This week has already been Christmas in March for Apple fans. The company has launched a new iPad Air, iPad mini, and iMac machines. According to MacRumors, the next product in the line-up to potentially see an update is the iPod touch.
According to rumors earlier this year, the refresh is expected to upgrade the internals of the iPod touch to a more modern processor. If the update follows suit with the iPad mini, we could see an A12 processor, as well as a bump in the minimum storage capacity.
The latest rumors don’t suggest any update in the design of the product, though an update in screen size and materials (something akin to the iPhone 8) could provide a more modern feel. It’s unlikely that the product would see the addition of FaceID or the iPhone X design, likely retaining the current “chin and forehead” bezels and home button
The current iPod touch was last updated in 2015 with an A8 processor and a non-TouchID home button. To remain modern enough to receive Apple’s iOS updates and support the company’s continued focus on security, the iPod touch is would need to move to an A10 processor and would likely gain TouchID.
The market for the iPod touch, in its current state, is quite small. Most applications are for kids, developers (as a testing device), and in enterprise and commerce applications (like many in-store payment systems). In a dwindling market or users, it’s not likely that Apple would put large amounts engineering or innovation into the product.
If the rumors are true, Apple will have all major hardware updates taken care of before their event next Monday. That would work to set the stage for a services-only event focused on both a subscription News and TV service. It’s also possible that Apple could surprise us with updated AirPods and AirPower later this week, offering us an jam-packed events worth of hardware without a hardware event.
