For the love of pods! - Apple iPod rumors and Lossless audio for Homepods!

[Bratstech]

Summary

Several articles and rumors have been popping up about Apples iPod and Apple confirms new feature coming to HomePod!

 

Leaks and rumors have been popping up about Apples iPod! Steve Moser a big apple leaker suggests that the device may be getting a new refresh and maybe a new redesign! The leaks suggest that the new design will be like the new iPhone 12. It is rumored that there will be no home button this time around and bezels like the iPad Pro/Air. Some rumors suggest that it may have face ID but others suggest that it won't. So the new iPod may become the iPhone 12 mini without the phone part. People may ask why Apple is still making the iPod Touch. Well there are parents that want to give their children a device but don't want to give them a full phone. There is also a market for people that still just want an offline device dedicated just for media and music (Dankpods intensifys).

 

Apple has confirmed that lossless audio support coming to Apple Music will also be coming to the HomePod mini! The reason the HomePods will be able to support lossless audio and not the $550 AirPods Max is that Bluetooth does not support enough bandwidth for lossless audio and neither does the H1 chip that is in the AirPods max. They could start to support it with a firmware update. The Homepods have WiFi support which does have enough bandwidth for lossless audio.

 

 

Quotes

Quote

"Now, an Apple support document confirms the HomePod and HomePod mini will get support for lossless streaming via WiFi in a future update. As for its $550 headphones, Apple said the AirPods Max can technically listen to a lossless track via the Lightning to 3.5mm audio cable, but some detail will be lost in the transition from analog back to digital." - Engadget 

 

My thoughts

I want a new iPod now. 

 

Edit: there is a lot of people questioning why you would buy an iPod Touch in 2021 instead of a cheap Android phone. The thing is that it's NOT a phone. It is an iPod. It's meant to be an offline device for music and kids that don't need a full phone yet. Its also way more secure than a cheap Android phone that is very vulnerable to malware and viruses. Here is a good video that also explains it: 

 

Edit 2:

Yes both android and iOS are easy to use (Well it depends on the android skin. Some are more and less complicated.) The point of the iPod is to be an offline device and to be for little ones that are not old enough for a full phone yet. A cheap android phone with a random OEM that no one has never heard of has a 9/10 to be insecure because chances are that the phone never recieved security patches in the first place. I saw someone say how they've had an android phone their entire life and have never had a virus. Well chances are that you have but the virus just didn't show itself or maybe you haven't had a virus. if you really haven't then lucky you. Little ones that are around age 5 don't know how to judge weather something is a scam or a virus. They don't know internet safety yet. Yes it is the parents job to help teach them internet safety but the child will still run into stuff like scams. iPods run iOS which has the whole Family iCloud where the parent can restrict websites apps and even music right from their phone. You can do that with an android phone but you will have to do it with a third party and you might even have to have a monthly subscription. if you already have an android phone for yourself then I guess go for the cheap android route (maybe one from Samsung or a well known OEM like them) but if you are apart of the Apple ecosystem then I suggest the iPod for the little ones. The video that I linked was not meant to be taken as aggressive or to bash android users it was just meant to explain why some might want to buy an iPod instead of a cheap android phone. 

 

Sources

Apple iPod Touch 8th Gen could launch soon: Here’s what it might look like (msn.com)

Apple iPod touch may come in iPhone 12 body; launch likely alongside iPhone 13 series (msn.com)

Apple says HomePod and HomePod mini will get lossless audio support in the future (msn.com)

The Morning After - Engadget (yahoo.com)

[suicidalfranco]

Yes for the iPod

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, huilun02 said:

Whats going on here?

An article about not Android.

[captain_to_fire]

So an iPod Touch with… 

• Retina display but IPS LCD but measures at 5.4” just like the iPhone X
• No home button
• A design similar to the iPhone 4s or iPhone 5s 
• Will probably be no notch since it’s a lower tier device so no Face ID
• Touch ID could be placed in the power button 
• No more headphone jack 
• Will still start at 32 GB for $200, 128 GB for $300
• Will probably use the A11 or A12 chip 
• Same 8 MP rear camera just like the iPhone 4s-iPhone 6. 

