2G Touch faster than 1G

The second-generation iPod touch is substantially faster than the first, to the point of affecting app design, a game developer notes. Handheld Games observes that in writing TouchSports Tennis, it was forced to reduce polygonal detail on players to 800 in zoomed-out views, and 1,000 in close-ups. This is because the first-gen Touch "chokes" when displaying the constant 1,500 polygons possible for each player with the second-gen model, says Handheld CEO Thomas Fessler.

The main processor on the second-gen Touch is said to be have been boosted from 412MHz to 532MHz, which additionally improves loading times. This also makes the player Apple's fastest handheld, as all others are limited to the 412MHz level. It is thought though that CPU speed is not the only factor contributing to performance, as the iPhone 3G rates faster than the original iPhone, which is in turn faster than the first-gen Touch. This could be related to graphics processing tweaks, but Apple has not published detailed specifications.

by MacNN Staff