The iPhone gets an update annually.

But, the iPod touch has not had this same updating.

ipod 5

Image Copyright Apple Inc.
Date of release: October 2005
Date of discontinuation: September 2007

It has been the same for the past few years when the 5th generation was released. This was a major step for the iPod Touch.

Every other model has been similar to the precursor. The iPhone shares similar features with it and while the 5th generation does have similarities it is distinctive. This is mostly due to the introduction of colored cases. In the past, it had only come with a black or white case. The 5th generation iPod was thinner and weight less than the iPhone. In fact, the unit was .85 ounces lighter than the iPhone and measured .06 inches thinner.

It expands on the iPod photo by allowing users to play videos on the color, 2.5 inch screen. It was originally available in two colors and had a click wheel with a flat shape rather than the rounded shape found on earlier iPods.

Initially, the models were capable of holding 30, 60 and 80 GB of content. The 60 GB was replaced by the 80 GB model in 2005. A special edition iPod was released when it launched. This was the 30-GB U2 model. At this point in time, they were sold at iTunes for use with iPod videos.

 

 

Specifications:

30 GB held 7,500 songs
60 GB held 15,000 songs
80 GB held 20,000 songs

Supported music formats were:

MP3
AAC
WAV
AIFF

Devices also played Audible recorded books.

Supported photo formats included:

JPEGs
BMPs
GIFs
TIFFs
PSDs
PNGs

Video supported was H.264 and MPEG-4

Screen Dimensions:

2.5 inches
320 x 240 pixels

Unit Dimensions:

30 GB – 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.43 inches
60 and 80 GB – 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.55 inches

Connector:

Dock Connector

Battery Life:

30 GB -14 hours
60 GB and 80 GB – 20 hours

Weight

30 GB -4.8 ounces
60 and 80 GB models – 5.5 ounces

Original Price

$299 – 30 GB Model
$349 – U2 30 GB Special Edition
$399 – 60 GB Model
$349 = 2006’s 80 GB Model

iPod Video Requirements

Mac: Mac OS X 10.3.9 plus – iTunes
Windows: 2000 or XP – iTunes

These players are all part of the historic line of iPods and iPods with video.

About The 4th Generation iPod Also Known As The iPod Photo

Fourth Generation iPod

ipod 4

AquaStreakRugby471 / Wiki Commons/CC 3.0
Released: Jul, 04
Discontinued: Oct, 05

This iPod Touch inherited many of its features from the iPhone 4, while dramatically upgrading the display capabilities along with making it a lot more powerful.

Major changes that were introduced in this model was an addition of an Apple A4 processor which also powers the iPad and the iPhone 4, two cameras which includes 1 user-facing along with support for the Face-time video chats, a high-definition video-recording, along with an added high-resolution Retina Display screen. It is also inclusive of a 3-axis gyroscope that offers improved gaming responsiveness.

Like the previous models, this 4th Generation Touch offers a 3.5-inch touchscreen, media-playback features and Internet access using Wi-Fi, multiple sensors for added gaming performance, along with App Store support.

The fourth Generation iPod included another overall redesign and came with a few new spin-off products which were merged eventually into the fourth generation line.

This version of the iPod brought about the clickwheel, that was first introduced with the original iPod mini, onto the primary iPod line. This clickwheel was touch-sensitive to scroll and also had built-in buttons which allowed a used to click on the wheel in order to select a menu, play/pause and forward/backward. The middle button served the function for onscreen item selections.

This version also came with 2 special editions: the 30 GB edition which was inclusive of the band, U2’s “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb” album, with engraved signatures of this band, along with a discount coupon to buy the entire catalog of the band from iTunes (October 2004), the Harry Potter limited edition, inclusive of a Hogwarts logo which was engraved onto the iPod and included 6 of the Potter books available at that time which had been pre-loaded in the form of audiobooks (September 2005).

At the same time the new iPod Photo debuted, which was one of the versions of the fourth generation iPod which includes abilities to show photos and a fresh new color-screen.

The iPod Photo line merged with the Clickwheel line in the fall of 2005.

