I don't really know what's up with the Vietnamese guys from Tinhte, but, somehow, they've managed to get their hands on some of the latest Apple products before the company from Cupertino actually managed to announce them officially. Oh, well, they seem to have some pretty well-connected sources among Apple's contractors, since, after getting to present the upgraded plastic MacBook, they've just managed to get their hands on a device many people are eagerly waiting for, namely the next-gen iPod.

Without a doubt, the first thing everyone will notice when looking at these leaked photos is the fact that this next-gen iPod is one metallic monster, the whole rear side being manufactured out of brushed aluminum. And the surprises keep on coming, since, as Engadget points out, the device also packs a 2-megapixel, backside illuminated sensor manufactured by Omnivision, meant to turn the Apple device into a mean, lean photo-shooting machine.

In any case, chances are that the device that made its way onto the Vietnamese website isn't the “real deal,” namely the final product that will be unveiled by Steve Jobs in early June. And that's because the various markings on its rear side seem to indicate that we're talking about a development product, far from the latest stages of production. Sure, it does pack 64GB of storage memory and the aforementioned camera module, but is it for real?

Anyway, whether this is the final iPod touch next-gen design or just an early, intermediary step, the truth of the matter is Apple will have to come up with a really good product offering a very serious amount of added value, because, otherwise, this brand will eventually succumb in a market dominated by the iPhone and the iPad. And we wouldn't really want to see the tiny portable player turning from Apple's savior (yes, the iPod did save Apple's business back in the day) into just another app, would we now?


We are just a few, but there are many of you, Softpedia users, out there. That's why we thought it would be a good idea to create an email address for you to help us a little in finding gadgets we missed. Interesting links are bound to be posted with recognition going mainly to those who submit. The address is .