Apple’s $199 iPod contact simply obtained a tune-up, bringing a number of the options of its music participant in keeping with the iPhone 6 and giving it a processor that may meet the calls for of future software program.
The newest iPod contact, introduced July 15, has an A8 chip constructed on 64-bit structure inside. That’s the identical processor that powers the iPhone 6, and it provides the brand new contact fairly a lift over its predecessor. Apple says the CPU is six occasions quicker than the processor powering the final iPod contact era, launched almost three years in the past.
Graphic efficiency is 10 occasions higher, Apple says, and the brand new iPod contact additionally helps Metal, Apple’s know-how for delivering console-style graphics on cellular units. That’s not an insignificant addition — apart from its roots as a music participant, the iPod contact has emerged as a reasonably highly effective cellular gaming gadget. The addition of metallic help and an improved processor imply that will probably be capable of play the sorts of refined cellular video games app makers are cranking out today.
There’s more to the brand new iPod contact than a souped-up processor. Apple additionally improved the rear-facing digital camera, with an Eight-megapixel iSight digital camera changing the 5-MP digital camera on the earlier mannequin. The new digital camera can shoot HD video at 120 frames per second in 720p. It additionally helps time-lapse video and burst mode. The front-facing FaceTime digital camera has the identical 1.2-MP decision as earlier than, however a brand new picture sensor provides help for burst mode.
Internally, the brand new iPod contact provides help for 802.11ac on prime of the a, b, g and n flavors of wi-fi that the previous mannequin provided. And the brand new iPod contact upgrades Bluetooth help to Bluetooth Four.1.
The newest iPod contact hasn’t modified its look very a lot from the final era. It nonetheless comes with a Four-inch, 1136 x 640-pixel show in a Four.86 x 2.31 x zero.24-inch type issue. Apple is rolling out a brand new array of colours: You can get the iPod contact in area grey, gold, silver, pink and blue. Apple additionally presents a purple iPod contact, affiliated with the Product Red model.
The iPod nano and shuffle strains stay unchanged when it comes to options, although Apple has added the identical colours because the iPod contact for these music gamers.
The iPod contact, which hasn’t been refreshed in a number of years, begins at $199 for a 16GB mannequin. In addition to the 32GB ($249) and 64GB ($299) capacities, Apple has expanded the iPod contact lineup to incorporate a $399 128GB mannequin.