Apple reveals 16GB iPod touch with no rear-facing camera

If the 32GB iPod touch had too much capacity for you, or just too many cameras, Apple’s got a solution: the new 16GB iPod touch, now available at the Apple Store for just $229.

Largely identical to its fifth-generation 32GB and 64GB counterparts, the 16GB iPod touch features the same svelte design, with a 4-inch Retina display and dual-core A5 chip. However, it lacks a few of its siblings’ features: For one thing, you’ll find no rear-facing camera on the model. Apple’s dropped the fancy 5-megapixel iSight camera that the 32GB and 64GB models sport, leaving only the front-facing FaceTime HD camera, with its 1.2MP photo and 720p video capabilities.

For another, the package doesn’t include the iPod touch loop introduced with the most recent generation, or the pop-out hitch for attaching it. And the 16GB model also comes in just one color: silver.

Of course, those changes mean a commensurate reduction in price, too. The 16GB iPod touch will run you $229, $70 cheaper than the 32GB model.

So why the change? Well, for one thing, it eliminates the older fourth-generation iPod touch from Apple’s lineup. Up until the release of the new 16GB model, the previous version of the iPod touch had been available in 16GB and 32GB capacities, for $199 and $249 respectively. Phasing out the older generation means that all available iPod touches now feature the larger 4-inch screen, as well as at least an A5 processor.

The removal of the iSight camera is an odd move, though, given how many apps and features rely on it—presumably it was done to lower the 16GB model’s price point to that $229 mark. Apple must be confident that the tradeoff won’t hamstring sales of the device, and that standardizing its devices around the new, larger Retina display is ultimately worthwhile.

Updated at 5:53 a.m. PT: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that all available iPhones have a 4-inch screen.