We all thought that the iPod will be the next on the chopping block after Apple decided to kill the iPod Classic. But now, it seems the Cupertino company still has hopes for the rest of the iPod family, specifically the Touch model with the announcement of the 6^th generation iPod Touch.

Design-wise, the new iPod Touch looks almost identical as its predecessor with the exception of the removal of that wrist strap. What’s new though is its internals. The new iPod Touch will be sporting the company’s new A8 chip and M8 coprocessor and 1GB of RAM.

Apple has also incorporated an 8MP iSight camera much like in the iPhone 5. The camera has a wide f/2.4 aperture and features a five-element lens, backside illumination and a hybrid IR filter. Software on the camera includes improved face detection, exposure control, panorama mode and photo geo-tagging.

The device is capable of capturing Full HD videos at 30 fps and comes various software-assisting features including time-lapse video, improved face detection and slo-mo video at 120fps. There’s also a 1.2MP snapper on the front with an f/2.2 aperture and is capable of 720p video recording.

As with the 5^th generation iPod, this model will have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi as well as location-based maps service. There’s also a three-axis gyro sensor and accelerometer and Apple claims the battery can last up to 40 hours for music playback and 8 hours on video playback.

The new Apple iPod touch is now available on Apple’s website starting at $199 for the 16GB version and goes up to $399 for the 128GB model.

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Apple’s iPhones and iPads might be getting all the attention these days, but that doesn’t mean that the Cupertino tech giant is letting its iPod range take the back seat. Today, the company is announcing an upgrade to its entry level iPod touch model, giving it more features and yet keeping the price really low.

The multimedia player will keep most of the features from last year including its Cortex A5 dual-core processor, its 4-inch Retina display, its front-facing camera and its lightning connector. What’s new though is the 5MP iSight camera at the back which features a 5-element lens and an aperture of f/2.4. Apple will also be providing more colour options for this model including pink, yellow, cyan and red.

The Apple 16GB iPod Touch is now available on the US Apple Store for $199 (from $229). Other models in the iPod Touch range will also be getting price cuts with the 32GB and 64GB variants to sell for $249 and $299 respectively.

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Apple’s annual developer conference may not have a lot of announcements in terms of physical products but it was jam-packed with huge news when it comes to software – after all, it’s still a developer conference.

The first big announcements was Apple’s HomeKit – a communication standard for connecting iOS devices to various home appliances. The wireless protocol is designed to securely connect devices with an iOS-powered device or tablet. At the moment, the protocol has no automation layer yet but according to Apple there are plans to bring this feature into the kit in the future.

But the biggest announcement of the day would definitely be the unveiling of Swift- Apple’s new programming language that promises to deliver apps that run faster and smoother than those made from its predecessor – Objective C.

The new programming language can work alongside Objective-C and C codes in the same app so the transition from the previous codes to Swift won’t be so sudden. For devs who want to learn more about Swift, Apple has published a 500-page guide in its iBook Store, which is already available for download.

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The endless patent infringement has finally taken its toll on Apple and Samsung as the two companies are close to completely severing their ties with each other and going their separate ways. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Apple has finally closed the deal with Taiwanese semiconductor company TSMC, making it the new supplier of processors for Apple’s line of iOS devices.

According to the WSJ, the two companies were already talking with each other since 2010 but weren’t able to close a deal when TSMC failed to meet Apple’s speed and power standards. But now that glitches in TSMC’s chips have been fixed, the two have finally reached a compromise.

With the partnership in place, TSMC will eventually take over from Samsung as the Cupertino company’s key supplier and will begin building chips for Apple by 2014. However, a TSMC executive mentioned that Samsung will still be the primary supplier of components for iOS devices through next year.

Although Apple remains stuck with Samsung, TSMC’s entry into the party is a sure sign that Apple is trying its best to reduce its reliance on the Korean manufacturer. At present, majority of the components used in the manufacture of iPods, iPhones and iPads such as screens, RAM and flash memory are still being sourced from Samsung, although there have been efforts in the past from Apple to find other suppliers.

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Apple is moving one step backwards as the company announces a new version of the iPod touch. The new multimedia player will have 16GB of storage and will retail for around $229. The catch? This particular model will lose its rear camera in favour of the reduced price and footprint. This new model presumably will replace the 4^th generation 32GB iPod touch which Apple still offers for $249.

As with other 5^th generation models, the new iPod will still pack the 4-inch Retina display, a front-facing camera with 720p video recording, same battery life, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities and same Cortex A5 processor.  And as stated earlier, the device will lose its rear camera at the same time will be 0.6 ounces lighter than other iPod touch models. Moreover, this model will only come in black and silver in contrast to the previous 5^th gen iPod models.

The announcement was made days before the company’s annual developer conference – WWDC. Furthermore, this move fits in line with the direction that Apple seems to be currently going. That is, the production of much affordable devices that will allow the company to compete with other manufacturers such as Samsung and Chinese manufacturers ZTE and Huawei. 

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