Apple’s sixth-generation iPod touch “brings three years’ and four generations’ worth of processor improvements all at the same time,” Andrew Cunningham reports for Ars Technica. “Jumping from an Apple A5 to an A8 results in an almost comically large performance improvement, though as we’ll see, you’re not quite getting iPhone 6 performance in an iPod-sized body.”
“We’ve compared the new iPod to the old one, but there’s really no comparison. Depending on the benchmark, the A8 is around five times as fast as the A5,” Cunningham reports. “The A8’s GPU is around ten times as fast as the A5’s, depending on what test you’re looking at. Even more significant is the fact that the A5’s GPU can’t even run a lot of these tests, since it supports neither OpenGL ES 3.0 nor the Metal graphics API.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Nice little upgrade. 😉
SEE ALSO:
Teardown of Apple’s new iPod touch reveals double the RAM as previous model – July 17, 2015
Apple unveils all-new iPod touch with 64-bit Apple A8 chip, M8 motion coprocessor, 8MP camera, and Apple Music – July 15, 2015
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
Liking my new 128Gb red one. I’ve been waiting quite a while to pull the trigger on a 128Gb model to better compete with the old iPod Classic in storage. But in some ways used as just a music iPod (with my own library) I prefer the old dedicated Classic mode. Wouldn’t it have been nice for Apple to include the new and old dedicated UI for that reason? Other problem with newer iPod’s is they no likey older OS Macs with older iTunes versions. To be expected I guess so I had to migrate the collection also to my 2014 MBP. I’m miffed that starting at iTunes 11 Apple got rid of Cover Flow. Really?? I think getting rid of clutter is fine but you don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.
I bought the new iPod Touch last week, and I have been using it with an iOgrapher rig, an external mic, and the Filmic Pro app . . . one of the trends in video production is to shoot scenes from multiple angles, with multiple cameras, such as staging 6 GoPros around a band during a performance, then dropping the footage in Final Cut Pro and editing with Multicam. With the new camera on the iPod Touch, one can put it into that workflow. The nice thing with an iPod Touch, vs a GoPro, is that you can edit the video right there on the iPod Touch. At the iOgrapher website they give examples of how students are using iPads and iPod Touch’s to film and edit videos at school . . . I think it’s important to consider that an iPod Touch, with the new camera and A8 chip, has other applications other than just a music player for teens.
excellent point Jay
others will also find different uses for the new improved iPod touch – like using portable wifi hotspots with their iPod to make phone calls – sure is a handy little wonder
“not quite getting iPhone 6 performance in an iPod-sized body.”
Funny its better in regards to fps than both iPhone 6/ 6 plus. And yet lags behind over all performance of the 5s.
Why? What does Apple do to the A8 and M8 for this weaker result?
Ordered the day it was announced and it was delivered the next day. 16 GB Space Gray. Nice bump in performance.
Now if we can get a Mac mini with at minimum Iris Pro graphics and a quad core CPU AND a real Mac Pro to replace the Black Trashcan.
Why only 16GB?😱
32 is only 50 bucks different.
Yet, if Apple offered a microSD slot – one could slip in a 128Gb memory module and everything would be fantastic for a 16Gb.
I’m curious as to why you ordered the 16GB model. Everyone says they can’t do anything with 16GB but you think you’ll be able to manage with that amount. Am I correct in that assumption? I doubt you’re the only person who’s ordered an iPod Touch with only 16GB of memory.
Tell me how you’re going to use it so I can understand.
Eager to buy the 128 GB. More important to me than Touch ID or Apple Pay, which some were hoping to see.
Me too. 128 Space Gray.😃
iPod Touch vs Canon Elph . . . . Even as smart phones have destroyed the market for compact cameras, Canon has been able to create a niche with the Canon Elph in which they have sold millions of compact cameras. That market could be impacted by the iPod Touch . . . While the inexpensive Canon Elph models have superior optics (zoom capability), they are missing these features that you can find in the iPod Touch: 1080p video, 120fps slow motion, “sharing” (Wi-Fi connection), Video and Photography Apps, a built in computer (A8 chip) . . . So when buying a compact camera, some people will choose to go with the iPod Touch ($199) over the Canon Elph. While this may seem insignificant to most of us with cell phone cameras, Canon and Apple are definitely aware of the competition for this market.
Apple could buy Canon, if it really wanted to be in heavy on pic/vid products, which they already are in a way.
Canon would be a much better investment than Beats.
I’d rather see Apple cycle its iPod updates so that the entire iPod lineup is refreshed every 2-3 years with a smaller “bump” in performance rather than what Apple is doing now. iPod users have waited through two full generations of A-series chipsets before Apple finally updated ONE of the iPod models. Nice update on the Touch, but why is it limited to only 128GB these days?
Or how about those people who used their 160GB iPod classics for both music and as a remote hard drive? Where is the replacement?
Though memory prices have dropped dramatically, Apple continues to be stingy and pretend that everyone wants to be chained to the goddamn cloud. People would pay more for a device that works well without internet access.
Also, a color refresh isn’t a refresh at all. The Shuffle is a full 5 years old. The Nano is 2.5 years old. Both would benefit from faster chips and more memory too. If you want sales to increase, you have to truly upgrade the stale hardware.
Oh, and where’s the updated Airport Express? Can we please have 802.11ac now? Why is Apple so slow with hardware updates these days !?!?!?
good point
I know I will be booed here, yet I wish Apple would always upgrade its entire line when ever a newer chip comes to fruit . Give us the iPod touch, iPad mini, iPad, iPhone, iPhone Plus, Apple TV and iPad Pro when (i.e.. M9, A9) is introduced. Then Consumers can compare models fairly and exactly see and learn pricing and functionality far better.