Steve Jobs wowed keynote attendees and those streaming at home with updates to the iPod touch this afternoon. Featuring an even thinner body design than before, the new touch is only 7.2mm thin! Replacing the concave back of the 2nd and 3rd generation devices with a flat stainless steel back, the new touch hearkens back to the original device’s design. More exciting than the physical redesign of the product is the inclusion of both a front and rear facing camera. The front facing camera is fully FaceTime compatible, supporting video calling between other 4th generation touches and the iPhone 4. This exciting addition will undoubtably boost the population of users making video calls to one another and is a logical addition given Apple’s support of this new type of communication. The rear camera supports high definition 720p video and still photos up to 960 × 720. iPod touch users will also be able to enjoy on-board video editing functionality using Apple’s iMovie app. Though a camera was perhaps the most requested/anticipated feature of the device, the new touch is also home to many additional exciting features.
The touch borrows several of its other new features from the iPhone 4. The amazingly crisp Retina display makes an appearance as well as Apple’s in house developed A4 processor. This advanced chip means the iPod touch will be much more than just pretty looks. Judging from the performance leap seen between the iPhone 3Gs to iPhone 4, iPod touch users will be in for quite the speed boost upon updating their device. During the keynote Steve shared that the iPod touch has surpassed the competition at both Nintendo and Sony as the world’s most popular portable gaming device. In an attempt to lock in this position, Jobs demoed Apple’s Game Center app. This app features online matchmaking, achievements, and leader boards akin to Microsoft’s Xbox Live service.
The collective updates to Apple’s flagship iPod all serve to make it a tempting upgrade. Though the lack of mobile data support still differentiates it from the 3G compliant iPhone 4, the touch is steadily edging in as Apple’s premier mobile offering. Offering a tremendous (and contract free) value, the touch retains its previous capacities and pricing at the 32GB and 64GB marks. The 8GB model is now priced $30 more at $229.
Click here to pre-order the new iPod touch.