Rumored 2012 iPod Touch to get dual-core A5 chip

The Apple iPod has certainly come a long way since it was introduced back in 2001. From being bulky, it has taken different shapes and sizes to cater to consumer’s needs.

The introduction of bigger screen and touch screen capabilities on devices such as the iPod not only made navigating through tons of music more conveniently, but also added functionalities like touch controlled gaming, internet browsing and more comfortable movie watching (just to name a few) that were previously not available on screen less PMPs (Portable Media Players). And with recent addition of two cameras and the stunning Retina display back in 2010, the iPod Touch 4th Generation has almost took a shape of a smartphone but without a SIM (which can be fixed by adding an accessory).

For the past four years the iPod Touch product line has kept getting better and better. But last year was a different story as we saw a bit of a slump in the iPod line, only producing a white variant for the iPod Touch 4th generation. To make up for this, there has been rumor spreading that the upcoming iPod Touch will sport a dual core processor.

So the question now is “do we really need dual core processor on the upcoming iPod Touch?” I mean, yes we can now shoot 1080p clips, get more out of every charge, more detailed display while gaming or watching and more responsiveness for faster multi-tasking, but do we really need all of this on a PMP? I get the idea of bringing more features to a traditional PMP but don’t you think that this is a little over the edge?

In our ever evolving world of technology, simple devices like the iPod have turned into something really spectacular to the point that it can almost outdo smartphones in some, if not most, aspects. To me, putting a dual-core processor in the upcoming iPod isn’t a bad idea so long as it would not affect the pricing that much. But if pricing is going to be a concern, then I’d rather have a 160GB iPod touch with Retina display and more refined sound quality (which I think should be the main focus for PMPs) than it having a fancy dual-core processor. Only then would I have enough reason to upgrade my beloved iPod Classic 5th generation to an iPod Touch.

No official announcements were made when this new iPod will be released. But if the Cupertino company will religiously follow their tradition, it should be released on September this year. While we wait and see how this turns out, we’d love to hear your thoughts about this.