Apple’s next generation iPhone 5, slated for release later this year has been the focal point of many news and rumor sites, with parts surfacing on the web and numerous sources confirming its existence. However, earlier this week, following a report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo on the next gen iPod touch, Japanese site Macotakara reported that the iPod touch would be getting the same 4 inch screen rumored to appear on the iPhone 5.

Kuo’s initial claims about the 4 inch screen, up from the current 3.5 inches appeared to confirmed by this and other rumors. The report also mentioned some specific details about the design of the next iPod touch, specifically mentioning that Apple is looking to move away from the mirrored stainless steel back and replace it with a buffed aluminium shell. This buffed aluminium rear shell would likely be the same type of aluminium currently used on the Cupertino company’s MacBook lineup as well as the new iPad.

According to Macotakara’s report, the next iPod touch is expected to also have upgraded internals, identical to that of the iPhone 4S meaning use of the Apple’s A5 chip. It is unclear at this point whether or not the camera would be upgraded from the current 0.7 megapixels, similar to the iPad’s upgrade from 0.9 MP to a solid 5 MP.

Macotakara’s source, who provided them with information about the design and internals of the next iPod touch also mentioned that there would be a small hole in the back of the rear shell. It is still not clear exactly what purpose the hole would serve, as it is very likely that it was included for testing purposes only.

{via MacRumors}

In the month July, photos of what appeared to be white front panel of 5th Gen iPod touch (5G) appeared online, leading speculators to believe that Apple is looking to release a white version of its popular music player this September.

Recently new photos of a white headphone jack piece were published online that seem to confirm speculations about a white fifth gen iPod touch. Japanese site Macotakara, who discovered these photos, says that these new parts are currently being sold on Chinese repair site Luna Commerce.

The headphone jack has the same slanted design as the current iPod touch shell and could possibly also mean that Apple is retaining the current form factor for the new device. Headphone jack parts for the iPhone 5 or 4S appeared in both black and white back in mid-August, sporting the same flat design as the potential phone.

Apple could be planning the new white 5th gen iPod touch in order follow in the line of the current iPad 2 and iPhone 4 which are both available in White. Both the iPad 2, and iPhone 4 have received the white makeover, except for the iPod touch, which will likely be released sometime this Fall.

The 5th Gen iPod touch is expected to retain its current design as well as recieve a minor upgrade, possibly an A5 chip and an upgraded RAM. However, these specific parts of the headphone jack could also be knock-offs, as seen in the past with parts of the iPhone 4. Apple has not yet announced any event for an iPod refresh, an event that is usually held as early as the 1st of September.

Do you think a white 5th Gen iPod Touch would be worth upgrading to?

{Image Credit: Luna Commerce and 9to5 Mac}

iPod touch is Apple’s best selling iPod and is due for a refresh during the annual music event held in September. iPod touch often features technical specifications similar to the iPhone. For instance, when A4 chip was introduced in iPhone 4 it made it to the fourth gen iPod touch too.

If Apple were to announce iPhone 5 in September with dual-core A5 chip it’s certainly possible that the fifth gen iPod touch would also features the same SoC. It’s important to note that references to “iPod 4,2″ have been found in previous versions of iOS 4 so it’s not very clear if this could be the next iPod touch.

Another interesting observation is that the code does not mention “iPod 5,1″ which would have been a solid indicator for the next gen iPod touch however, it’s possible that Apple is planning a modest update as opposed to a major re-design.

References to third gen iPads (iPad 3,1 and iPad 3,2) have also been found in iOS 5.0 which strongly suggests that the Cupertino based company is looking at introducing two versions of the hugely popular tablet – WiFi and world 3G models.

Do you think  Apple will introduce an all-new design for the next gen iPod touch? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

John Lewis, a large UK retailer, has put on a presentation at an event called Christmas in July where it has detailed the specifications for the next iPod Touch revision, that it says it has heard from reliable supplier sources.

Basically they are saying that the next iPod Touch will have a 5MP camera, LED Flash and an accelerometer and a gyroscope. They obviously missed the fact that all members of the iPod Touch family to date have had an accelerometer. But anyway…

The Rumors they are passing onto us are probably not too far from the truth. The iPod already has a GPU comparable to the iPhone 4. Actually it’s identical. And Apple could use either the iPhone 3GS supply lines, or the iPhone 4 lines to put out a device capable of supporting a camera.

We reported on iPod Touch prototypes that leaked with cameras a month or two back. But they were on the back of the unit. In other news today, images of what may be new iPod Touch LCD panels seems to show a space for a “FaceTime” camera.

Apple has typically brought the iPod Touch into line with the core specs of each new iPhone launch anyway. But they won’t want sales of one device to threaten another if at all possible. So they’ll keep parity for games with the gyroscope and perhaps bumping the CPU a bit with an A4.

The hard thing to call is will Apple go with both a front and back facing camera, or choose between a front facing camera for pictures, and a back facing one for FaceTime?

My bet is if they go with one camera it will be one that gives us FaceTime. So no Flash, and no 5MP stills camera, and the iPhone 4 keeps a big exclusive feature to keep driving its sales.

What do you think? Let us know your guesses in the comments.

The Vietnamese website Tinhte (latest iPhone 4G leak fame) recently published images and video of the new iPod touch which reportedly supports a 2 megapixel camera.

Rumors about Apple’s next iPod touch supporting a camera have been circulating the web for quite a while and Apple will probably introduce the fourth gen iPod touch this Fall at their iPod event.

The new iPhone 4G will support Apple’s custom designed A4 processor and it seems very obvious for the new iPod touch to also run the same processor and take advantage of better performance and battery life.

Last month we reported a similar story where Apple’s next gen iPod touch prototype with camera was found listed on eBay. The device listed also had the same “DVT-1″ label which suggests that the device is an early prototype.

Besides the rear-facing camera the prototype looks exactly like the third gen iPod touch model.

iPod touch With 2MP Camera