Hama cases foreshadow 5G iPod nano, 3G iPod touch at IFA: hands-on

We know you don't really need any more evidence that Apple is gearing up to unveil at least two new iPod revisions at its forthcoming 'rock and roll' event, but are you seriously going to hit the ignore button on these? If you'll recall, last year's visit to Hama's IFA booth gave us early access to cases of Apple's then-upcoming round of iPod nanos, and this year the company seems to be disclosing all of Cupertino's secrets once more. On hand were cases for Apple's fifth-generation iPod nano and the third-generation iPod touch, both of which seem to make room for a built-in camera. Of course, these lovely peripherals could be nothing more than a complete waste of company resources, but we'd encourage you to browse the gallery below before jumping to that conclusion.

Hama cases foreshadow 5G iPod nano, 3G iPod touch at IFA: hands-on

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 4th 2009 7:58AM]

I'm more intrigued by the hole on the side of the iTouch3G case for what seemingly would be a volume control key... I don't recall seeing that on my iTouch 1G and I don't think they had one on the iTouch2G either... hmmm

[Freakintoddles Posted Sep 4th 2009 8:26AM]

Information that you could easily look up on apple.com.... touch 2g does have a volume rocker on the side.... i'm touching my rocker right now!

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 4th 2009 10:01AM]

2G had volume control

[Chefgon Posted Sep 4th 2009 8:38AM]

Apple seems strangely content to let their iPhone/iPod product line rot with nearly identical hardware this year. I really don't see a camera being a big feature in a music player, and it looks like they've got no other tweaks in mind.

Granted, we haven't seen the actual products and I'm jumping to conclusions based on cardboard mockups, but that really seems to be the way that everything is pointing this year. Hell, the 3GS is out and it's essentially impossible to tell the difference from last year's model at first sight without reading the product name on the back of the device.

[DoorsnotWindows Posted Sep 4th 2009 8:44AM]

Small tip: it's twice as fast as the older one, and so is the new Touch.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 4th 2009 10:29AM]

I too am disappointed that they evidently didn't make any changes to the form factor of either the Touch or the Nano, but maybe we'll get some new colors at least.

Personally, I'm hoping to a major revision to the iPod Classic and hopefully that revision does not entail its elimination.

[Khav Posted Sep 4th 2009 9:47AM]

Oh but just you wait for 2015 when Apple will bring the brand new, Apple exclusive innovation of an OLED screen for whatever name they give their iPods and phones then, like they did with copy and paste, video recording and voice control for the 3GS.

[kgod0wnz Posted Sep 4th 2009 9:30AM]

That's an impressive nail.

[LloydChiro Posted Sep 4th 2009 10:06AM]

That nail would drive me crazy.

[artshark Posted Sep 4th 2009 10:46AM]

i think a little someone is gonna lose their license to make apple compliant hardware

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 4th 2009 10:53AM]

Why is it that everywhere I read people are dissing the camera saying "a music player doesn't need a camera." I've never thought of the iPod Touch as a simply a music player, I've always seen at as a "phone-less iPhone." With a camera + wifi, I could see this newest touch as a social media favorite (for those unable to or unwilling to get an iPhone.)

[Bluefyre Posted Sep 4th 2009 11:24AM]

Oh they will love the camera. Next year. When MS release a Zune HD with a camera then the Winbots will be drooling all over Ballmers balls. Until then the camera is a useless toy feature since it isn't on the Zune HD.

[uwaga dude Posted Sep 4th 2009 4:53PM]

roxy...the camera is useless because it's redundant. not because the Zune doesnt have one.

[lunarworks Posted Sep 4th 2009 11:04AM]

If you think Apple's the only company that does this, you're quite mistaken. At least Apple only does it once a year, rather than releasing new products throughout the year like some companies do.

Also, if Apple did the 2/3 year release cycle you wanted, everyone else would get the jump on them in the meantime.

[midnightprince7 Posted Sep 4th 2009 11:19AM]

@ pic #3: can anyone say u2

[buskape Posted Sep 4th 2009 12:39PM]

Looks like i'll be buying a new ipod next year then..

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 4th 2009 1:08PM]

a 3G ipod touch... i cant wait!

lol

this is guaranteed to confuse people. maybe it should be called a G3.

[24hourpartypal Posted Sep 7th 2009 2:18PM]

Infact, I'd love to see an iPod Touch like device (zuneHD!) with 3g connectivity. Granted, we have the iPhone and the Pre and the Hero for that but I prefer a Blackberry for calling and txting, but I do want a nice browser experience. I'm sure a lot of people are with me

[24hourpartypal Posted Sep 7th 2009 2:21PM]

Forgot about the mifi, but there isn't a comparable device in Holland yet...

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 4th 2009 1:50PM]

i would like to see the iPod touch in more colors ( i want a white ipod touch!!). the simple black is just.... bland and old

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 4th 2009 7:13PM]

I wouldn't mind a white special edition Beatles one loaded with their remastered catalogue.

[jimmylittle Posted Sep 5th 2009 11:40AM]

I hope the capacities are wrong. I fully expect to see 16/32/64 Gb touches, and 16/32 Gb nanos with cameras at the same price points. While I'm at it, I also expect the touch to have a 5MP autofocus with double the video resolution to set it apart from the iPhone. Which would make sense, because the touch is WiFi only, so file size isn't much of an issue. I also see the nano having an iPhone 3G style camera, no focus, and 2 MP.

[yfjameslo Posted Sep 5th 2009 2:07PM]

Has anyone noticed how the "iPod 3rd Generation" words have a bolder and slightly different font? I'd say it's quite a nasty photoshop pic we're looking at. The words are also slightly sharper and darker in colour than the rest.

[willrob Posted Sep 5th 2009 6:21PM]

There was also a rumor that the iPod Classic would also get a camera. But it could also be discontinued, there was a rumor of that also. The iPod Touch was already faster than the eG iPhone, so it's posible this new model can be a step up from the 3Gs.

As for Bluetooth support, the Topuch has it in version 2, so I expect the new model will also. But the Nano would be a great candidate for wireless earphones, since it's probably the most widely used by runners, bikers and gym rats.

[Jazza Posted Sep 9th 2009 2:11PM]

So no iPod touch with camera. So what is this case for??

[sboardr22 Posted Sep 9th 2009 2:31PM]

Yeah, seriously. I'm confused as well