[Commodus]

16 minutes ago, huilun02 said:

We've had cheap Android phones for over a decade that have the audio jack and could play high bitrate music

And everything since Android 8 had native support for LDAC with bluetooth

 

Whats going on here?

1. It's not a phone, and that's a good thing for kids and some adults.

 

2. It's an iPod, with all the ecosystem benefits that brings.

 

The iPod touch is a niche product these days, to be sure, but it has its audience.

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, huilun02 said:

Like, a cheap phone without a sim?

 

All its going to do is play music with access to Apple Music service?

What's the point in coming to an Apple new article just to bring up Android things that don't apply to someone looking to stay within the Apple ecosystem. This isn't a thread celebrating the greatness of Apple. It's a Tech News thread with information, presented as that and nothing more. I don't get why people always want to fight over ecosystems. People use what they want to use.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, huilun02 said:

No fight

Just honest questions

Yes, iPods are media players. You could call it a cheap phone without a sim, but iPods predate all that. There are plenty of alternatives, but the large majority of people that purchase these devices are doing to because they fit nicely into an ecosystem they are integrated into. It will play content within the ecosystem as well as other services like Pandora, Spotify, etc...

[Bratstech]

59 minutes ago, captain_to_fire said:

So an iPod Touch with… 

• Retina display but IPS LCD but measures at 5.4” just like the iPhone X
• No home button
• A design similar to the iPhone 4s or iPhone 5s 
• Will probably be no notch since it’s a lower tier device so no Face ID
• Touch ID could be placed in the power button 
• No more headphone jack 
• Will still start at 32 GB for $200, 128 GB for $300
• Will probably use the A11 or A12 chip 
• Same 8 MP rear camera just like the iPhone 4s-iPhone 6. 

Its said to have the same screen as the 12 mini but without the notch

[avg123]

does it have a headphone jack?

 

[Bratstech]

1 minute ago, avg123 said:

does it have a headphone jack?

 

Well it's an iPod so I would think so

[SignatureSigner]

2 hours ago, Bratstech said:

(Dankpods intensifys)

I love his content and accent so much I subbed to his pateron and will continue to do so until the end of time.

[Bratstech]

2 minutes ago, SignatureSigner said:

I love his content and accent so much I subbed to his pateron and will continue to do so until the end of time.

Same haha

[sub68]

 

2 hours ago, Bratstech said:

Its also way more secure than a cheap Android phone that is very vulnerable to malware and viruses.

I disagree

2 hours ago, Bratstech said:

there is a lot of people questioning why you would buy an iPod Touch in 2021 instead of a cheap Android phone. The thing is that it's NOT a phone. It is an iPod. It's meant to be an offline device for music and kids that don't need a full phone yet.

Umm you could just pop the sim and never connect to wifi.(I use a old tablet like this)

than use something like VLC, Sony music center or something like that.

Put a SD card in said device now you can use it for music,movies, ETC

 

If you want a dedicated android device about 300 usd (also the fact you can upgrade storage afterword)

Sony A100 series https://electronics.sony.com/audio/audio-components/hi-res-audio/p/nwa105-b

or

Fiio android player https://www.fiio.com/player

[Commodus]

57 minutes ago, huilun02 said:

Like, a cheap phone without a sim?

Only you don't have to waste money on cellular tech, and you know your kids can't start using it as a phone without your consent (say, by getting a prepaid SIM card).

 

58 minutes ago, huilun02 said:

All its going to do is play music with access to Apple Music service?

I mean iPod in the modern sense. It's a media player for various formats and services; it's a good handheld device for mobile gaming; it's also a nice way to give kids access to the web and audio/video chats without  handing them a larger tablet.

