Apple updated its iPod touch device a few months ago, and I finally got around to getting one yesterday. Since I already own an iPhone 6s, you might be wondering why I bothered to buy an iPod touch 6. It’s a fair question and I’ll tell you why in this post. And I’ll also share why I’ve found myself liking the iPod touch 6 so much more than the iPhone 6s.
But first you should know that a little bit of the backstory. Last year I tried the iPhone 6 Plus and liked it quite a bit for a while. Ultimately, however, I grew tired of its large size and decided to switch this year to the iPhone 6s. At first I enjoyed the iPhone 6s too, but in the back of my mind I kept feeling like it was still just too darn big for my hands.
No matter how I hold the iPhone 6s, it feels like it’s eating into the tendons of my hands (I’ve had some problems with tendonitis lately), even with Apple’s leather case on it. The iPhone 6s is simply too wide for me to hold comfortably with one hand for any length of time. Even laying it flat in my hand doesn’t really work for me since I still can’t use it one-handed very well at all.
So I finally decided that I needed to go back to the 4-inch screen that Apple used to have as a standard for its iPhones. Unfortunately, the only model available is the iPhone 5s, and that has aging hardware. Who wants to buy an iPhone that is two generations behind the iPhone 6s? The cost just wasn’t worth it to me, and I never liked the design of the iPhone 5s anyway.
The iPod touch 6 is much lighter and more comfortable to hold
So I decided to take a chance and grab an iPod touch 6. I hopped into my car and drove to the local Wal Mart. I bought a 32 GB iPod touch 6 in space gray. I didn’t need any more storage since I don’t game on my iOS devices much anymore. So 32 GB should be plenty for my modest iOS needs.
I knew as soon as I took the iPod touch 6 out of the box that it was the perfect size for my hand. It felt great when I picked it up, and I could immediately use it with one hand in a way that I could never use the iPhone 6s or the 6 Plus. There was no discomfort from the iPod touch 6 like what I experienced with the iPhone 6s.
And the screen size was just fine for me, I didn’t miss the larger 4.7-inch screen of the iPhone 6s at all. I tend to read a lot so I generally use my phone locked in portrait mode. I could easily read discussions on Reddit via Bacon Reader, catch up on the latest Apple news with the Mac Daily News app and do everything else I needed to do without putting strain on the tendons in my fingers.
I was absolutely shocked at how much lighter the iPod touch 6 feels in my hand compared to the chunkiness of the iPhone 6s. The iPod touch weighs in at an extremely petite 88 grams while the iPhone 6s weighs in at a hefty 143 grams. Now a difference of 55 grams might not sound like much but I certainly noticed it while using my iPod touch 6.
The iPod touch 6 demonstrates the need for Apple to release a new 4-inch iPhone for folks that need smaller, lighter iOS devices.
The space gray color on on the back of the iPod touch is much darker than the color of the iPhone 6s in space gray. I don’t know why there’s such a difference in the color, but the iPod touch 6 is just much better looking since the darker space gray complements the black of the iPod’s bezels much better than the lighter space gray on the iPhone 6s.
The iPod touch 6 lacks 3D Touch but who cares?
But what about 3D Touch? It’s one of the cool new features in the iPhone 6s, and the iPod touch 6 doesn’t offer it. Well, I hate to say it but I didn’t miss it at all. Pressing down harder on the screen is not comfortable for me right now, and I stopped using 3D Touch shortly after I got my iPhone 6s. So I haven’t missed it at all on the iPod touch 6.
Don’t get me wrong here, 3D Touch is a neat feature in the iPhone 6s. I thought it was quite cool when I first tried it but then I quickly forgot all about it. I’m sure there are some folks though who have integrated it into their iOS usage, but it just turned out to be something that didn’t matter much to me and I didn’t miss it at all in the iPod touch 6.
iOS 9.1 runs great on the super-speedy iPod touch 6
I had no problems updating my iPod touch 6 to iOS 9.1. It runs buttery smooth on the iPod touch 6 thanks to the new iPod’s A8 processor and M8 motion coprocessor. I didn’t feel like I had given up much by using the iPod touch 6 instead of the iPhone 6s in terms of hardware. The iPod touch 6 does everything I need it to do and it does it all very fast.
I also have an older iPod touch 5 running iOS 9.1 and the speed difference is quite amazing. The older iPod certainly can run iOS 9.1, but it does it in a way that is simply okay. But the iPod touch 6 blows it right off the map and iOS 9.1 really shines on the new iPod’s fast hardware.
