A little screenshot has surfaced of an iPod touch running iOS 5 Beta 4, which only adds to the growing speculation surrounding what Apple has in store in the not-so-distant-future, is currently doing the rounds.
Of course, Apple is not exactly famed for dropping hints here, there and everywhere so when one seemingly lands in our lap like this, it’s only polite that we give it a fair amount of scrutiny. Maybe there isn’t anything to see here – it could just so happen that Apple slipped up by leaving the cellular option on the iPod touch software rather than just the iPhone. But with a new iPhone on the horizon, the iPod touch always gets an upgrade or ten, and it does look as though it will be hauled in the direction of the iPad and given some 3G connectivity.
It may be that Jobs and Co. are trying to maximize the appeal of a device which, although marketed as essentially an iPhone without the actual phone function, is seriously lacking in many departments. In fact, it falls short in almost every category from the screen to the RAM. But with prices starting at well under half that of the 16GB iPhone, and the option of 64GB of space for all of those essential apps and games, you get what you pay for and yet the iPod touch has certainly more than held its own.
It has been said that Apple may use the current iPod touch as a platform to build a cheaper, more affordable iPhone option to compete against the Android devices. Apple’s iPhone 4 is currently priced at around $650 to which, although many people are willing to part with such cash, it has certainly priced itself out of the market for a large group of potential users. Despite its shortcomings, the iPod touch has made a lot of money for Apple, and given those who can’t/won’t spend an arm some of the Apple Experience for not such an Apple Price.
More and more companies are capitalizing on the versatility of cellular data transfer, such as Amazon with it’s Kindle book reading device. The idea of users being able to effortlessly download books on-the-go has been a huge hit, and seen Wi-Fi take a backseat somewhat. With Apple plugging its iCloud Service, which isn’t yet fully in effect, now would be a better time than ever to give all of it’s devices the cellular treatment.
Update 1: GPS toggle also found!
(via 9to5Mac)
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