iTec November 2012. | Page 5

The iPod touch has always been a bit of a poor relation of the iPhone series. It was there for people who wanted iPhone goodies, but couldn't afford the astronomical price of the phone. However, underdog or not, it revolutionized what people expect from a media player.

Apple's most important design change in the iPod touch 5th generation is that it now features an elongated widescreen display, just like the iPhone 5. It's a little taller than the last generation at 123mm long, but with virtually the same width, it won't cause smaller pockets or hands any issues. This is Apple's thinnest and lightest iPod touch yet. It's just 88g in weight, 13g lighter than the last model. This is Apple's thinnest and lightest iPod touch yet. It's just 88g in weight, 13g lighter than the last model.

Like the iPhone 5, the 5th generation iPod touch is backed with a sheet of aluminum, and here it snakes around as a single piece to meet the glass layer that protects the display.

Suggestions that the Lightning adapter was introduced to keep the iPhone 5 as slim as possible have been poo-poo'd by some, but here the argument makes complete sense. The Lightning connector is slim and small, and fitting in the larger 30-pin type would have been a challenge. However, Apple veterans will doubtless experience more than a few frustrating moments when all they can find is a half-dozen 30-pin Apple cables, but not a single Lightning one.

As ever within the Apple ecosystem, to transfer files from a computer to the 5th generation iPod touch, you'll need to do so through iTunes. However, iOS now supports sync over Wi-Fi, and iOS 6 removes the need to setup the player using a computer. All you need now is a Wi-Fi network in order to login to your iTunes account.

The camera has been improved, and Apple's Siri voice assistant now comes included. This is also the first time the iPod Touch comes in multiple colors: black, silver, pink, green, red, and blue. Pricing is $299 for a 32GB model, or $399 for 64GB.

iPod Touch 5G

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