 

Capacity

20GB which is equivalent to about 5,000 singles – the Clickwheel iPod model only
30 GB which is equivalent to about 7,500 singles – the Clickwheel iPod model only
40 GB which is equivalent to about 10,000 singles
60 GB which is equivalent to 15,000 singles – Photo iPod model
The Hard-drive is used for the purposes of storage

Music File Types:

AAC
MP3
AIFF
WAV
Audible Audiobooks
Apple Lossless

Photos: For the iPod Photo

JPEG
GIF
BMP
TIFF
PNG
PSD

Colors:

White
Black and Red (U2 SE)

Screen:

iPod Photo: 2-inch, 220px X 176px, 65,536 color
Clickwheel models: 160 X 128 pixels, Grayscale, 2-inch

Connection:

Dock Connector

Approx. Battery Life:

Clickwheel Model: 12 hours
iPod Photo Model: 15 hours

Dimensions:

The 4.1″ X 2.4″ X 0.57″- 20 and 30 GB CW Models
The 4.1″ X 2.4″ X 0.69″ – 40 GB CW Model
The 4.1″ X 2.4″ X 0.74″ – iPod Photo
Weight

The 5.6oz – 20 and 30 Clickwheel models
The 6.2oz – 40 GB Clickwheel model
The 6.4oz – iPod Photo Model

The Price

$299 for the 20 GB CW
$349 for the 30 GB U2 Limited Edition
$399 for the 40 GB CW
$499 for the 40 GB Photo
$599 for the 60 GB Photo (which dropped to $440 February and $399 June 2005)

Requirements

For Mac: The Mac OS X 10.2.8 or higher; iTunes
For Windows: Windows 2000 or the XP; iTunes

This version also went by the names; the ‘iPod with Color Display’, the ‘iPod Photo’ and the ‘Clickwheel iPod’.

The 3rd-generation Model iPod was released on April 2003

ipod 3rd generation

Łukasz Ryba/Wikipedia Commons/CC By 3.0
Released April 2003
Discontinued July 2004

The third-generation iPod touch was received with a somewhat lukewarm response when it was first introduced because it was just a slight improvement over the previous iPod model. Based on rumors, a majority of observers were expecting that the model would incorporate a camera, which appeared in the later model, the fourth-generation model. Despite the disappointment in some areas, the 3rd-generation iPod touch still made some sales and was successful in every respect.

The 3rd-generation iPod was quite similar to the previous one. However, a faster processor, increased capacity and VoiceOver and Voice Control capabilities set it apart from its predecessor.

Another key feature added to the 3rd-generation model was the processor used in the latest line of iPhone 3GS, which gave the device more processing speed and power, making it possible for the model to display complex graphics as it had OpenGL. Just like prior iPod touch models, the third-generation iPod lacked the GPS and digital camera available on the phone.

The 3rd-generation iPod was released on April 2003 but was discontinued in July 2004.

The third-generation iPod was quite a design change from previous iPod models. The model featured a new device housing that was way thinner and featured more-rounded soft corners. It was the first model to have the new ‘touch wheel’, a new touch-sensitive wheel for perusing content stored within the device. With this unique menu maneuver, backward/forward and pause/play buttons were moved using a thumb wheel and were aligned in a straight horizontal row just below the display screen.

It was also the first iPod model to come with a Dock Connector. This soon became the new standard for connecting most iPod Models (apart from the iPod Shuffle) to compatible accessories and computers.

The introduction of the new iTunes Store promotions partners with the new models features. A Windows OS compatible desktop version of the Store was launched in October 2003, just 5 months following the new market introduction of the 3rd-generation iPod was introduced. Windows OS users needed to do a little reformatting of their iPods to make them Windows-compatible.

Capacity:
10GB – could hold up to 2,500
15GB – could hold up to 3,700
20GB – could hold up to 5,000 (this model replaced the 15GB model – September 2003)
30GB – could hold up to 7,5000
40GB – could hold up to 10,000 (this model replaced the 30 GB model – September 2003)
Storage hard drive

Supported Formats:
– Mp3
– AIFF
– WAV
– ACC (Mac OS only)

Colors:
White only

Screen:
2-inch, 160px x 128px
Gray-scale

Connectors:
– Dock
– FireWire USB adapter (optional)

Battery Life:
– approx. 8 Hours

Overall Dimensions:
10, 15, 20 GB Models 4.1″ x 2.4″ x 0.62″
30 and 40 GB Models 4.1″ x 2.4″ x 0.73″

Weight:
10, 15, and 20 GB Models – 5.6oz
30 and 40 GB Models – 6.2oz

Price:
10 GB – $299
15 GB and 20GB – $399
30 GB and 40 GB – $499

Requirements:
Windows: Windows XP, 2000, or ME; Music-match / Jukebox Plus v7.5; iTunes 4.1
Mac: Mac OS X 10.1.5 and above; iTunes

2002 was the Release of their Second Generation, the iPod Touch.

iPod 2nd Generation

copyright image Apple Inc.
Released: In July 02
Discontinued: In April 03

The 2nd Generation iPod Touch was very different to its predecessors in association to the redesign in shape along with a variety of new sensors and features, which included integrated speakers, a built-in accelerometer, Genius functionality and Nike+ support.

