Software The fifth generation iPod Touch features
iOS, Apple's
mobile operating system. Initially shipped with
iOS 6, which was released on September 19, 2012, it can play music, movies, television shows, eBooks, audiobooks, and
podcasts and can sort its media library by songs, artists, albums, videos,
playlists,
genres, composers, podcasts, audiobooks, and
compilations. Users can rotate their device horizontally to
landscape mode to access
Cover Flow. This feature shows the different album covers in a scroll-through photo library. Scrolling is achieved by swiping a finger across the screen. Alternatively, headset controls can be used to pause, play, skip, and repeat tracks. However, the
EarPods that come with the iPod do not include a remote and mic. Like the
iPhone 4S and later models, the fifth generation iPod Touch was the first in the iPod Touch line-up to support
Siri, which allows the user to operate the device by spoken commands. The software was improved in iOS 6 to include the ability to make restaurant reservations, launch apps, dictate Facebook or Twitter (now X) updates, retrieve movie reviews and detailed sports statistics. Some newer applications and features that came with iOS 6 included
Apple Maps,
Passbook and screen mirroring.
AirPlay was made available, which allows screen mirroring through an Apple TV or other supported external device allows the screen of the iPod Touch to be mirrored, and was the first generation of the iPod Touch to support it.
iOS 7 was released on September 18, 2013 to all iOS devices. This generation was the only iPod Touch in the iPod Touch line-up to run iOS 7. On June 2, 2014, it was announced that the iPod Touch 5th generation would receive
iOS 8 that fall. It was released on September 17, 2014. It was confirmed on June 8, 2015, at WWDC 2015 that the iPod Touch 5th generation would support iOS 9. This made it the first iPod touch to support 4 major versions of iOS being iOS 6, iOS 7, iOS 8 and iOS 9. Other A5-based devices also supported iOS 9 including the iPad 2 (6 major iOS versions), the iPhone 4s (5 major iOS versions) and the iPad mini 1st generation (4 major iOS versions). iOS 9.3.5 is the last update that supports the iPod Touch 5th generation as it is incompatible
iOS 10 along with the iPhone 4s, iPad 2 and 3, and iPad mini 1st generation due to hardware limitations.
Hardware The fifth generation iPod Touch features the
Apple A5 chip which is similar to the one on the
iPhone 4S,
iPad 2 and the
iPad Mini. The chip comprises a 1 GHz dual core
ARM Cortex-A9 processor and a PowerVR SGX543MP2 (2-core) GPU making it faster than the fourth generation iPod Touch, which uses the
Apple A4 chip. Storage capacities are available at 32 or 64 GB with a 16 GB announced at a later date to replace the previous generation. The
Retina Display of the iPod is similar to the one on the iPhone 5, measuring 1,136 by 640 pixels with an
aspect ratio of almost exactly 16:9. Measuring 4 inches diagonally, it has a
display size of 6.7 square inches and a pixel density of 326 ppi which remains the same as the fourth generation. Screen icons are arranged in a matrix of 6 rows of 4 icons each. With a larger screen than the previous generation model, the fifth generation iPod Touch allows a 6th row of icons to be added to the 5 rows that were present in the fourth generation iPod Touch. However, the fifth generation iPod Touch does not include an ambient light sensor which was included in the previous generation. The new
iSight camera has 5 megapixels and is capable of
1080p video recording with an illuminated sensor and a LED flash. The front-facing camera was also upgraded to 1.2 megapixels capable of 720p video compared to the VGA 0.3 megapixels front camera on the fourth generation.
Design The fifth-generation iPod Touch's finish features an aluminum unibody, which is made from the same kind of anodized aluminum used in the MacBook line. With a new iSight camera and LED flash, the iPod Touch includes a new feature known as the
iPod Touch Loop. At the bottom left corner of the back of the iPod Touch, there is a button that can be pressed to allow a wrist strap to attach to the iPod Touch. Other changes to the iPod Touch include the addition of colors and the return of the black Wi-Fi antenna. A 16 GB version that did not include the iSight camera, LED flash and Loop was released on May 30, 2013. This model was replaced with a 16 GB model of the original design on June 26, 2014.
Accessories The fifth generation iPod Touch, as well as the
iPhone 5,
iPod Nano (7th generation),
iPad (4th generation), and
iPad Mini feature a new
dock connector named
Lightning, replacing the 30-pin Apple dock connector which was first introduced by Apple in 2003 on the third generation
iPod. The Apple Lightning connector has eight pins and all signaling is digital. The new connector also can be inserted either way, unlike the 30-pin connector which can only be inserted in one way. Adapters will be released by Apple to convert the Apple Lightning connector to the older 30-pin Apple Dock connector or
USB, although not all accessories will work with the adapter as not all signals are available, in particular video output and the iPod Out feature for BMW automobiles. Earphones known as Apple EarPods are also included with the fifth generation iPod touch and other devices announced at the Apple media event on September 12, 2012. They superseded earphones that were included with previous generation iPhones and iPods. According to technology commentators, the redesign of the earphones is aimed to improve sound quality by allowing air to travel in and out more freely. Apple states that the redesign of their earphones allows it to "rival high-end headphones that cost hundreds of dollars more". Both have further stated that the EarPods pale in comparison to other earphones of a similar price. Other accessories that were sold with the iPod Touch include the lanyard for the iPod Touch loop (not available for the 16 GB model.) ==Reception==