The iPod Touch is the most popular digital audio player on the market at the moment, topping both the sales charts and the most wished-for charts on Amazon. What is it about the iPod that makes it such a popular device?
Features of the iPod Touch
The iPod Touch is a triumph, both technically and from a design point of view. The technical features of the 5th generation iPod Touch include:
- A robust, stylish aluminium case (new to this version)
- A 4″ Retina display (for crisp, clear graphics and video playback)
- Apple A5 processor (faster than previous generations)
- Storage options from 16GB for the cheapest model up to 64GB for the top-end model
- A 1080p HD camera for stills and video
- Support for MP3, AIFF, WAV, M4A, M4P and M4B audio files
Of course, the iPod Touch relies on iTunes, just like other versions of the iPod. Whilst some people criticise iTunes for being bloated, it’s hard to deny that it is easy to use and that it has a massive library of music and audio-books. Apple found it an easy sell to persuade people who had purchased older iPods to upgrade to the iPod Touch, enjoying increased storage space and more features, whilst still keeping their music libraries in one place.
Apple releases new versions of the iPod Touch almost every year, so if you decide to sell your iPod touch, you should keep an eye on the latest tech headlines to find out when the next version is due to be released.
The Lifestyle Statement
What’s interesting is that audiophiles don’t necessarily purchase iPods. The iPod is, at its heart, an MP3 player, not a “digital audio player”. It does not support popular lossless audio codecs such as FLAC. In fact, iTunes lacks native support for OGG files.
Most people won’t miss support for other file formats and are happy with the audio quality of the iPod. They like the iPod Touch because it is stylish, easy to use and is capable of playing many popular iOS games. Parents who don’t want to give their children an iPad or an iPhone can give them an iPod Touch so that they can play the same games as their friends without having access to the extra communications features of phones and tablets.
Apple has mastered the art of creating desirable devices. One of the biggest changes made with the release of the latest generation of the iPod Touch was to make the screen taller, without making it wider. This change means that users can enjoy more screen real estate but still operate the device with one hand by sweeping their thumb across the screen. It’s this sort of simple change that makes Apple devices so easy and efficient to use.
Eric Massey is a gadget lover and technology blogger. He has a strong appreciation for digital audio players and hopes that if you decide to sell your iPod touch, you will invest in a new player with FLAC support.
