Apple iPod touch review (2012)

"Thin" almost isnt a strong enough word to describe the iPod touch. When you finally get it out of its impossible-to-open plastic packaging, it almost feels like you left part of it behind. It really is only a quarter-inch thick, though, and it really does weigh only 3.1 ounces. Remarkably, it doesnt feel cheap or

"Thin" almost isn’t a strong enough word to describe the iPod touch. When you finally get it out of its impossible-to-open plastic packaging, it almost feels like you left part of it behind. It really is only a quarter-inch thick, though, and it really does weigh only 3.1 ounces. Remarkably, it doesn’t feel cheap or flimsy — it’s certainly a far cry from the incredible craftsmanship of the iPhone 5, but its aluminum back panel still feels quite solid and the slightly rounded edges are comfortable in your hand. The touch now comes in five colors (white, slate, pink, yellow, and cyan), which actually look pretty good, though the colored back panel does look a bit like a case you could peel off.

The headphone jack is on the bottom of the device, where it’s been on previous models — the iPhone 5 was playing catch-up. There’s also a Lightning port on the bottom, next to a single speaker. Up top you’ll find the power button, and two separate volume controls live on the left side. Sound familiar? It should.

On the colored back are a camera lens, an LED flash, and an unsightly black plastic strip for the wireless radios. There’s also a big iPod logo, and the Loop. Oh, the Loop. This is a small, circular protrusion on the back of the touch that connects with an accompanying lanyard (which matches your chosen color scheme, natch), giving you a wrist strap for your iPod. If you like the feature, it’s a nice thing to have; personally, I was thrilled that the nub could be pressed down so that it’s flush with the back, and I promptly forgot it existed.

The iPod touch’s display is exactly the same one as the iPhone 5 — a 4-inch, 1136 x 640 panel that looks fantastic. It's a much bigger upgrade for the touch, too, which used to have a washed out screen far worse than the iPhone — parity is a huge leap forward. More space is a good thing for almost every activity, but it’s most noticeable with movies and games, both of which take full advantage of the larger 16:9 screen. Movies and games are two of the most popular things to do on the iPod touch, I’m sure, so the screen is welcome.

The device is powered by a dual-core A5 processor, the same one inside the iPhone 4S. It’s a generation behind the new A6, which gives me some pause about how long the touch will be able to get software updates, but for now it’s quite capable — there's a definite downgrade in gaming power, but it still does fine. You also get Bluetooth 4.0 and dual-band Wi-Fi. Obviously, there’s no cell radio inside the iPod touch — that’s an omission I can live with. More frustrating is the lack of GPS: this could be an absolutely killer in-car nav system with TomTom or Garmin apps and cached maps, but the capability is simply removed without any obvious reason why.

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