July 21, 2009 7:26 AM PDT

Rumor redux: iPod Touch with camera and microphone coming soon

by David Carnoy

The new iPod Touch could have very similar features to the iPhone 3G S. (Credit: Apple) Former CNET editor and MP3 Insider Eliot Van Buskirk, who now writes a blog for Wired, has posted a story on how he has it on good authority that Apple is getting ready to launch a new iPod Touch with a built-in camera and microphone. This rumor has been circulating for a while, but Van Buskirk writes that, "A well-connected source tells us those rumors are on the money, and that Apple's factories in China are already manufacturing iPod Touch models with integrated cameras and microphones." The short piece talks up the fact that with inclusion of a microphone and a quick download of Skype for iPhone, the iPod Touch would become a nifty VOIP phone wherever you can get a WiFi connection. The new iPod will most likely be enhanced with voice commands just as the iPhone is. There's nothing in the post about the possibility of a 64GB iPod Touch, but we're still counting on Apple to produce one when the line is upgraded--most likely this Fall (last year's new Touch roll out was September 10). A lot of folks are hoping Apple will introduce a jumbo iPod Touch/netbook in September as well.