14 DAY TRIAL // In a rather unusual move, Apple has released a guided tour for the company's latest released iPod touch model. While everything that was there before is still in place, the new device adds a couple of extra hardware enhancements, while also including a few software additions.
Therefore, Apple felt it was necessary to offer folks an in-depth preview of the new device, using one of its Apple Retail Store staffers. Hanna begins the tour by explaining how iPod touch now features a revamped metal design, which makes it feel even better in your hand than it did before. Not forgetting to mention the new model's built-in capabilities, the Apple Store staffer continues by addressing those into music, games, or videos, noting that iPod touch has something to offer for each and every one of them.
Also included with the new iPod touch, Hanna reveals, are the built-in volume control buttons and the speaker, for “casual listening,” as Steve Jobs also noted during the September 9 keynote address.
The tour also emphasizes the iPod touch's advanced capabilities of running third party apps, all available from the App Store, the new Genius feature Apple is oh-so excited about, music and video playback, and the rest of the stuff you're probably already familiar with.
However, what the guided tour doesn't reveal are the iPod touch's actual size and weight, which, according to the specs page, are:
Height: 4.3 inches (110 mm); Width: 2.4 inches (61.8 mm); Depth: 0.33 inch (8.5 mm); Weight: 4.05 ounces (115 grams).
That's pretty impressive even for an Apple portable!
Also worth noting about the new touch is its increased battery life. The built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery allows for up to 36 hours of music playback time and up to 6 hours of video playback time, when fully charged. So, in case you end up sold on the new device, after watching the guided tour and going through the tech specs, all that remains to be done is to make sure you meet these minimum Mac or Windows system requirements:
Mac system requirements
Mac computer with USB 2.0 port Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later iTunes 8 or later
Windows system requirements
PC with USB 2.0 port Windows Vista or Windows XP Home, or Professional with Service Pack 3 or later iTunes 8 or later
The new iPod touch has been designed using materials that are Arsenic, Mercury, and PVC-free, as well as a highly recyclable stainless steel enclosure, to reduce environmental impact, according to Apple.
The guided tour is available here in small, medium and large streaming versions, as well as in downloadable small (iPod compatible) and large versions.