You gotta admit, the iPhone would have simply been more awesome if the phone part didn’t suffer from antenna issues. So what would you get if you took the iPhone 4, removed the ‘phone’ part, and ran with it—basically leaving you with a multimedia device with the high-res Retina Display, 5MP cam, and the Face Time video calling feature? You’d get the next-gen iPod touch, if this rumor/leak proves true.
*updated, with new front panel photos, shown after the cut.
Of course, we can’t assume the details are final (the source is a UK retailer’s audio buyer—no one left a prototype on a bar stool this time), but the iPod touch usually moves whichever way the new iPhone goes, so it’s pretty safe to assume as much. According to the report, the next iPod touch would also most likely feature the iPhone 4’s gyroscope for delivering a better movement-based gaming experience.
As for Face Time video calling on something that’s not a phone, it should work, since Face Time calls are done on a Wi-fi connection anyway. All it would need is a camera (which Apple has supposedly been planning to add on the touch since the third gen), the connection and the software.
It shouldn’t be long before we find out—Apple traditionally holds their iPod update in September.
Update: Photos of the reported 4th-gen iPod touch’s front panel have surfaced. Pretty much looks like the iPhone 4’s face plate, but without the earpiece above the screen. A hole for what’s probably a front-facing cam is shown, making the addition of Face Time more likely.
Tags: iPhone 4, Ipod Touch, Leaks and Rumors, Portable Media Players
