Apple launches new entry-level iPod Touch

The latest iPod Touch model replaces the existing fourth-generation 16GB model and offers a Retina display and internet connectivity for $229.

New-iPod-Touch-16GB-Photo-AFP

The latest iPod Touch model replaces the existing fourth-generation 16GB model and offers a Retina display and internet connectivity for $229.

The fifth-generation iPod Touch, which launched in September 2012 and is based on the same chassis and physical dimensions of the latest iPhone, has just become cheaper and lighter.

Apple has added a 16GB version to the existing line up of 32GB and 64GB models. However, unlike its larger capacity brethren, it is only available in a choice of black or silver (the other versions are available in red, yellow and blue) and it doesn't have a rear-facing iSight camera, which means no still photos or HD video. However, it has kept the front-facing camera which enables FaceTime video calling and the gloriously high-resolution retina display screen (also found on the iPhone 5), and because it has fewer features and a smaller hard drive, it's also only 86g in weight.

Despite these limitations, all iPod Touch models offer almost every feature that an iPhone does, except for the ability to make voice calls over a cellular network or access mobile internet via either 3G or 4GLTE networks. But find a wi-fi hotspot and pretty much any app that runs on the iPhone will also work on the iPod Touch.

The device's launch hasn't been heralded by a wave of publicity -- it simply appeared on Apple Store websites across the globe at midnight. In Europe, the 16GB device is priced at €249. Its introduction means that sales of the fourth-generation iPod Touch (which offered 16GB and 32GB versions albeit with a smaller, lower-resolution screen) will stop and the line will be discontinued.