The new fifth-generation iPod touch is thinner than its predecessor (6.1mm vs. 7.2mm) and lighter (88 grams vs. 101). For the first time, the touch's case comes in colors (silver black, blue, yellow, and red). There's a new iPod touch loop: Push it and it pops up, and you can then attach a wrist strap. The new touch's screen is not only bigger--4 inches diagonally vs. 3.5 before--but it's also a sharper Retina display; it is, in fact, the same screen as on the iPhone 5.

Inside, the fifth-gen iPod touch has a dual-core A5 processor that Apple claims is up to twice as powerful as the previous model's CPU; the graphics guts have been updated as well.

The new touch has a much improved camera. It comes with a 5-megapixel sensor and supports 1080p HD video recording. It has autofocus and LED flash for the first time; Apple also claims that the camera's autoexposure is much improved. Like the iPhone 5, the touch has a sapphire crystal lens cover, and like the iPhone 5, the touch supports a new automated panorama feature, for taking wide shots.

Apple claims the new touch's battery will last for 40 hours of music playback and up to 8 hours of video playback--not much different from the previous generation. The wireless capabilities have been improved, too, with support for Bluetooth 4.0 and dual-band 802.11n networking. Like the iPhone 5, the touch comes with the new Lightning connector, as well as the new Apple EarPods headphones.