iPod touch (5th generation)
Discontinued 15 Jul 2015On sale for 1,007 days (2 years, 9 months), from 11 Oct 2012.
Announced
12 Sept 2012
Pre-orders opened
14 Sept 2012
Released
11 Oct 2012
Discontinued
15 Jul 2015
Lifespan
1,007 days2 years, 9 months
- Category
- iPod touch
- Status
- Discontinued
- Apple support status
- Obsolete (Apple no longer services it)
- Release type
- Refresh of an existing model
- Previous model
- iPod touch (4th generation)
- Replaced by
- iPod touch 16GB (5th generation, Mid 2013)
- Official Apple page
- No longer available on Apple’s website
- Tech specs
- Apple specs ↗
- Press release
- Apple Newsroom ↗
- More information
- iPod Touch (5th generation) on Wikipedia ↗
Notes
The iPod touch (5th generation) cost $299 and grew to a 4-inch screen, the same size and shape Apple had just put on the iPhone 5. At 6.1mm and 88 grams it was the thinnest and lightest iPod touch ever made, and it stayed that way because nothing after it was slimmer.
The camera on the back became a proper one. Five megapixels with autofocus and an LED flash replaced the sub-megapixel sensor of the generation before, and it recorded video at 1080p rather than 720p. The front camera went up to 1.2 megapixels.
Siri came to the iPod touch for the first time, and the 30-pin dock connector that had been on every iPod since 2003 gave way to Lightning. A loop for a wrist strap came in the box, attaching to a small button that popped out of the back corner.
Six colours were offered where the model before had two: slate, silver, pink, yellow, blue and a red edition, with slate becoming space grey a year later. The iPod touch (5th generation) came in 32GB at $299 and 64GB at $399, and a cheaper 16GB followed in 2013.
It was announced on 12 September 2012 at the ‘It’s almost here’ event, where the iPhone 5 was the main business. Pre-orders opened two days later, while it reached shops on 11 October, priced from $299.
Read about the iPod touch (4th generation) that came before.
iPod touch (4th generation)
Discontinued
2013 discontinued 30 May30 May 2013
iPod touch (7th generation)
Discontinued
2022 discontinued 10 May10 May 2022
iPod touch (6th generation)
Discontinued
2019 discontinued 28 May28 May 2019
iPod touch 16GB (5th generation, Mid 2013)
Discontinued
2014 discontinued 26 Jun26 Jun 2014
iPod touch (3rd generation)
Discontinued
2010 discontinued 1 Sept1 Sept 2010
iPod touch (2nd generation)
Discontinued
2010 discontinued 1 Sept1 Sept 2010
iPod touch release history
- 2026
-
Sept 2026
iPod touch (4th generation)
- ↑ 4 years, 4 months later
- 2022
-
10 May 2022
iPod touch (7th generation)
- ↑ about 3 years later
- 2019
-
28 May 2019
iPod touch (7th generation)
iPod touch (6th generation)
- ↑ 3 years, 10 months later
- 2015
-
15 Jul 2015
iPod touch (6th generation)
iPod touch (5th generation)
- ↑ about 1 year later
- 2014
-
26 Jun 2014
iPod touch 16GB (5th generation, Mid 2013)
- ↑ about 1 year later
- 2013
-
30 May 2013
iPod touch 16GB (5th generation, Mid 2013)
iPod touch (4th generation)
- ↑ 8 months later
- 2012
-
11 Oct 2012
iPod touch (5th generation)
- ↑ about 2 years later
- 2010
-
1 Sept 2010
iPod touch (2nd generation)
8GB model
iPod touch (3rd generation)
- ↑ about 1 year later
- 2009
-
9 Sept 2009
iPod touch (3rd generation)
iPod touch (2nd generation)
32GB and 64GB models
- ↑ about 1 year later
- 2008
-
9 Sept 2008
iPod touch (2nd generation)
iPod touch (1st generation)
- ↑ 7 months later
-
5 Feb 2008
32GB model added at $499
- ↑ 5 months later
- 2007
-
14 Sept 2007
(1st generation) 8GB and 16GB