The other folks buying the iPod touch 6 seem to really like it
I’m not the only one in love with the iPod touch 6, by the way. I hopped over to the 32 GB iPod touch 6 page on Amazon and found that it has a 4.5 star rating from Amazon’s customers. Clearly the people who are buying the iPod touch 6 really like it, and their positive experiences are showing up in the high star ratings and reviews on Amazon.
Here’s a sample of what some of Amazon’s customers are saying about the iPod touch 6 and much of it echoes my own sentiments:
Dan: "If you get the 32GB model you only have to pay roughly $ 250, which is a better price point than Apple’s other mobile devices. It comes loaded with IOS 8, and handles it well. IOS 9 is around the corner and if it lives up to it’s promises, it will help expand the usable storage and improve the performance of the device even more so!
You can argue ‘Well it’s not as powerful as the latest iPhone’ and to that I say, since it has a smaller screen, and no touch ID (which some people are disappointed to see missing on this device) the device can focus more on gaming especially since it has the same 64bit archetype A8 processor as the iPhone 6 (slightly underclocked). The device also has 1GB of ram, same was the iPhone 6. I have seen tests where this device loaded games FASTER than the iPhone 6! So any games you throw at the iPod touch 6th gen, it can handle it no problem.
As for Camera it’s the front is great for taking “selfies” man I hate that word…, and can shoot awesome 1080p 30fps video with the back camera, and with some camera apps can shoot in 60FPS at 720p!!! It now has burst mode for both cameras so you are less likely of missing that perfect picture moment."
Mario: "The iPod touch 6th generation is an extremely well made media player. I strongly recommend buying it if you have a 5th generation or older, as it is extremely faster than any of them. It has Apple’s latest hardware, so you really don’t have to worry about it getting old. You could probably expect this iPod touch to be supported for three or even four years. The camera is beautiful and puts the camera in the 5th generation to shame and it is able to run literally any app I throw at it without any lag whatsoever."
Katrina: "I replaced my old iPod touch 5th gen with this newer generation. Everything runs so much faster on this new iPod. Some people might not like how nothing changed on the exterior except the removal of the strap circle thing on the back, but I didn’t have a use for it. I bought my iPod in gold and was not disappointed. It is as expected."
James: "This thing is amazing. Wonderful upgrade from my iPod touch 4th generation which I had previously been using. The new A8 processor makes everything super fast and all of the games I have played run perfect. The 8MP rear camera makes for some quality photos as well. The battery life is decent for what I use it for which is primarily music and social media.. Overall, I am very satisfied with my purchase and would recommend the device."
Tommyboy: "My son received this for his 10th birthday. He absolutely loves it. This is our first Apple product as we usually buy Android products. He is able to navigate it easily and he especially loves Facetime. It’s like having a phone without having a phone!"
More at Amazon
Apple needs to release a new 4-inch iPhone
After using my iPod touch 6 for the last day, I quickly realized that Apple has made a dreadful mistake in trying to force its customers into using the larger 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. It should have had a new 4-inch phone ready when it released the larger sizes. And no, the iPhone 5s doesn’t count as it is using significantly older hardware and suffers from an older design as well.
Apple had better smarten up and release another 4-inch iPhone that has hardware that matches its larger iPhones. I have no intention of buying another large screen iPhone again. For me the negatives of the larger screen iPhones vastly outweigh the positives.
I understand that other people feel differently and love the bigger iPhones, and that’s fine. To each his own when it comes to phone size. But Apple needs to understand that some of us want and need a smaller screen iPhone. Given that the company is already manufacturing the iPod touch 6, how hard can it be to release an iPhone that is the same size?
The iPod touch 6 has mostly replaced my iPhone 6s
For now I’m stuck with the iPhone 6s when I leave the house since I need cellular connectivity and GPS, and the iPod touch 6 doesn’t offer either of those features. But when I’m in the house I no longer reach for my iPhone 6s. It sits on my dresser while I use my iPod touch 6 instead.
However, I may start carrying the iPod touch 6 with me in my shirt pocket when I leave the house and just leave the iPhone 6s in my pants pocket. I can use the iPod touch 6 for audiobooks, ebooks, a bit of journaling in Day One and anything else that doesn’t require cellular connectivity.
I’ve also considered buying a cheap flip phone for phone calls and getting rid of my iPhone 6s altogether. But I’m holding off on doing that to see if Apple finally releases a new 4-inch iPhone. I’d rather not be bothered getting a flip phone, but one way or another the days of me using an iPhone with a screen bigger than 4 inches are coming to an end.
It’s kind of sad that Apple has put some of its customers in the position of not being able to buy the size phone they want and need. But at least we have the iPod touch 6 to tide us over until the company comes to its senses and releases a new 4-inch iPhone.
Are you listening, Tim Cook? We need a new 4-inch iPhone and we need it now.
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