iPod Touch 6th Generation Release Date Could Be On Its Way; Apple Watch Will Require a Reservation

Apr 08, 2015 02:36 PM EDT

Apple is really ramping up for the pre-order and release date of their Apple Watch, but if you want it, you will have to make a reservation.  In addition to the Apple Watch, the company might be gearing up for fall sales of the long-awaited iPod Touch, 6th generation. 

According to CNET, you won't be able to just wait in line at an Apple store on the Apple Watch's release date in order to receive your Apple Watch like you can the latest iPhone or iPad on their annual release dates.  Instead, you will need to make a reservation, and this is going to be a policy at Apple for the "indefinite future". 

The pre-order for the Apple Watch happens on April 10th, with the watches actually becoming available to customers on April 24th.  For those that want to quickly pick up a watch on the release date, then it is recommended that you know exactly what model, finish, and band that you want. 

The reason why Apple is using this new tactic is based on inventory availability, but there is another factor as well.  The Apple Watch isn't like an iPhone, iPad, or MacBook where every single product is the essentially identical.  The Apple Watch has several options in its design, and they want to have these fitting appointments so Apple consumers feel good about leaving the store with the one Apple Watch they have chosen. 

If you are interested in the Apple Watch, it would be best to set up your appointment now.  The fittings start on April 10th, and it might not be possible to just walk in to get a fitting unless it is a slow day at your local Apple Store.  The appointments will be done in 15 minute increments, and you can see which is right for you. 

One of the varieties of the Apple Watch is in the band width, which comes in 38 mm or 42 mm sizes.  Then there is the overall design, ranging from the aluminum-cased Apple Watch Sport, the stainless-steel-cased one, or the 18-karat gold one which is easily the most expensive, as high as $17,000.  There are varieties within some designs, like how the aluminum case comes in silver or space gray, and the gold version in both 18-kart rose gold or 18-karat yellow gold.  The band is also fully customizable with quite a range of materials like leather and various colors as well. 

It is very clear that Apple is expecting its own Apple Watch to be the next big thing, and it certainly does have the potential to change the smartwatch market as we know it, just like their iPhone and iPad revolutionized the smartphone and tablet markets respectively.  However, Apple doesn't seem to be spending a lot of time developing one of its old favorites, the iPod.  

It has been a while since there has been a new version of the iPod Touch, but a recent rumor from the Master Herald shows that a new one could be one its way.  The expected release date is to be September 2015, and it could have a water-resistant feature. 

We reported on the release date and rumors of the iPod Touch 6th Generation, and there isn't really much change in the rumors.  It is surprising that the recent announcement of the Apple Watch, which revealed the release date, price, and other details about Apple's smartwatch, but nothing about the iPod Touch 6th Generation. 

It has been almost three years since the 5th Generation iPod Touch, and since then, we have seen the death of the iPod Classic.  It has been speculated that perhaps Apple is veering away from the iPod Touch market, and focusing more on getting their smartphones out there.  For those who are interested in purchasing another device that does apps, here are some rumors that the Latinos Post can give us. 

For example, the iPod Touch 6th Generation could come in different sizes.  You can obviously see that Apple would be taking a page from its own playbook as the iPhone 6 Plus has been a hit, and the market would not be any more flooded with another phablet.  In addition to the new size, there might be some new colors, such as gold and white. 

Another expected upgrade would be the battery life, which would hopefully be better than the current 40 hours of music and 8 hours of video playback.  As for the processing power, the current iPod Touch 5th Generation has the dual-core A5 chip, so wouldn't it make sense to upgrade that to the A8 or A9 processor? 

Considering that Apple Pay is supposed to be a big thing for the smartphone and smartwatch, why wouldn't it be on the iPod Touch?  Then there are other rumors about it being compatible with the Apple Watch, something that really hasn't been mentioned with all of Apple's hype of their new smartwatch. 

Whatever the release date for the iPod Touch is, it is clear that Apple is going to have an interesting future if the Apple Watch takes off.  If not, we'll probably know by the fall whether the Apple Watch will be considered a failed experiment, and they could use a good cash cow like the iPod Touch 6th generation to boost their 2015 sales, not to mention some new version of the iPhone and iPad.