New widescreen iPod touch suggests 960-by-640-pixel iPhones will also soon be dead
I don’t usually bang the speculation drum, but Apple earlier today did something quite interesting, in releasing a new iPod touch. This replaces the previous low-end model, which was effectively last year’s design. The new 16 GB iPod touch now has the same screen size as the 32/64 GB model (and therefore also the iPhone 5), but lacks an iSight camera.
What I find most interesting about this, though, is Apple’s now dumped the old 960-by-640 screen and old Dock connector entirely from its iPod touch line-up. On this basis, I imagine the 960-by-640 screen resolution is now effectively dead, along with their associated devices. (Further cementing this thought, indie dev Gary Riches told me earlier today that all new apps/app updates as of May 1 have to support the Retina display and iPhone 5 screen—that’s no longer optional.)
What this means for this summer’s iPhone revamp isn’t quite so clear, but I imagine the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S are both gone (rather than the 4S sticking around at the very low end, replacing the 4). There will be a new iPhone (presumably the iPhone 6) and either the iPhone 5 will drop down one level, or a new lower-end iPhone—with the same screen size) will be added to the line-up. Possibly both. Two things are for sure, though—first, I’ll be amazed if anything still exists in Apple’s autumn line-up with a 960-by-640 screen and old-style Dock connector; secondly, I’ll have to soon invest in banana thumbs to reach everywhere on a device’s screen. Damn.
I have the new iPod touch, 32G. While I do not like having to use the new cord, since I have a relic iPad 1 16G, I can live with the inconvenience. I have fingers the size of sausage links, and I am not experiencing any major difficulties with navigating the touch screen. Really, the only problem I am having with the device is Siri’s lack of voice sensitivity. Trying to make Siri, or the voice dictation even, understand how you speak is almost impossible. If that is corrected via iOS 7.0, I would be absolutely thrilled. Outside of that issue, I am enjoying the device immensely.
If there’s new gen introduced they can keep offering 4S as a new low end device *just fine*; why wouldn’t they ?
960×480 might be dead, so is e.g. non-retina on 3GS – yet absolutely nothing forced them to completely dump previous lower specs generations in favor of ‘all retina’ or ‘all iPhone5 screen size’ devices.
4S can still be manufactured exactly as 3GS was – alongside all connectors and accessories (which is much bigger hardware problem than the screen resolution, apart from the display itself of course)
I would be very surprised if they release two new devices – thus making new lineup with ‘old’ iPhone 5 – or dump 4S and have two devices..
but sure it’s Apple, anything can happen
@r618: Usually, I wouldn’t suggest this was going to happen, but the iPod touch being revamped was an interesting move. There’s no real reason for that, bar giving it the same screen and connector. All the iPads now also run Lightning. I’m therefore just seeing a pattern that admittedly might not be there, but it wouldn’t shock me to see iPhone 6, iPhone 5, iPhone Cheapo as the line-up come September, and the 4S consigned to history. Also, why wouldn’t Apple expand the iPhone range? That’s what it’s done elsewhere plenty of times, with the iPad and iPod being obvious examples.
I understand your point, but I still think that in case of iPod touch they could afford to drop previous retina simply because of the volumes of iPhone vs. iPod touch
Also, while ‘unified Lightning’ lineup would look nice and simple and 4S would stand out as the only device not having that, they would primarily be driven by the current state of the market right now and not hardware unification -)
Personally, I can not imagine ‘cheap iPhone’ device. i.e. device that would ought to omit significant hardware features in order to cut down the price reasonably
But anyway, thanks for the info on iPod touch, sometimes these changes happen almost unnoticed for me 🙂