Apple iPod touch with Larger Screen and Siri Coming, Too

Almost lost in the ruckus surrounding the announcement of the iPhone 5 was the unveiling of a new iPod touch.  As always, this handheld will be very similar to Apple's latest smartphone, just without the phone.

The sixth-generation iPod touch will include a 4.0 inch touchscreen, with a resolution of 1136 x 640. This is a larger, higher-res display from its predecessor.

It will run the new iOS 6 on an Apple A5 dual-core processor. This isn't the faster A5 chip that will be in the iPhone 5, but it is still going to be more powerful that the one in previous handhelds from Apple.

The faster chip will enable this upcoming device to run Siri, Apple's voice-recognition software.

The iTouch will be available in a range of colors, and will come with a set of Apple's newly-redesigned earbuds.

As it lacks the cellular-wireless capabilities of a smartphone, this handheld computer depends on Wi-Fi for its connection to the Internet. Still, this product and similar ones like the Samsung Galaxy Player series are favored by those who don't want to pay a monthly service fee to a wireless carrier. 

Apple says a single battery charge will be good for up to 40 hours of music playback, or 8 hours of playing video. 

Price and Availability 

Shoppers are going to have to wait a bit for the latest-generation Apple iPod touch -- it's not scheduled to be released until October.

When available, a 32GB version is will sell for $300. One with 64GB will be $400.

With an updated version coming out, Apple is cutting the cost of the earlier one. The last-generation 16GB model is now $200, while the 32GB one goes for $250.