[WaggishOhio383]

3 hours ago, Bratstech said:

Its also way more secure than a cheap Android phone that is very vulnerable to malware and viruses.

I've been using android phones my whole life, many of which were older models that lacked recent security updates, and I've literally never gotten a virus on any phone I've ever owned. I really don't get why people make this argument. Android isn't some buggy old OS where you get a new virus every 5 minutes...

[sub68]

3 minutes ago, WaggishOhio383 said:

I really don't get why people make this argument.

I never either.

Heck, the US government trust certain Android manufactures more than apple.

https://www.samsung.com/us/business/solutions/industries/government/tactical-edition/

[WaggishOhio383]

1 minute ago, sub68 said:

Heck, the US government trust certain Android manufactures more than apple.

Probably because android is open source, which allows the phones to be more easily modified to do whatever task it's needed for.

 

But this is getting kind of off the point of the thread

[sub68]

Just now, WaggishOhio383 said:

Probably because android is open source, which allows the phones to be more easily modified to do whatever task it's needed for.

That too.

Umm, also apple doesnt like the goverment trying to get into something for evidance

I need to stop derailing

[The Blackhat]

Wow, this is literally perfect for me actually. I have probably one of the most niche usecases possible but this is literally the exact product I needed to work for what I need. I love this.

 

Currently have a Xs Max and an SE for music, but I can’t control the SE from my Watch because you can only connect one iPhone to the Watch at a time. Hopefully this will allow connection to my watch simultaneously with my Xs Max since it’s an iPod. Always liked the iPod Touch lineup, was sad they got rid of it.

[spartaman64]

2 hours ago, huilun02 said:

We've had cheap Android phones for over a decade that have the audio jack and could play high bitrate music

And everything since Android 8 had native support for LDAC with bluetooth

 

Whats going on here?

what's extra strange about this for me is that the airpod max has a wired mode where you plug it in with a 3.5mm jack but its still not lossless because the headphones converts the analog signal into digital and then converts it back and apparently that alters the sound. 

 

also LDAC isn't completely lossless either. CD quality is around 1410 kbps but you can generally do lossless compression to reduce that by around 40%. however that varies and some parts of the song you might be able to compress more and some parts you might not be able to compress at all so for those sections LDAC will have to be lossy. 

but yeah i agree its still much better than regular bluetooth

[SADS]

I still use an iPod for my car.

Not really a fan of plugging my phone into my car and having my car going off with messages, messing with battery charge cycles or having my music collection taking up a bunch of space on my phone.

 

A basic and decent music storage/playback device that i can keep all my music on and plug into a number of devices or my good headphones is very sexy to me

 

That said... if they make a new one... it would have to be good to warrant replacing my old one.

The only reason I've had to replace it in the past was because I spilled tea on it XD

[Brooksie359]

2 hours ago, sub68 said:

 

I disagree

Umm you could just pop the sim and never connect to wifi.(I use a old tablet like this)

than use something like VLC, Sony music center or something like that.

Put a SD card in said device now you can use it for music,movies, ETC

 

If you want a dedicated android device about 300 usd (also the fact you can upgrade storage afterword)

Sony A100 series https://electronics.sony.com/audio/audio-components/hi-res-audio/p/nwa105-b

or

Fiio android player https://www.fiio.com/player

Yep because a mom who got this for there kids for Christmas is going to want to do that. The fact is this device is simple and easy to use vs what you are suggesting.

[sub68]

2 minutes ago, Brooksie359 said:

Yep because a mom who got this for there kids for Christmas is going to want to do that.

Thats not the point

3 minutes ago, Brooksie359 said:

The fact is this device is simple and easy to use vs what you are suggesting.

well it depends on what OS you like

[Bratstech]

I feel like no one is watching the video I linked in my edit

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Bratstech said:

I feel like no one is watching the video I linked in my edit

Correct. You assumed people were interested in being corrected. Instead, all that edit did was add fuel to the flames of derailment.