Apple to launch new iPod touch this year, report claims

All iPod touch lovers, raise your hands.

Apple might be preparing to launch a new version of the iPod touch in 2019, Japanese outlet Macotakara (via 9to5Mac) claims, citing supply chain sources.

SEE ALSO: It's official: iPhones are too expensive

The report offers absolutely no details on this new iPod touch's specs or pricing, except that it'll remain cheap.

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If the report is accurate, this would be a first upgrade of the iPod touch since Apple launched the 6th generation of the device back in 2015. Apple killed most of its iPod lineup since then, including the iPod nano and iPod shuffle, but it still sells the iPod touch, which starts at $199.

With new iPhones getting increasingly more expensive, the iPod touch is an interesting, cheap entry point into Apple's iOS ecosystem. And, dated as it is, the current, 4-inch iPod touch runs the latest version of Apple's mobile platform, iOS 12. It's unrealistic to assume that the new iPod touch would get all the latest bells and whistles that the iPhone XS and XR have, but an upgrade -- especially if it remains cheap -- would be more than welcome.

Macotakara's report also mentions a rumor that we've heard so many times: That Apple's next iPhone will ditch the Lightning connector and come with USB-C instead. It would be a logical move, given most Apple gadgets come with USB-C (including the latest iPads), but I'll believe it when I see it.

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