Ipod Touch: Is the 5G worth the premium price?

[ControlD]

So I am looking to purchase an iPod Touch as a gift for my daughter. I have not kept up with the Touch since I purchased my 2G model however long ago that was (still gets a lot of use as my running companion). It seems that the fifth generation models start at $299 (no more 16GB option?). I can get a refurbished 32GB fourth generation model direct from Apple for $179. Is the 5G model worth the $120 price premium? I guess I am just a cheap bastard, but when buying for myself I tend to go one generation behind and get refurbished. This is a gift however and I don't want to get something that already sucks out of the box!

 

[dagamer34]

I think it's worth it. The 5th generation has far superior build quality compared to the terrible shiny aluminum of previous iPod Touches (it scratches WAY too easily), has the exact same display as the iPhone 5 (previous models were not IPS, worse color saturation), and has multi-colored models. Also, the 4th gen iPod Touch is using internal hardware that's 3 years old at this point, and will likely stop getting OS updates within 2 years.

If it were just for you, then sure, 4th gen would be fine, but the difference between the 4th and 5th are so striking that as a gift, you really shouldn't be a cheapskate. Besides, you can get a refurb 5th gen iPod Touch for $250: http://store.apple.com/us/browse/hom...pod_touch/32gb

Now at only a $70 price premium, it's a no brainer. ^_^

 

[bearxor]

This is my opinion, but I would get the 5th gen touch.

1 - It comes in colors. She can pick her favorite.
2 - The built-in loop may come in handy.
3 - the 4th gen hardware is from 2010. The 5th gen at least gets you to 2011 levels (iPhone 4S)
4 - massive camera upgrade, from .7MP to 5MP in the back, .3MP to 1.2MP in the front.
5 - Moves you to the lightning connector, since this is where Apple is going anyways

This is one case where, IMO, it just makes sense to move to the newest version. It's a significant hardware upgrade. You can snag refurb 32GB's off Apple's site for $250, $70 more and seemingly well worth it.

I don't believe I'd buy the 4th gen Touch unless you had a specific usage case in mind and none of the hardware improvements mattered. Otherwise, I'm presuming your daughter would be using this for at least a few years.

 

[fr]

I had a 4G iPod touch and it was extremely slow when playing modern games.

 

[colonelciller]

if she has a smartphone she'll likely never use the ipod.

 

[ControlD]

if she has a smartphone she'll likely never use the ipod.

She's 8 years old. Not quite into smartphone territory yet. But, I have an iPhone and I use my iPod Touch daily.

Sounds like the 5G is the way to go. Thanks for all of the input everyone.

 

[Megatomic]

I had a 4G iPod touch and it was extremely slow when playing modern games.

Second this. Also, Facebook is slow as heck on it. And it crashes frequently. Overall UI response is slow compared to the iPhone 4S I can check it against.

 

[dagamer34]

She's 8 years old. Not quite into smartphone territory yet. But, I have an iPhone and I use my iPod Touch daily.

Sounds like the 5G is the way to go. Thanks for all of the input everyone.

The 5G iPod Touch has the same A5 SoC as the iPad Mini, meaning it'll likely be supported in software for quite some time (4+ years). By the time it's time to replace that device, she'll probably be ready for a phone.

 

[splat_ed]

My only concern with the 5th gen would be the lightning connector. Does she have any Apple devices already? If so she might have a small collection of old iPod connected accessories...

That could sting a bit if she had to replace those...

 

[ControlD]

My only concern with the 5th gen would be the lightning connector. Does she have any Apple devices already? If so she might have a small collection of old iPod connected accessories...

That could sting a bit if she had to replace those...

She uses my original iPad but has no accessories luckily.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

the ipod touch 4g is almost 3 years old and it's slower than the iPhone 4 in that it has only half the RAM at 256mb.

maybe last year it was ok to buy, but definitely not anymore. i can see it getting phased out with the next iphone launch.

 

[ControlD]

the ipod touch 4g is almost 3 years old and it's slower than the iPhone 4 in that it has only half the RAM at 256mb.

maybe last year it was ok to buy, but definitely not anymore. i can see it getting phased out with the next iphone launch.

Yeah, I forgot that Apple went some time in between updates. I am ordering the 5G unit for sure once I figure out what color to get.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

The 5G has less than 1 ohm output impedance and if I recall correctly, the 4G had an output impedance closer to 4. That makes the 5G the clear choice if you are using any sensitive headphones, especially if they are multi-balanced armatures.

 

[purbeast0]

i don't know if the cpu speed in the ipod touches 4g vs 5g are the same as the iphone 4 vs 5, but damn last night i was using my wife's iphone5 to test out a new app i wrote and snap some screen shots, and holy crap it is significantly faster than my iphone 4.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

i don't know if the cpu speed in the ipod touches 4g vs 5g are the same as the iphone 4 vs 5, but damn last night i was using my wife's iphone5 to test out a new app i wrote and snap some screen shots, and holy crap it is significantly faster than my iphone 4.

iPod Touch 4G has the A4... is it downclocked to 800mhz? Same with the iPhone 4. Think Galaxy S1, but not 1ghz and only 800mhz. The RAM in the iPhone 4 keeps it decent though because 256mb is barely enough on iOS now.

The iPod Touch 5G has a dual core CPU? It's like moving from iPad 1 to iPad 2 I suppose. It also has 512mb RAM which is pretty important. I'd say the iPod Touch 5G performs like an iPhone 4S? Not sure if its downclocked to 800mhz like the 4S, so it potentially could be faster than a 4S?

The 5 uses dual the A6 which is closer to a dual core Krait or even Cortex A15s. It's even faster than the 4S, especially also given that it clocks up to 1.2ghz or so.

 

[luv2liv]

Second this. Also, Facebook is slow as heck on it. And it crashes frequently. Overall UI response is slow compared to the iPhone 4S I can check it against.

my ipod 3g is still working great. then again, i have never updated since pulling it out of the box. facebook working smooth as ever. so maybe my advice is never to update anything from apple

 

[ControlD]

I ended up getting the 5g unit, thanks for all of the input. I will be giving it to her tonight so once she goes to bed I will spend some time playing around with it. All in the name of research of course.

 

[desura]

Yes, yes, and yes.

I have a 4g and it is slow as hell. It is literally the most resource constrained iOS device ever made. Has to push a retina screen on a 800mhz processor and 256mb RAM.

Right now, I only use it for music listening and some random note taking and web surfing. Gave up on playing games or doing anything advanced on it. Opening up the notepad program sometimes takes 20 seconds.