iPod touch 6th generation tipped by swift iPhone 6S/7 release date
The missing iPod touch 6th generation conundrum may have just become more clear thanks to the apparent accelerated iPhone 6S release date. This week we reported that Apple is considering moving up the iPhone 6s launch to the spring of 2015, and the iPhone 7 to the fall of next year. If that intention holds true, it helps explain where the iPod touch 6 disappeared to and when it’ll surface.
The mystery began when Apple held its September press conference and rolled out the iPhone 6 and Plus but failed to make any mention of a new iPod touch 6th generation, which according to Cupertino tradition should have debuted alongside the fully made-over new smartphone in the usual every other year fashion. Things deepened when the October media event also came and went with nary a mention of a new iPod touch. Was it being held back for reasons relating to NFC and Apple Pay? Was Apple waiting to make a decision on screen size? Was it simply not ready yet? Would it surface before the start of the holiday shopping season? And if not, would Apple really wait a full year to debut it, by which time the current model would be nearly obsolete in terms of specs?
The first clue came from Apple’s stated intention to launch the Apple Watch in the spring of 2015. That’s a departure from recent years in which every major product launch came in the second half of the calendar year. And now with the news that the iPhone 6S may surface in the spring as well, the big picture becomes more clear. The iWatch will work with the iPhone and iPod touch, and Apple wants to launch fresh new versions of both products alongside the smartwatch in order to give maximum exposure (and spiked sales) to all three.
Apple couldn’t have gone another six months without unveiling a new iPhone, so the 6 rolled out now and the 6S will launch in the spring. But thanks to the lower profile of the iPod touch, Apple has apparently decided to simply sit on the 6th generation model until the spring. Again, our source says that Apple is only considering an iPhone 6S spring release date – it’s far too early for anything to be set in stone – but it would go a long way to explaining the missing iPod touch 6.
Jerry Miller