The 2nd Generation iPod touch featured the iPhone 3G shape, yet it was thinner with a measurement of just 0.33-inches thick.

Similar to the iPhone, the second Gen.Touch came with the accelerometer which senses how the user is moving or holding the device, which allowed the screen content to accordingly respond. This device also came with a Nike+ exercise tracking and management software system along with hardware for Nike shoes that needed to be bought separately.

Unlike an iPhone, this touch was lacking in a camera and phone features. Yet in many other ways, these 2 devices were just as similar.

The second-Generation model iPod was introduced shortly under one year later, after the great success of the original model.

For the 2nd generation, this model boasted a few other new features which included Window support which increased the storage capacity, the touch sensitive wheel, instead of a mechanical wheel which was featured on the first iPod.

Even though the look and feel of this device is just about identical to the 1st generation model, this new model came with rounded corners. On the date of its release, the now known iTunes store had not yet been released which occurred in the latter 2003.

The 2nd generation iPod came in 4 models, which featured signatures of Tony Hawk, Beck, or Madonna, or a logo from the band known as ‘No Doubt’, were engraved into the back part of this device for a fee of $50.

How an Accelerometer works

Capacity

– 5GB, which is about 1000 singles

– 10 GB which is around 2000 singles

– 20 GB which is around 4000 singles

– The hard-drive was used for the purpose of storage

The Supported Formats

MP3
AIFF
WAV
Audible audiobooks

Color:

White only

The Screen:

160 by 128 pixels
Grayscale
2-inches

Connectors:

Fire-wire

Battery Life:

approx 10 hrs

Dimensions:

– 4h x 2.4w x 0.78″ thick – The 5 GB

– 4h x 2.4w x 0.72″ thick – The 10GB

– 4h x 2.4w x 0.84″ thick – The 20GB

Weight:

6.5oz for the 5GB and the 10 GB
7.2oz for the 20 GB

Price:

$299 for the 5GB
$399 for the 10GB
$499 for the 20 GB

System Requirements:

Mac: the Mac OS 9.2.2 or the Mac OS X 10.14 or higher, iTunes2 for the OS 9 or 3 for the OS X

Windows: Windows ME, 2000 or the XP; MusicMatch Jukebox Plus

In 2007, Apple introduced the iPod touch.

first generation ipod

Image Copyright Apple Inc.
Introduced: Oct. 2001
Released: Nov. 2001
Discontinued: July 2002

This first-generation smart device showed a huge shift and redesign of the original iPod. This iPod touch resembled the very popular and easy to use iPhone. In fact, it did not look like the iPod Nano or iPod Video, its predecessors at all. It is easy to see why the iPod touch became a very good choice for people who wanted the features of the iPhone without the actual phone.

Throughout its existence, the iPod touch has progressed from a fun and trendy way to listen to music to a useful and sometimes essential device. So much so, some decided to forgo the phone and use the iPod touch instead. Keep reading to see how the iPod has changed its design, software, and features with every new generation.

The first-generation iPod was known for its sleek design. The all white design was both modern and aesthetically pleasing. The scroll wheel housed the 4 buttons that controlled the device. On top is the menu button, then the forward, then the play/pause, then the backwards button. To select items, simply push the center button. This first-generation iPod could only be used with Mac 0S 9 or Mac 0S X 10.1.

The iPod was by far the most user-friendly MP3 device on the market. Because of this, and its design, it accumulated a quick following. The original iPod was a strong seller. Since the iTunes store did not yet exist, those who used this first iPod had to add music manually from their CDs or personal music library.

Apple was a relatively small company at the time.

A lot of its success came from the introduction of this MP3 device.

Capacity
Two options: 5 GB held about 1000 songs and the 10 GB could hold 2000 songs.

Supported Audio Formats
MP3​, WAV, and AIFF

Colors
Only available in white

Screen
160 x 128 pixels, 2×2, gray-scale

Fire-wire Connection

Battery Life of 10 hours

Dimensions: 4.02 x 2.43 x 0.78 in

Weight: 6.5 ounces

Price in US Dollars

5GB for $399.00
10 GB for $499.00

Requirements: Mac OS-9, iTunes 2