Apple expected to unveil 4-inch iPod Touch

Apple is expected to announce new products in its iPod Touch lineup at a major press event on Wednesday (September 12), including a rumoured new model featuring a larger 4-inch display.

The US technology giant is thought highly likely to unveil its new iPhone 5 smartphone at the product launch this week, offering various improvements, including a larger screen, 4G connectivity, NFC and possibly even a fingerprint recognition system.















However, the event is also expected to feature new generations of the iPod Touch, iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle.

Last week, Rene Ritchie from the iMore website reported that the upcoming iPod Touch will come with the 4-inch, 16:9 display that is rumoured to feature in Apple's iPhone 5 - an increase on the current 3.5-inch screen in Apple devices.

The Verge speculates that Apple will fit its larger display panel in both the new iPod Touch and iPhone 5, potentially bringing the high-resolution Retina display with IPS - a technology offering improved colour contrast and viewing angles - to the media player.

This would be part of a strategy to boost the sales of the iPod line, which have declined consistently over the last few quarters.

However, it is unclear whether Apple would want to put the iPod Touch and iPhone on complete parity, so it may still fit the smartphone - its leading product - with a better screen quality.

9to5Mac also claims that the entry-level iPod Touch will keep the same form factor and core specs, meaning the improved display and design will only be offered on the more expensive models in the range.

There have also been rumours of Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi direct device-to-device communications and connectivity coming to the iPod, along with the faster Apple A5 processor in the premium models.

It is expected that the iPod Nano will no longer come in its small-square form and instead be slightly taller and come fitted with a home button as featured on larger iOS devices.

According to 9to5Mac, the budget iPod Shuffle will get a slight refresh with expanded colour options.

It has also been speculated whether 2012 will be the year that Apple finally drops the iPod Classic, after more than a decade of sales for the MP3 player that started it all for the firm.

Apple is widely expected to announce new iPods at the same event as the iPhone 5, as it did last year. That would leave October clear for the firm to unveil its rumoured iPad Mini - a tablet computer boasting a smaller screen than the current iPad - which would compete with Google's Nexus 7 and Amazon's Kindle Fire.