The iPod Touch (stylized and marketed as iPod touch) is a multi-purpose pocket computer designed and marketed by Apple Inc. with a user interface that is touchscreen-based. It can be used as a music and video player, digital camera, handheld game device, and personal digital assistant (PDA).[8] It connects to the Internet through Wi-Fi base stations and is therefore not a smartphone, though its design and iOS operating system are very similar to Apple’s iPhone. As of May 2013, 100 million iPod Touch units have been sold.[1]
All models of the same generation typically consist of identical features, processors, and performance, in addition to available operating system upgrades, differing only in outer color and internal storage space. An exception is the currently available iPod Touch (fifth generation), as the low-end (16 GB) model is sold without a rear-facing iSight photographic camera and also lacks the iPod Touch loop.
The iPod Touch runs Apple’s Unix-based iOS operating system (called ‘iPhone OS’ until 2010) and includes bundled software to browse the Internet, view maps, send and receive email, view media, and work with office documents such as presentations and spreadsheets. Users type on a virtual keyboard displayed on the screen. Apple operates an online store, allowing users to buy and directly download music, videos and third-party software. From launch, the iPod Touch was described by journalists as an ‘iPhone without the phone’,[9] and each iPod Touch model to date has been introduced with the same release number of iOS as the contemporary iPhone model.
Successive updates to iOS since the initial release in 2007 have released additional features. iPhone OS 2.0, released on July 11, 2008, introduced the App Store, which allowed third-party applications for the first time. iPhone OS 3.0, released on June 17, 2009, added features such as cut, copy, and paste, data tethering and push notification support. iOS 4.0, released on June 21, 2010, introduced iBooks, FaceTime, and multitasking. It dropped support for the first generation iPod Touch.
In June 2011, iOS 5, the fifth major release of iOS software, was announced at Apple’s WWDC 2011, which added notification, messaging and reminder features.[10] Apple limited some features, most notably the voice control system Siri, to the iPhone.[11]iOS 6, which was released on September 19, 2012 to the fourth and fifth generation iPod Touch models, contains 200 new features including Passbook, Facebook integration and Apple Maps. The fifth generation iPod Touch gained the ability to take panoramic photos, a feature shared with the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5.[12]
Recent iOS updates have been free for owners of supported iPod Touch models, but Apple received criticism for charging iPod Touch owners for versions 2.0 and 3.0, which iPhone owners received for free, and for excluding certain features from the iPod Touch software that the iPhone included.[13][14] Apple’s position was that they could add features for free to the iPhone because the revenue from it is accounted for on a subscription basis under accounting rules, rather than as a one time payment.[15] At WWDC in June 2010, as of iOS 4, Steve Jobs announced that Apple had “found a way” to make subsequent OS upgrades available free to iPod Touch owners.
To purchase content on the iPod Touch, the user must create an Apple ID or have an existing account. With this account one may download music and videos from the iTunes Store, apps from the App Store, or books from the iBookstore. An Apple ID account created without a credit card can be used to get free content, and gift cards can be bought to pay for apps instead of using credit cards.
The only official way to obtain third-party applications for the iPod Touch is Apple’s App Store, which is a branch of iTunes Store. The App Store application, available in all versions of iOS from 2.0 onwards, allows users to browse and download applications from a single online repository (hosted by Apple) with the iTunes Store. To develop such software, a software development kit (SDK) was officially announced on March 6, 2008, at an Apple Town Hall meeting.[16] The iOS SDK allows making applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch after paying a fee to join the development team. The developer can then set the price for the applications they develop and will receive 70% of money earned. Apple retains 30% of the sale price with no minimum fixed fee.
Like all Apple’s iOS devices, the iPod Touch is a tightly controlled or closed platform. Modifying or replacing the operating system violates the device warranty, communication between apps is limited and controlled, and Apple is the only authorized software vendor. Hackers have therefore attempted to ‘jailbreak’ all iOS devices to enable forbidden or unsupported features, such as multitasking in iOS versions before 4.0, themes for the home screen, the use of software Apple has refused to sell, or a battery percentage indicator. Jailbreaks for the iPod Touch first surfaced a month after the first model was released in September 2007, when hackers released JailbreakMe 1.0 (also called “AppSnapp”) to jailbreak iPhone OS 1.1.1.[17][18] This allowed users to install third-party programs on their devices before Apple permitted this.
As of December 2013, each version of iOS on iPod Touches can be jailbroken using tools such as PwnageTool, redsn0w, Absinthe, and both versions of evasi0n. Apple’s warranty statement implies that an iPod Touch after jailbreaking or other modification made by unofficial means is not covered by Apple’s warranty. Jailbreaking is a violation of the Terms and Conditions for using iOS. The jailbreaking process can normally be undone by performing a restore through iTunes.[19][20]
The iPod Touch is generally similar to the iPhone. The iPod Touch lacks some of the iPhone’s features and associated apps, including the built-in compass, but is also thinner, lighter and less expensive. It is closely related to the iPhone 5C, which is also available in a variety of colors. Older models also lack IPS display technology, speakers, microphones, and cameras, and the camera has never been as high quality as on contemporary iPhone models.[21] Until the fifth generation, the iPod Touch camera lacked a flash for low-light photography, and until the fourth generation the sleep/wake button was on the opposite side. Steve Jobs once referred to the iPod Touch as “training wheels for the iPhone”.[22]
For iPod Touch units bought before October 12, 2011, users must own a Mac or PC computer to be able to use the iPod. Users then must install iTunes and connect the iPod through a USB port. The iPod will then be set up in iTunes. New iPods bought after October 12, 2011 have iOS 5.0 preloaded, and allow activation wirelessly, without the need of a PC or Mac.[23]
Earlier iPod Touch units must be plugged into a computer to be synced. This will charge the iPod Touch and sync the music library, videos, pictures and backup data. iOS 5 enables the user to do all this from the device and send it to the iCloud service, which supports Mac OS X Lion and later.
Starting with the second generation, iPod Touch can only be charged from the 5 V pin of the dock connector while most prior iPod models (including the original iPod Touch) could also be charged from the 12 V pin for FireWire power.[24] This change dropped support for charging in vehicles equipped with a FireWire-based iPod connection. Most aftermarket manufacturers of such equipment offer cables and/or adapters which convert the vehicle’s 12 V to 5 V. Charging the iPod Touch takes about 2 hours (80 per cent capacity) for fast charge, and full charge takes about 4 hours.
The iPod Touch (fifth generation) and iPhone 5 feature a new dock connector, named “Lightning”, which replaces the Apple Dock connector on older iPhone, iPad, iPod models. The Apple Lightning connector has eight pins and all signaling is digital. This new connector is smaller than the previous one allowing the iPhone 5 slimmer form factor. Apple Lightning cables have duplicate pins on two sides of each plug, so it can be inserted either way around. Various accessories will be available to convert the Apple Lightning connector to the older Apple Dock connector or USB,[25] although not all old accessories will work, as not all signals are available.[26]
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