Hasta La Gadget!

It didn’t seem like quite an official release day for the new iPod Touch, but yesterday was the day users started to receive their units in the mail. We even got our hands on one as well, but iFixit ended up gutting the device to see what was on the inside. They didn’t find too many surprises, but they noted that the device’s repairability was unsurprisingly lacking.

iFixit noted that a lot of the components are soldered together, which would obviously require a very difficult or very expensive repair if anything breaks. They also discovered that the new iPod Touch has no external screws, which may not be too surprising, but the combination of clips and adhesive makes it a little more difficult to open the device up. And while the iPhone 5 included a stronger home button, Apple sadly left that out in the newest iPod Touch, using the weaker rubber membrane of yore.

One unfortunate surprise that they found, though, was that most of the cables that are connected to the logic board run over the top and connect on the bottom, which may not sound like a huge deal, but it makes it really difficult to disconnect any of the cables or remove the logic board itself.

However, taking out the battery actually proved to be the easiest tasks of the teardown. It’s glued to the rear shell, but the notches all around the battery make it easy to pry out. This is certainly a good sign, since battery repairs are fairly common. Overall, iFixit it gave the iPod Touch a low repairability score of 3/10.

iPod Touch 5th generation gets full teardown is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The folks over at iFixit have gotten their tool-sporting hands all over the new iPod touch, giving Apple’s latest music player the customary detailed teardown. The alien autopsy-esque dissection reveals the device’s A5 processor, flash memory from Toshiba and a lot of parts secured firmly in place. The latter, naturally, has led to a pretty dismal repairability score for the touchscreen player — a three out of 10 — nothing new, really, for Cupertino products, though the company seemed to be moving in the other direction with the new iPhone. Check the source link below for all the gory details — and yes, iFixit even goes so far as calling the device’s home button “weak.” Oh snap, guys.

Filed under: Handhelds, Apple

iFixit tears into the new iPod touch, bemoans lack of repairability originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 08:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s 5th Gen iPod touch has landed, and it marks quite a departure for the touchscreen media player. What once was described as a phoneless-iPhone has evolved into a device with a distinct focus of its own, building on the gaming prowess of its predecessor and adding in a capable digital camera to this latest generation. The first batch of new iPod touch units are winging their way to preorder customers, but one has already landed on the SlashGear test bench, so read on for some first impressions.

While the last iPod touch, though running at Retina resolution, had a less impressive display than its iPhone 4S counterpart, Apple hasn’t made the same mistake this time around. We’ll have to wait for the inevitable teardowns to be sure, but to our eyes the new iPod touch uses the same panel as the iPhone 5, and benefits from it hugely.

It’s dressed in a more distinctive case than before, at a casual glance directly related to the iPhone 5, but unlikely to be mistaken for it. The brushed anodized aluminum is tactile and sturdy, and that – combined with the length of the PMP – emphasizes the thinness: it’s now just 6.1mm thick and, at 88g, 11-percent lighter than the model it replaces. There’s some beveling to the bezel, but only on the front, which should cut down on the scuffs and scratches we saw on the iPhone 5.

Inside there’s Apple’s dualcore A5 chipset, with up to twice the processing power and up to seven times the graphical abilities. It’s certainly enough to keep iOS 6 moving slickly, though will show its particular worth when it comes to gaming and multimedia apps; we’ll be testing those out for our full review. You also get Siri, Apple Maps, the new Facebook integration, and AirPlay Mirroring.

The other big change to this generation is the camera, at 5-megapixels not quite up to the 8-megapixel sensor in the iPhone 5, but certainly the most ambitious of an iPod touch to-date. Already we can see point-and-shoots losing ground to this capable backside-illuminated sensor, benefiting from easy navigation with the touchscreen, the addition of face-detection, panorama mode, and native HDR capture. Apple doesn’t bundle iPhoto, but it’s an affordable $4.99 purchase.

Apple is keeping the 4th-gen iPod touch on sale alongside its new 5th-gen model (the older example will be cheaper, with 16GB and 32GB models, while the 5th-gen will be available in 32GB and 64GB versions) and so we’ll be seeing how they hold up against each other as well as how they compare to the rest of the portable music options out there. That will have to wait for the full SlashGear review, so until then, enjoy our hands-on gallery and video.

iPod touch unboxing & first-impressions (late 2012) is written by Vincent Nguyen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you’ve been waiting impatiently to get your hands on the latest cellular radio-less iOS device, we’ve got good news. The fifth gen iPod touch with its elongated screen and colorful backplate is available today in Apple stores across the country. And, if you preordered the slinky aluminum and glass media player, it should already be in the mail. The latest edition of the nano, which is becoming more and more like its larger sibling the touch every day, is also popping up on shelves. The seventh generation of the tiny player, complete with multi touch screen and 16GB of storage, is cropping in Apple stores for $149 starting today. Let us know in the comments if you decided to pick up either device.

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Apple

Fifth-gen iPod touch and nano now in stores and in the mail originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 09:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earlier today we reported that benchmarks for Apple’s latest iPod touch had surfaced along with an official iPod touch guide which was available for download via the iBookstore. This suggested that the iPod touch would be ready for sale and shipping soon. Well according to the reports and a comment left by one of our readers, shipments for those who pre-ordered their device have already begun and is expected to see a delivery date for the 15^th of October. Apple did promise an October timeframe and we guess now’s as good a time as any! There have also been reports that the iPod touch is available for purchase via some of Apple’s retail stores, so if you plan to pick one up, we expect that you should be able to do so via Apple’s retail stores (best call and check before doing so!) or you can place an order online, where hopefully your order will also see a delivery date on or after the 15^th of October.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: iPod touch benchmark reveals the same A5 processor as the iPhone 4S, FreedomPop iPhone sleeve gives iPod touch limited phone capabilities,