After years of not bothering with its iPod lineup anymore, it was a bit of a surprise to learn that Apple could actually be thinking of releasing an updated iPod touch four years after the last generation. Now it looks like there is evidence of that rumor being true according to developer Steve Troughton-Smith who discovered references made to the iPod touch in the iOS 12.2 beta.
According to his discovery, it seems that this iPod touch will be basic as it gets and will more or less be a minor hardware upgrade over its predecessor. This is because the references spotted did not make any mention of Face ID or even Touch ID. This is rather surprising given that Touch ID was introduced in 2013 with the iPhone 5s, so you would think that they could include it in the 2019 iPod touch.
However it is entirely possible that due to the iPod touch being seen as more of a media player than a device that could contain sensitive information, maybe Apple decided that Touch ID or Face ID is not necessary. Plus it also helps to keep costs down, especially in this day and age where a dedicated music player is no longer necessary.
Troughton-Smith’s discovery also revealed that the upcoming iPad and iPad mini refreshes will also not be sporting Face ID. No word on when Apple plans on launching all these rumored devices, but we’ll keep our eyes peeled.
Filed in . Read more about iOS, iOS 12, iPod and iPod Touch.