In a push to attract more consumers to its mobile devices, Apple (AAPL) announced on Thursday a new version of its 16GB iPod touch and a price reduction across the board for its iPod line (details here).
The entry-level iPod model with 16GB of storage is dropping in price from $229 to $199, a reduction of 13%. Other two models in the fifth-gen lineup were repriced at $249 for a 32GB and $299 for a 64GB, reductions of 17% and 25%, respectively – making the entire line more affordable than ever.
Along with the price cut and new color selection of the 16GB model to match the hues previously available only on the higher-priced devices, Apple also announced some feature improvements. The 16GB iPod touch will now come with a 5-megapixel iSight rear camera with 1080p HD video recording, 4-inch retina display, the Apple A5-chip and FaceTime camera ; features which were previously available only on the higher-priced devices.
In a statement Cupertino said: “iPod touch comes with iOS 7, offering more than 200 features including Camera app filters that let you easily add real-time photo effects. Additionally, the Photos app offers ways to automatically organise your photos based on time and location. With iCloud Photo Sharing, it’s simple to share photos and videos with exactly the people you want to see them and your friends and family can comment and access their shared streams from any iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC at any time. This fall, iOS 8 will be supported on the entire iPod touch lineup.”
It’s worth noting that Apple has seen declining iPod sales for quite a while now. Cupertino sold only 2.8 million iPods during Q1’14, the lowest number in more than 10 years, according to industry analysts.
The iPod Touch Line price reduction is the latest in a series of price cuts to come from Apple. Last week, the iPhone maker cut the price of its entry-level iMac, and the Macbook Air also saw an upgrade as well as a price cut back in April.
Apple shares were up a fraction in Friday trades.
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