iPod Touch: Apple releases first new model in four years, keeping personal music players alive

Rest of iPod line has slowly been killed off

(Apple)

Apple has revealed a new version of the iPod Touch.

The iPhone-shaped personal music player – which is the only remaining Apple product with iPod in its name – has not been updated for four years. It seemed possible that it never would be, with Apple has gradually removing the other iPod products from its line.

But it has now been updated, including new hardware on the inside and fresh colours on the outside.

The updated version comes with a new chip inside, giving it the processing power to include a whole range of features that have not been available on the iPod before. They include updates such as augmented reality features and group FaceTime calls.

The new iPod Touch also has the option of adding more storage, allowing it to have as much as 256GB.

It also comes in six finishes: space gray, white, gold, blue, pink and red.

The new iPod is available now starts at $199 in the US for the 32GB model, and roughly the same price around the world. The 128GB version costs $299 and the 256GB one costs $399.

The last time the iPod Touch was updated was in 2015, when Apple also added upgraded new components to make sure it could still use its latest software.

Since July 2017, when Apple quietly killed off the iPod Nano and Shuffle, the Touch is the only iPod in Apple's line-up.

It seems to have stuck around because it is the only one of the iPods that ever had an internet connection and Apple's iOS software, allowing it to use services like Apple Music. The company has largely moved away from personal music libraries and songs being stored on computers and iPods, instead encouraging users to sign up for streaming music, as part of a more general move towards services.

But old versions of the iPod are still around, and continue to be supported by Apple. They remain one of the problems with the company completely overhauling iTunes and focusing on Apple Music, since the software is still the way that those iPods can be synced with computers and music can be put onto them.