Ever since we posted our review of the 6th generation iPod touch, people have been asking me about the three new wallpapers that come included with the device. The new wallpapers are color-specific wallpaper for the new Gold, Blue, and Pink iPod touch 6th-gen units. In this post, we provide you with a link to download all three of the new wallpapers.
I debated over it for a while, but I just couldn't resist ordering a brand new 6th generation iPod touch after looking at the specs of the device. The new iPod touch, despite not changing much from a use-case standpoint, is quite the compelling device.
When you consider how underpowered the previous generation iPod touch was, this really is a major upgrade. You're essentially getting an iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus level 64-bit A8 system on a chip (SoC) with its M8 motion coprocessor, along with double the RAM at 1GB.
The SoC and RAM alone would be enough to blow the previous iPod touch, which is downright painful to use on iOS 8, out of the water, but Apple has included significant improvements to the iSight Camera—bumped up from 5 megapixels to 8 megapixels—there's faster 802.11ac Wi-Fi, an upgrade to Bluetooth 4.1, a 128GB storage capacity option, and more.
Make no mistake, the iPod touch 6th generation is more powerful than some of the lower tier phones hitting the market today. If you're serious about gaming, photos, and video, but don't need the capabilities of a phone, then the iPod touch 6th generation might be considered a bargain.
Watch our full video review for the unboxing, benchmarks, comparisons to the 5th-gen iPod touch and much more.
Apple yesterday refreshed its aging lineup of iPod-branded music players. By and large, the iPod touch has received its most substantial upgrade yet as Apple really went all out with upgrades on the hardware front.
Not only does the new iPod touch run the latest Apple-designed “A8” processor as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but includes the M8 motion coprocessor, a much-improved eight-megapixel camera on the back, three times faster Wi-Fi and the latest in Bluetooth networking.
Here are some interesting tidbits related to the iPod touch's hardware surprises.
Following a recent discovery of hidden graphics assets inside iTunes 12.2 which have hinted at an imminent iPod refresh, Apple on Wednesday quietly refreshed its dedicated music player family with a press release and a website update.
The headline new model is a much improved sixth-generation iPod touch, “the best iPod touch yet.”
It now features the Apple-designed 64-bit A8 processor, essentially the same chip that powers the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, and runs Apple's M8 motion coprocessor. Apple really went all out with the iPod touch: there's three times faster Wi-Fi 802.11ac and also an improved FaceTime HD camera with an updated sensor and burst mode for even better selfies.
But the good news doesn't stop here: the back-facing iSight camera has received a substantial upgrade, going from five to eight megapixels with slo-mo and burst mode, 1080p video capture at 30FPS, cinematic video stabilization and more.
The screen size has remained the same, measuring four inches diagonally, and there's no Touch ID. The device runs iOS 8.4 with the all-new Music app and Apple Music integration. As for the iPod nano and iPod shuffle, they have received a minor refresh with new color options available.
If you choose to hide Apple Music on an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, the Music app gains a new Connect tab.
Described by Apple as a place where “musicians give their fans a closer look at their work, their inspirations, and their world,”Apple Music Connect permits music lovers to view and follow an artist's stream, like and comment on their posts and more.
Apple Music Connect is basically Ping 2.0. The feature is a tad crude in appearance and feels rough around the edges so little wonder that some folks don't view Connect as valuable enough for it to deserve its own tab.
Wouldn't it be great if you could get rid of the Connect tab? Thankfully, there is.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that the Connect feature couldn't be disabled: Apple has made sure to burry and hide it in an obscure place. In this post, I'm going to explain precisely how you can disconnect from Connect in Apple Music on iPhone, iPod touch, iPad or Mac.
It's no secret that iPod sales continue to decline year after year. Many of the people who were once targets for the iPod now opt for iPhones or iPads.
This isn't exactly a terrible problem for Apple to have. The company has never had qualms about cannibalizing its own products for the sake of the greater good.
But with Apple's historic, and now renewed, love of music, it just wouldn't seem right to let the iPod—at least its conceptual existence, and not so much the name—fade out into the sunset.
For that reason, I think that Apple should go back to the drawing board. Even if this year's rumored across-the-board iPod update is nothing more than just a meager spec bump and minor changes—I think that ultimately, the line is due for a complete overhaul.
How could Apple reinvigorate its flagship music player? By doing the following five things...
If you're buying an iPod music player these days, hold off your purchase for just a little bit longer as Apple is thought to be unveiling new iPod touch, iPod nano and iPod shuffle models next Tuesday.
According to French blog iGen.fr, a pretty reliable source of Apple leaks, the iPod touch could get a substantial refresh in the form of a 64-bit processor.
The iPod nano and shuffle models are said to be receiving only cosmetic changes.
After CBS announced a month ago that it would soon appease cord-cutters by rolling out a standalone video-streaming service over the Internet, Re/code revealed Tuesday that the network's premium cable television service called Showtime is now available through the Apple TV, no cable subscription required.
The standalone video-streaming service is available on Apple's $69 media-streaming box in exchange for a flat monthly fee of $10.99 with iTunes billing. A free 30-day free trial is available provided you have set up a valid payment method in iTunes.
A matching iOS app is coming at a later stage.
As promised, Tuesday morning Apple released the free iOS 8.4 software update which introduces an all-new Music app with Apple Music and Beats 1 built-in. The over-the-air update is now available for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices. As these things take some time to propagate, the software update may not show up in your region yet.
“This update introduces Apple Music—a revolutionary music service, 24/7 global radio, and a way for fans to connect with their favorite artists—all included in the redesigned Music app,” release notes accompanying the update explain. “iOS 8.4 also includes improvements for iBooks and bug fixes,” Apple states.
To apply the update over-the-air, open the Settings app on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad and choose Software Update in the General section. Alternatively, connect your device via USB cable to a Mac or Windows PC running the latest version of iTunes and an update prompt should pop up automatically.
If you enjoy jailbreaking as much as we do, you're wholeheartedly advised to read this first in order to prepare for iOS 8.4 properly.
As we mentioned earlier, TaiG has released version 2.1.3 of its jailbreak tool, and it's a significant update as far as fixes go. First and foremost, it works with virtual machines, so you no longer need to modify your virtual machine to use the tool. Secondly, it fixes the 20% hangup. With these things in mind, we thought we'd show you how to jailbreak using this latest TaiG update.
This post is primarily aimed at those who have yet to jailbreak, and are looking for guidance with the latest tool. In the video that follows, we'll show you the proper way to go about jailbreaking your iPhone or iPad, and we'll show you how well the tool runs on a virtual machine.
Showtime, a CBS-owned premium cable television service, has taken the plunge and will offer a standalone video-streaming service over the Internet with Apple as its first partner, the company confirmed Wednesday.
Simply called Showtime, the service will cost $10.99 per month and will be hitting the Apple TV, iPhone, iPod touch and iPad on July 12 ahead of season premier of several shows such as Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex.
A free 30-day trial will be available to new customers who sign up through Apple in July. Like HBO Now, Showtime's new service will be an Apple exclusive at launch.
AppleInsider reports that Apple is planning a refresh of its iPod touch later this year, citing a "source familiar with Apple's future product plans." It's not clear if the refresh will affect multiple versions of the iPod, however the report notes at least one model will be reintroduced at a time when Apple's music services are getting a revamp under Beats.