If there's one thing that Apple knows how to build, it's hype. Aside from creating some of the most successful smartphones and tablets on the planet, the Cupertino, California team knows that the wait is well worth it.
Such is the case with the upcoming sixth generation of the iPod Touch which was originally rumored to be launched around September of last year. An official release date was never given, and many don't even know if the portable media player will actually see the light of day, but every-other-September has been a window for new launches for iPod Touch devices in the past.
Of course, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were released this last September, and it's been speculated that Apple wanted to test the waters with the new iPhone 6 Plus phablet-sized device before committing to another generation of the almost-obsolete iPod Touch. As the iPad line continues to get smaller, that niche of touchscreen mobile devices without cell service seems to be filled with the iPad Mini, driving the iPod Touch out of the spotlight it once enjoyed.
But at the same time, if a new iPod Touch 6 is in the works, it could have been waiting patiently in the shadows to see how customers react to two different screen sizes. Could the iPod Touch offer two different displays? And if so, would it offer the same 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch sizes that the iPhone 6 line currently offers?
Right now, there's only speculation based on hints, but it's safe to say that if there is an iPod Touch 6 in the works, it will most likely enjoy the same hardware as the current iPhone 6, including the improved A8 processor, 1.4 GHz dual-core second gen Cyclone CPU, 1 GB of RAM and 16, 64, or 128 GB of storage.
But the one thing that usually sways people to buy the iPod Touch over the similarly equipped iPhone is the price. You can currently grab the fifth generation iPod Touch for $199 to start, which is a bit of a price drop from when it originally launched. With that in mind, and considering the fact that the sixth generation is said to include all the same hardware features as the iPhone 6, we expect the next model to be around $249 for the base model.
And now all that's left is a release date. Originally, many believed that every missing piece of the Apple product puzzle would be revealed during an Apple event on February 24, but the event is evidently not taking place, according to a report from 9to5Mac.
So the next logical event for an announcement would be during March's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that the Apple Watch would be launching in April, so that may still be a focus for the company for now instead of the iPod Touch 6.
Either way, we could be looking at a launch soon after the rumored March announcement, or if Apple want to get back on schedule, a September launch isn't out of the question.
