The iPod touch 6th generation is still officially in the ether, with Apple having offered nary a peep about its next-gen MP3 player and having failed to update it in time for the holiday gift buying frenzy. That’s left would-be buyers scratching their heads wondering just when the release date is coming, and looking for clues across the board. The first comes in the form of the availability of Apple’s A8 chip. The second may come from, of all the unlikely sources, the USPS post office. Welcome to This Week in iPod touch 6.
For all its secrecy regarding the matter, Apple’s decision to hold back on the iPod touch 6th generation has been clear enough from the start: it knew that it would struggle to keep up with the overwhelming demand for larger screen iPhone 6 and Plus models from day one, and rather than siphoning off some of those components for a new iPod touch, it opted to put 100% of its efforts into the new iPhone and simply continue selling the old iPod touch 5th gen model in the mean time.
Chief among those shared components is the A8 chip, but the two could end up sharing additional components such as other internal circuitry as well as the 4.7 inch screen. To get a handle on when the “iPod 6″ will launch, keep an eye on iPhone 6 availability. After three months of week-plus shipping delays in the Apple Store online, the new iPhone has finally dropped to being available within a few days for most configurations.
That points to the A8 and other shared components coming close to being available in large enough quantity to spare, which means the iPod touch 6th generation could go into production as soon as next month. But there’s another factor here, and an odd one.
Stabley Times learned that at least some United States Postal Service locations have begun using the iPod touch as a handheld scanning device for checking out customers as recently at this month. That means USPS is making purchases of the iPod touch 5th generation model as we speak. Is this a matter of the post office knowing something that we don’t when it comes to the arrival of the iPod touch 6, or does USPS just not care about waiting for the new model?
After all, the 5th gen model works just fine as a point-of-sale device, and there’s no real need to wait for a larger screen model. Apple could even be selling the outgoing iPod touch models to the post office at a reduced rate to blow out remaining inventory in preparation for the 6th generation launch.
That’s all mere speculation. But with Apple remaining quiet on a product which by all rights should have launched back in September, speculation and an attempt at connecting some questionable dots is all we have to work with. As for whether you’re better off buying an iPod touch 5 now or waiting for the arrival of the iPod touch 6 release date in 2015, that remains a matter of how quickly you need it and what your individual needs are.
Phil Moore
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- New iPod touch 6th generation: A8 chip, Post Office buys 5th gen POS - December 23, 2014
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- iPod touch 6th generation 4.7 vs 5.5 inch, release date, 5C colors - December 14, 2014
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