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Two years ago, Apple surprised with the launch in Spain of a new generation of the iPod Touch. A device that had not been updated for years and that many saw with surprise, since the smartphone has replaced a whole plethora of dedicated devices that we used in the past, such as the walkmann. There could be a new generation on the way.
Twitter user LeaksApplePro has released a rumor to the air; “confirms” that Apple I’d be working on a new iPod and that we would see this model launch at the end of the year, after the summer. The question pops up again; Does it really make sense to launch such a product with the smartphone existing?
The truth is that yes. There are reasons to think that Apple would launch this new model to the market, and the most obvious is the lossless audio mode of Apple Music, since it would satisfy a fairly specific niche of users large enough to justify said presentation.
High-quality audio
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The most logical reasoning when criticizing the iPod is that our iPhone does everything an iPod does but with more power, better capabilities and the ability to make calls and send WhatsApp. In fact, the smartphone it is the direct evolution of audio devices, becoming something far superior.
A few weeks ago, Apple announced the subscription Loseless Apple Music that offered, at no additional cost, lossless audio in CD quality. The Lossless level of Apple Music starts at CD quality, which is 16-bit at 44.1 kHz (kilohertz), goes up to 24-bit at 48 kHz, and can be played natively on Apple devices. For the true audiophile, Apple Music also offers Hi-Resolution Lossless up to 24-bit 192kHz.
Apple Music brings lossless audio to the entire catalog and spatial audio with Dolby Atmos
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And it’s the audiophile we’re going to focus on. This type of user has no qualms about spending a certain amount of money on a computer dedicated to high-quality audio, either to play that audio or to listen to it. Brands like Fiio market devices specifically dedicated to this, with special DACs capable of taking advantage of all this quality.
The problem is that this technology It is very expensive. It is logical; the demand is not sufficient for normal consumer prices to be applied. The standard user just wants to listen to music, and few really care about the quality of the audio, even if it has a low broadcast quality.
Hi-Fi device from Sony.
Omicrono.
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Let us give examples. In Spain we can find Sony alternatives, such as the Sony NWA105BCEW, an Android audio player that is basically a device capable of playing Hi-Fi audio. Its cost in our country is 229 euros, an unaffordable cost for a user who does not care about high quality audio.
If we leave the Spanish border, we find the Fiio M15, a player premium what can be found and AliExpress for 1,100 euros, also with Android. The M15 has technology that only an audiophile could no longer take advantage of, but a true sound specialist that, in addition, he could afford to spend that amount.
And the iPod?
Sony WH-1000XM4
Omicrono
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And this is where the iPod comes in. This is a device that roughly all it can do is run iOS, and therefore, all Apple services associated with said operating system. Exactly, it can play the high-quality audio modalities of Apple Music.
Although to take advantage of them we will need headphones compatible with high definition and that use a wired connection that is also compatible, such as USB-C. No, the Lightning port of the AirPods Max is not worth it and neither is the wireless technology of the AirPods Pro. That is, if we want to hear all the quality that the modality Loseless offers us, we will need at least this equipment.
And in this sense, it is much better and easier to carry a device dedicated to it than to use our own mobile phone, which, in addition to being expensive, is used for many other things. Therefore, an audiophile would prefer to use a dedicated iPod with dedicated audio equipment rather than having to use their smartphone.
The resulting question is whether Apple will follow the same design strategy it followed in 2019. The most criticized aspect of the iPod is that its design did not change at all, becoming obsolete from the moment it was marketed. This could be an opportunity for those in Cupertino to make an iPod with modern design lines and more pleasing to the eye.
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