Apple’s 5th-generation iPod touch is practically an iPhone 5 without the ability to make phone calls over a cellular network. So it’s not surprising that at $299 and up, Apple gave its latest generation iPod touch a higher starting price than earlier models.

But since not everyone wants to spend that kind of money on a portable media device, so the company also kept around 2010’s 4th-gen iPod touch for a while, selling it for $199 and up. Now that model’s been pulled from the Apple Store, and it’s been replaced with a new $229 iPod touch that’s a lot more like the other 5th-gen models… but not entirely.

iPod touch 16GB

Like other recent iPod touch models, the new $229 version has a 4 inch, 1136 x 640 pixel display and an Apple A5 dual-core processor. Apple says it offers up to 40 hours of battery life while playing music or 8 hours of video playback time.

What the new model doesn’t have is a rear camera. There’s a 720p front-facing camera for video chat, but Apple left out the 5MP camera with auto-focus and an LED flash.

The new model also only comes in one color: black. And it features 16GB of storage, while other recent iPod touch models have 32GB or more.

It’s nice to have an option with a bigger screen and faster processor than the 4th gen iPod touch with a price tag that’s not much higher. But at least the older iPod touch had a rear camera. It didn’t have a flash or auto-focus capabilities, but at least it was there.

Of course, while Apple isn’t selling new 4th-gen iPod touch models anymore, you can still pick up refurbished models for as little as $129, or buy a new model from Amazon for $180 and up.

via 9to5Mac

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4 replies on “Apple adds a $229 iPod touch with Retina to its lineup, cuts a few corners”

  1. IPod Touch lacks GPS. Mapping with current position is possible, but less accurate, if you have a WiFi connection to a known router location.

    Samsung’s equivalent Galaxy Player devices include a GPS chip. Samsung seems to have stopped distributing Players in USA, but used and refurbished units are available.

  2. I always wondered why the same device would cost 500 less than iPhone.

  3. you have to be out of your mind to buy “whatever” without rear camera, I’d buy it quicker if it were missing a front camera.

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