New Details Revealed About Touch-screen IPod

Long have the rumors run rampant about a touch-screen iPod in development. Many expected the updated video iPod released last fall to be one and the same with the aforementioned vaunted model. With the release of their iPhone imminent and their dominance on the music player market ensured, Apple has finally begun to release details about their secret new iPod.

A major complaint of the old video iPods was that the screens were too small to watch television shows and movies on. The touch-screen iPod would remove that problem by effectively doubling the size of the screen by removing the navigation dial currently operating the space.

One of the major concerns with a touch-screen is the eventual damage the interaction will cause to the screen of iPods. For media devices commonly used for both video viewing and music listening, screen damage is a big deal. Apple has, seemingly, put these fears to rest, however, with their latest blueprint for the new iPod. The "touch-screen" portion of the new iPod will actually be located on the back of the device.

While this may seem counter-intuitive at first glance, it actually is an ingenious way to solve all the problematic issues with a touch-screen iPod. Touching the back of the iPod will bring up one of several tools onto the LCD screen (which will now cover the entire front of the iPod); the signature navigation dial, a keyboard to search through files, and/or a menu.

In effect, this system allows users to have a touch-screen iPod without ever having to actually touch the most delicate part of their expensive music player. The pure innovation of this new design showcases the genius of the Apple employees working to develop the new addition to the popular family of mp3 players.

Of course, there is still no real word on when the new iPod will be released or even what it officially looks like. The descriptions mentioned above refer to patent designs taken out by Apple in recent history. Still, fans of Apple products have to be excited about this news as it points to an earlier release of the new iPod than expected.

Source: http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/05/10/apple_filing_reveals_multi_sided_ipod_with_touch_screen_interface.html