Developer Apple, Inc. Product family iPod | Manufacturer Foxconn | |
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Release date July 15, 2015 (2015-07-15) Operating system System-on-chip used Apple A8
Apple M8 motion coprocessor | ||
The sixth-generation iPod Touch (stylized and marketed as the iPod touch, and colloquially known as the iPod Touch 6G, iPod Touch 6, or iPod Touch (2015) ) is a multipurpose pocket computer designed and marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-based user interface. It is the successor to the iPod Touch (5th generation), becoming the first major update to the iPod lineup in more than two and a half years. It was released on the online Apple Store on July 15, 2015, along with a new iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle, which received minor upgrades.
Contents
The iPod touch is only one of two iOS devices that are currently in production that does not implement Touch ID, the other being iPad mini 2.
Software
The sixth-generation iPod Touch features iOS, Apple's mobile operating system. The user interface of iOS is based on the concept of direct manipulation, using multi-touch gestures. Interface control elements consist of sliders, switches, and buttons. Interaction with the OS includes gestures such as swipe, tap, pinch, and reverse pinch, all of which have specific definitions within the context of the iOS operating system and its multi-touch interface. Internal accelerometers are used by some applications to respond to shaking the device (one common result is the undo command) or rotating it vertically (one common result is switching from portrait to landscape mode).
First shipped with iOS 8.4, which was released on June 30, 2015 along with Apple Music, it can play music, movies, television shows, audiobooks, and podcasts and can sort its media library by songs, artists, albums, videos, playlists, genres, composers, podcasts, audiobooks, and compilations. Scrolling is achieved by swiping a finger across the screen. Alternatively, headset controls can be used to pause, play, skip, and repeat tracks. However, the EarPods that come with the sixth-generation iPod touch do not not include a remote or microphone. The Voice Control feature can also be used to identify a track, play songs in a playlist or by a specific artist, or create a Genius playlist.
The sixth-generation iPod Touch supports iOS 9 that was released in September 2015 and iOS 10 that was released in September 2016. The latest version of iOS that the sixth-generation iPod touch supports is iOS 10.2.1, released January 23, 2017.
Hardware
The sixth-generation iPod Touch features the new Apple A8 and Apple M8 motion co-processor chipset with 64-bit architecture which is similar to the chipset on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but it is slightly underclocked at 1.1 GHz (the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are clocked at 1.4 GHz). It has 1GB of LPDDR3 RAM, twice the amount as the previous generation iPod Touch. Apple's Metal graphics technology is also compatible with the iPod Touch 6th generation. The iPod Touch features an 8MP rear iSight camera with video which can record in 1080p at 30fps, or 120fps in slow-motion mode that records at 720p. The camera also supports a burst mode and has an LED flash. Unlike the 5th-generation version, the rear camera on the 6th-generation iPod Touch lacks a sapphire crystal lens. The front camera is unchanged from the previous generation, a 1.2MP sensor and can record video up to 720p. It is the first iPod Touch that is available with 128 GB of storage, partially filling the void left behind by the iPod Classic which offered 160 GB of storage at the time it was discontinued.
Design
The sixth-generation iPod Touch maintains an identical exterior design to the previous generation iPod Touch, with the exception of the iPod Touch Loop button. It is available in silver, gold, space gray, pink, blue, and a Product Red version, although each color's shade is slightly different than the previous generation.
Accessories
The sixth-generation iPod touch comes with a Lightning Charging cable. This model also comes with the EarPods without Remote and Mic. This iPod Touch is compatible with Apple $159 wireless AirPods which were released in late December 2016. The AirPods were introduced on September 7 at the Apple Special Event (September 7, 2016).