With the surprise announcement of the new iPod touch this morning, we knew about some of the tech specs, but not all of them. Now, we’ve gotten word about just how powerful it is. We know how much RAM it has: 1 GB, which every current iOS device has except for the iPad Air 2, which has 2 GB. The processor is the A8 processor in the iPhone 6, but clocked a bit lower, likely to save on battery as Apple uses a very thin and light battery in the iPod touch to keep it small. Plus, it’s drawing to a smaller screen resolution, being a 4" 1136×640 screen, same as the iPhone 5 and 5s. Still, GeekBench scores indicate that it’s about at the level of power as 2013’s devices were, around the iPad Mini 2, iPhone 5s, and iPad Air.
This does mean that the iPod touch 6th gen is basically in the same state the iPod touch 5th gen was, where it’s only as good as the previous generation’s hardware was. But, the iPad Mini 2 is still a good and capable gaming device. The 1 GB of RAM is good for now, but 2 GB is going to likely be the standard for 2015’s new iPhones and iPads. And those processors will get more powerful, and developers will be able to build bigger and better-looking games. Yet, with the rise of games with minimalist production values, the value of a slightly-outdated device in 2015 is different than in 2012; I don’t worry about my iPad Mini 2 becoming outdated any time soon, and you should be happy with this iPod touch if you need it and can’t buy an iPhone for whatever reason.
If a gaming-centric iOS device is your concern, you probably should just buy the iPad Mini 2 instead, as it’s a great gaming device and only a $100 more per each GB level, and it’s an iPad! I’d love for Apple to go all-out on a gaming iPod touch, like an iPhone-Plus-sized iPod with modern stats, but Apple might not be targeting that market, they may just want a device they can keep as a really portable, pocketable device. And at 128 GB of storage, it could satisfy some people who miss the iPod classic. That it also plays games along with all the media it can handle might just be secondary as a concern. Still, if you want the biggest and baddest iOS gaming device, you need to pay up.
