The third generation

iPod Touch The iPod Touch (stylized as iPod touch) is a discontinued line of iOS-based mobile devices designed and formerly marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-controlled user interface. As with other iPod models, the iPod Touch can be used as a po ...

(marketed as "the new iPod touch", and colloquially known as the iPod Touch 3G, iPod Touch 3, or iPod 3) is a multi-touch mobile device designed and marketed by

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Comput ...

with a touchscreen-based

user interface In the industrial design field of human–computer interaction, a user interface (UI) is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of this interaction is to allow effective operation and control of the machine fro ...

. On September 9, 2009, Apple introduced a technically modified, externally unchanged iPod touch, which was sold as the "iPod touch late 2009." It is the successor to the 2nd-generation iPod Touch and supports up to iOS 5.1.1, released on May 7, 2012.

History

The 3rd-generation iPod Touch was announced alongside the revised version of the (2nd generation) iPod Touch (8 GB MC model), and it was initially only sold in 32 GB and 64 GB models. The iPod touch 3rd generation (32 GB and 64 GB) shares the same specs as the iPhone 3GS and came with a variety of new features that weren't offered in previous models, such as voice control (which can only be accessed using a remote control mic), accessibility, and a faster processor. Jumping from 128 MB to 256 MB of RAM, graphics are enhanced for a better gaming experience. Due to the quiet unveiling and confusion, some resellers later sold and mistitled 8 GB iPod touches (2nd generation) as the iPod touch (3rd generation), but this was neither done nor condoned by Apple. Just like the iPod Touch (2nd generation), the 8 GB "iPod touch (2nd generation)" (late 2009 models) was only supported up to iOS 4.2.1, whereas the 32 GB and 64 GB (3rd generation) iPod touches were supported all the way up to iOS 5.1.1.

Features

Software

It originally shipped with

iPhone OS 3 iPhone OS 3 (''stylized as iPhone OS 3.0'') is the third major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc., succeeding iPhone OS 2. It was announced on March 17, 2009, and was released on June 17, 2009. It was succeeded ...

and fully supports

iOS 4 iOS 4 is the fourth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc., being the successor to iPhone OS 3. It was announced at the Apple Special Event on April 8, 2010, and released on June 21, 2010. iOS 4 was the first ...

as well as

iOS 5 iOS 5 is the iOS version history, fifth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc., being the successor to iOS 4. It was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 6, 2011, and was released ...

(up to 5.1.1) and did not receive support for

Siri Siri ( , backronym: Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface) is a digital assistant purchased, developed, and popularized by Apple Inc., which is included in the iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, Apple TV, audioOS, and visionOS operating sys ...

Reception

On launch, the 3rd generation iPod touch was generally praised for its technical features, but was believed by some reviewers to not differ significantly from the previous generation iPod touch.

References

{{Apple Touch (3rd generation) Products introduced in 2009 Touchscreen portable media players Digital audio players