Apple's New iPod Gets in Touch With Gamers

Apple on Tuesday refreshed its iPod touch line of media players with a faster processor, greater storage capacity and improved communications features.
The new iPod is built on Apple's A10 Fusion chip, the same processor used in the iPhone 7. According to Apple, the power upgrade delivers two times faster performance than previous models and three times better graphics.
As with the last generation of iPods, introduced in 2015, there are 32-GB (US$199) and 128-GB ($299) models. However, a new 256-GB ($399) version has joined the new lineup. All models can be ordered immediately in the United States at the Apple website.
The new iPod comes in six colors: pink, silver, space gray, gold, blue and red. It supports the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system, iOS 12, which includes Group FaceTime, a chat feature for video or audio calls with up to 32 participants.
It also has an earphone jack, which Apple has purged from its other device lines.
"The iPod touch refresh is an incremental bit of business for Apple," said San Jose, California-based Kevin Krewell, principal analyst at Tirias Research, a high-tech research and advisory firm.
"It uses an older but still capable A10 processor that has to be pretty cheap to manufacture, so the amount of engineering required to refresh the iPod touch was minimal," he told TechNewsWorld.
"Apple can use existing technology and manufacturing infrastructure to build these devices, which helps to keep price points low and margins at a reasonable level," said Andreas Scherer, managing partner at Salto Partners, a management consulting firm in Reston, Virginia.

New Games Machine
Games are a big factor behind the latest iPod refresh, maintained Maria Rua Aguete, executive director for media, service providers and platforms at IHS Markit, a research, analysis and advisory firm headquartered in London.
"The new iPod touch is optimized for gaming, including immersive augmented reality experiences," she told TechNewsWorld.
Apple's team has added more immersive features to its AR, including shared AR, persistent AR (tied to a specific location), and image detection, the company noted. That makes it possible for the iPod touch to bring 3D objects like toys and sculptures to life.
The new iPod will be great for Apple's new gaming service, which is expected to launch in the fall, Rua Aguete added.
iOS is the largest gaming platform in the world, Apple has claimed. The company plans to expand the platform with Apple Arcade this fall. Arcade will be a subscription service with more than 100 new games that can be played online or off without advertising or the need for online purchases.