Tech Experiences: iPod Touch 4th Generation

Hi, guys, and Happy New Year’s Eve!  After writing my Kindle Fire HDX review, I decided that maybe I want to review some other tech products.  While I can’t go into specifics like how big the battery is, or what kind of display a certain product has, I can share my experiences and give you little tips and warnings that might aid you in your search for a new product.

This “review” is on a product that’s a bit older, so I’m not sure how many people are thinking about buying it, since there are newer, better versions of it.  But nevertheless, I’ve decided to share my experiences that I’ve had with my 4th generation iPod Touch.  I hope you enjoy!

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The 4th generation iPod Touch first came out in 2010, but Apple made it available in white in 2011, which is when I got mine.  I received it as a Christmas present, and it was one of the most exciting, most useful things I’ve ever gotten.  I got it in white, and it’s 8 GB, which has been just enough memory for my needs.  Sometimes I do have to delete pictures or apps that I don’t use if I want something else, but it’s a small sacrifice.

This iPod has a front- and back-facing camera, which I love.  It has a down-facing speaker, which is meh, and nothing impressive.  I’m definitely more partial to the Kindle speakers.  There’s a massive difference.

The headphone jack is at the bottom of the device, and I prefer it to be placed there.  While I’ve never actually used a device with the headphone jack built into the top, I have seen devices with that feature, and it makes no sense to me.

My iPod runs iOS 6.1.6, and I have a feeling that they’ve discontinued software updates for this generation, because I haven’t gotten one in a while, and when iOS 7 came out, I wasn’t able to update to that (unfortunately!).

The very first tip I have, and I’m just going to apply this to all Apple products: do not touch your brand new iPhone or iPad or iPod if you don’t have a case ready.  I swear, after one day of use, the back of my iPod was all scratched up.  Granted, I was with friends and we were all marveling over our new technology—but still.

Also, don’t skip out on getting a screen protector!  My friend got this iPod for Christmas as well, and she also got the newest iPod, and both times, she cracked her screens 😦 I’m happy to say that my screen is still in perfect condition, because the day after I got my iPod, I got a case and a pack of screen protectors.

I really began to notice problems about two years of owning an iPod; that’s when buttons actually started breaking.  The first button to break was the power button, which was so disappointing.  Shortly after, the home button broke, and though there is an alternative so you’re not trapped in one app for the rest of your iPod’s life, it does make things inconvenient.  Because the power button is broken, I changed my settings so that the device never turns off.  That means battery drains a lot faster.

We went to a shop to see if these problems were repairable, but the lady behind the counter said that due to the cost of the repair, it would probably just be better to buy a whole new iPod.

Within the last six months, I’ve noticed that my iPod force-closes apps a lot more (though it hasn’t happened in a while).  I’m just going to assume that it has to do with how long I’ve had it.  I don’t use photo-heavy apps like Pinterest on my iPod anymore, because it can’t handle it.

With the camera, there’s a bit of lag when you try to take a picture, and you have to hold still for a few seconds after you take the picture, to ensure that pictures don’t turn out blurry.

The App Store is plentiful, and I don’t think you’ll have any problems finding what you need.  But, with newer software updates that my iPod doesn’t receive, some apps cater only toward those updates and don’t allow me to download the app because I need iOS 7 or higher.

One feature I really used to love about my iPod was iBooks.  I.  Loved.  iBooks.  I loved downloading freebies, and a lot of them were really impressive!  It also lets you download PDFs from Safari to read in the iBooks app, and that’s actually how I read the first two Hunger Games books 😀 A couple of freebies that I was very impressed with were Long Time Coming by Edie Claire, UnEnchanted by Chanda Hahn, and my all time favorite, Discovering You by Melissa Kean.  Long Time Coming is actually an adult book that was really interesting.  I always say that I’ve never read anything from the adult genre, but I guess I’ve never really included this one.

Discovering You is simply amazing.  If you want a book similar to Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, go find this one.  It’s very interesting, and I wish it were available in the Kindle Store! D:

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That’s everything I’ve got about the iPod Touch 4th generation.  I seriously doubt people have their eyes set on this device, but if you own it, what are your thoughts?  I can honestly say that I’ve used my iPod every single day since I’ve gotten it.  I just love this thing.

Are you an Apple person or an Android person?  Personally, I’ve never actually used an Android device, so for now I’m sticking with Apple.  Let me know your preferences!

-littleonion