A new iPod Touch is coming soon, if the rumor mills are correct
Rumors of a new iPod Touch are coming in from multiple sources, suggesting there's a good chance we'll be seeing a refresh soon. AppleInsider goes over the rumors, and tells you what to expect.
Apple's current iPod Touch lineup
Back in 2017, app developer Ben Geskin discovered references to a new iPod within iOS 11's GM code, and on January 25, developer Steve Troughton-Smith discovered references to some new iPads and a new iPod model within iOS 12.2 beta's code.
Japanese blog Mac Otakara reported that several sources in Apple's supply chain are certain Apple is currently developing a new iPod Touch.
The only thing missing from these leaks and rumors is a release date. And, they're just rumors -- like the iPhone SE 2 was, that never materialized.
So what all goes into Apple's Services? There's iTunes, iCloud, Apple Music, Apple Pay, Apple Care, and the various App stores, including iOS games which account for 82 percent of the revenue from Apple's App Store, according to Neil Campling from Mirabaud Securities.
Mirabaud claims that Apple has become one of the biggest gaming companies in the world, without currently marketing a single game itself.
Apple's iPod Touch isn't an expensive device as a gateway to services. Right now, you can buy a 2015 iPod Touch for only $199 and have access to all of the music, games, apps, and other Services Apple makes available.
Apple's iPhone XR would be a decent model for a new iPod Touch
So if Apple is working on a new seventh generation iPod Touch, they're not doing it to make a ton of money on hardware, they're doing it to make money off of services.
More and more families are buying handheld devices like smartphones and tablets for children at a younger age than ever before. Buying a cheaper iPod Touch for a young child who simply wants to listen to music and play iOS games makes quite a bit more sense compared to buying a more expensive iPhone with cellular capabilities that require a data plan.
If Apple can make it easier for more people to get more iOS devices in their hands, their Services revenue will continue to grow at exponential rates.
Not everyone who buys their kid an iPod is going to let them make a bunch of purchases on the App store or sign up for an Apple Music subscription. But, Apple can still make a good amount of revenue from iOS gaming, even without you purchasing anything -- with advertising.
Whenever you see the word "Ad" next to an app in the App Store, that company is paying Apple for it to show up, specifically when a user taps on it. So whether you download or purchase that app or not, Apple is making money just off of the impression of that advertisement on a user's device.
Introducing an updated iPod Touch lowers the cost of entry into Apple's Services ecosystem. A common talking point is that Apple needs to lower the price of the iPhone to get more people on this train -- but an inexpensive and capable iPod Touch can do the same thing.
And since Apple has recently been putting out some incredibly powerful processors that can handle basically any game on the App Store, a new iPod Touch with a processor newer than the A8 from four years ago could potentially become a relatively cheap and powerful gaming device on its own. It can, and should, be marketed that way.
Apple's current iPod Touch lineup
Back in 2017, app developer Ben Geskin discovered references to a new iPod within iOS 11's GM code, and on January 25, developer Steve Troughton-Smith discovered references to some new iPads and a new iPod model within iOS 12.2 beta's code.
Japanese blog Mac Otakara reported that several sources in Apple's supply chain are certain Apple is currently developing a new iPod Touch.
The only thing missing from these leaks and rumors is a release date. And, they're just rumors -- like the iPhone SE 2 was, that never materialized.
But why now?
Over the past few years, Apple's Services revenue has been growing year-over-year with no indication of slowing down. Back in August of 2017, Services revenue alone was the size of a Fortune 100 company, beating out Facebooks entire business. In Apple's fourth quarter of fiscal year 2018, Services made $10 billion in revenue.So what all goes into Apple's Services? There's iTunes, iCloud, Apple Music, Apple Pay, Apple Care, and the various App stores, including iOS games which account for 82 percent of the revenue from Apple's App Store, according to Neil Campling from Mirabaud Securities.
Mirabaud claims that Apple has become one of the biggest gaming companies in the world, without currently marketing a single game itself.
Apple's iPod Touch isn't an expensive device as a gateway to services. Right now, you can buy a 2015 iPod Touch for only $199 and have access to all of the music, games, apps, and other Services Apple makes available.
Apple's iPhone XR would be a decent model for a new iPod Touch
So if Apple is working on a new seventh generation iPod Touch, they're not doing it to make a ton of money on hardware, they're doing it to make money off of services.
More and more families are buying handheld devices like smartphones and tablets for children at a younger age than ever before. Buying a cheaper iPod Touch for a young child who simply wants to listen to music and play iOS games makes quite a bit more sense compared to buying a more expensive iPhone with cellular capabilities that require a data plan.
If Apple can make it easier for more people to get more iOS devices in their hands, their Services revenue will continue to grow at exponential rates.
Not everyone who buys their kid an iPod is going to let them make a bunch of purchases on the App store or sign up for an Apple Music subscription. But, Apple can still make a good amount of revenue from iOS gaming, even without you purchasing anything -- with advertising.
Whenever you see the word "Ad" next to an app in the App Store, that company is paying Apple for it to show up, specifically when a user taps on it. So whether you download or purchase that app or not, Apple is making money just off of the impression of that advertisement on a user's device.
Introducing an updated iPod Touch lowers the cost of entry into Apple's Services ecosystem. A common talking point is that Apple needs to lower the price of the iPhone to get more people on this train -- but an inexpensive and capable iPod Touch can do the same thing.
And since Apple has recently been putting out some incredibly powerful processors that can handle basically any game on the App Store, a new iPod Touch with a processor newer than the A8 from four years ago could potentially become a relatively cheap and powerful gaming device on its own. It can, and should, be marketed that way.
Comments
Then there's the size issue. Small children would likely prefer a smaller device like the Touch or SE. Add to that the idea of using it as a dedicated iPod for adults -- it doesn't really make sense for that to be as large as their primary iPhone.
So unless Apple plans both an iPod and an iPod Plus, it would seem a smaller model makes sense, while letting the rumored iPad mini serve the larger screen variation.
I would think an Xr format shrunk down to the size of the SE, which could perform double duty as an SE2, and a new iPod Touch would be a far better goal for Apple than one as theoretically limited as the iPod Touch, which competes both with the Xr and iPad mini. That way, a cellular connection would be possible if needed, via a software sim only (and perhaps another model with dual sims), and Apple produces one device for all the fringe use needs, at a much lower price point than the Xr, or other larger screen devices.
I only use my to plug into external speakers at the pool or a party and I usually don't want to deal with bluetooth (and it generally puts out less volume).
It probably won’t have a headphone jack. What Apple really needs to do is come out with an improved dongle that provides both a lightning port for charging and a 3.5mm headphone port. Having to use a dongle isn’t an issue for me, but not being able to charge and use my cheap headphones at the same time often is. The third party products that do this are not reliable. This wouldn’t have to be included in the box, but just having this as an official accessory would make a lot of users happy that aren’t on the Bluetooth headphone train yet
You may already know this, but Apple has been promoting their (and 3rd party) accessibility advancements quite a bit the last few years:
https://www.apple.com/accessibility/
First the MacMini. Now the touch.