iPod Touch reboot tipped with flat edges

In October of the year 2021, it'll be 20 years since the first iPod was released to the public. This device was the first major mobile step toward Apple releasing the iPhone. The half-step between the original iPod and the iPhone is the iPod Touch, a device that's always effectively been an iPhone, save the part where it can make calls and work with a SIM card for mobile data. A rumor this week suggests that the iPod Touch will get a bit of a reboot.

According to information leaked this week via Apple Hub and Steve Moser, a new iPod Touch will be released in the Fall of 2021. This would be a 20th anniversary iPod, released in a variety of colors. The image you see above was rendered by AppleyPro and is based on the same set of rumors.

A common thread in rumors here in Summer of 2021 is that the iMac M1 (2021) is an indicator of Apple's future willingness to release devices in multiple colors. This would mean that the colors we saw with the otherwise most-recent iPod Touch could be converted to the sorts of tones we see with the iMac.

It's also suggested that the new iPod Touch would take on an appearance similar to that of the iPhone 12 lineup, the iPad, and so on. This would mean more flat edges and more throwback design cues in line with the most classic Apple smartphone design: iPhone 4.

If Apple Music were unable to play music without a mobile internet connection, a new iPod Touch would not be a very realistic endeavor for Apple to possibly embark upon. Given Apple Music's ability to download and play offline playlists of music, it's entirely possible that a new iPod Touch could be released this year. If Apple DOES decide to go through with releasing a new iPod Touch for the year 2021, it's likely they'll aim for October of 2021, right around the time they generally reveal and release new iPhone devices.

The last iPod Apple released was the 7th generation iPod Touch in May of 2019. A new iPod Touch would likely have a hardware and software overhaul to make it far more on-par with the least powerful iPhone on the market today.