Apple will reportedly unveil its new lineup of iPod music players as soon as today, July 15, with a notably upgraded iPod Touch leading the charge.
Once at the top of Apple's revenue sources, iPods have taken a back seat in recent years as the company focused more on its iPhones and iPads. The iPod lineup hasn't seen new models for quite some time, as the last refresh was back in 2012. Nevertheless, Apple is expected to give iPods some love very soon, with new iPod Touch, iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle models expected to hit the scene.
We already knew that a lineup refresh was imminent, with recent reports hinting at a debut on or around July 14. A new report from 9to5Mac now claims to have learned from sources that Apple will roll out its new iPod lineup on Wednesday, 15. This means that the big unveiling is just hours away, so here's what to expect.
First of all, Apple is expected to introduce new color options with its upcoming lineup of iPods, as the refreshed Nano, Touch and Shuffle models will reportedly come in six avatars: Space Gray, Silver, Bright Pink, Deep Blue, Red and Light Gold.
Based on leaks and reports so far, new color options will be the only change for the refreshed iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle. However, the upcoming iPod Touch will reportedly boast more notable upgrades, improving in several departments.
The iPod Touch is expected to get a camera bump to an 8-megapixel camera, which would be considerably better than the 5-megapixel shooter of its predecessor (pictured above). Moreover, the new iPod Touch should also pack a new 64-bit chip under the hood, which would not only translate to better graphics and faster performance, but would also enable the device to support future software updates beyond iOS 9. For now, however, the iPod Touch will come with iOS 8.4 on board out of the box, complete with the newly-launched Apple Music.
Apple is further expected to upgrade storage options with its 2015 iPod Touch, adding a 128GB version priced at $399. Other options should include a 16GB model priced at $199 and a 64GB variant priced at $299.
Lastly, the new-generation iPod Touch should also borrow the "M" chip from the iPhone and support fitness tracking, steps count and others such.
No major changes are expected in terms of design, as the new iPod Touch, iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle will most likely retain the same form factor and overall appearance of their predecessors.
