charged for anything.
But I don't see Apple investing the money into R&D to add an NFC antenna, for a device that is not likely going to be widely used for ?Pay. I suppose parents could put a credit card on the device for use by their kids, but anybody who has an actual credit card probably already has an iPhone. Then too, a Touch could be used to unlock a house, or a car as well, with no worries that if lost anyone could then gain access -- and a kid is likely to keep better track of the device. The question is whether there's a significant enough market for the effort involved.
Touch ID seems more vital for security of personal information, but if the iPod Touch is going away soon, then I don't see going to the expense, a 4 digit passcode is good enough, especially if it's not going to have ?Pay on it.
Personally, I'd like to see them add ?Pay to the iPad and iPod Touch so people could use those when out and about, or use them with the ?Watch, without owning an iPhone to expand the market for both products.
So much for the iPod abandonment rumors and the outrage that followed.
Adding colors to existing products isn't exactly a sign of life. IPods, especially the Touch, need real overhauls to address performance and feature issues. Gaming for example is an important activity on Touch but the SoC hasn't been updated in years so many titles can't even run properly on the platform.
The main reason for this change is to muck up pundit's math when they try to back out iPod and AppleTV past numbers so they can determine what the ?Watch sales number are/were.
WTF are you talking about? The Dual-Core A5 chip can run all the apps in the App Store and Apple will even continue to support iOS 9 on the chip. There are many iPad 2, iPad 3, and iPhone 4Ss on the market that use the chip and no one has any complaints of games not running properly on them. Stop spreading your FUD.
Nope, nope, nope. There are plenty of games which specify they won't run on the 4S, iPad 2, iPad mini and iPod Touch. Bioshock Infinite was one of them.
Some apps, not just games, require 64 bit CPU, so my iPhone 5 doesn't run them too. Apple is moving the technology stakes ahead at a fast pace. That requires, IMHO, they ship hardware that keeps pace with their minimum specs for current software. It's becomes an Android-esque rat's nest.
Weren't all apps supposed to go 64 bit earlier this year?
Weren't all apps supposed to go 64 bit earlier this year?
All new apps or updates submitted to the app store have to include 64bit support.
That doesn't mean that they had to omit 32bit support though.