The newly introduced iPod Touch bears striking resemblance to the iPhone, aesthetically and functionally. It uses the same multi-touch screen, apparently runs a scaled down version of OS X that runs Safari and a YouTube application, uses WiFi, has an accelerometer that allows the display to shift based on physical orientation, and uses the same -SpringBoard" interface to launch its applications.

There are, however, some important differences between the devices:

• There is no email client on the iPod Touch
• There is no Maps application on the iPod Touch
• There are no Stocks or Weather widgets on the iPod Touch
• There is no built-in camera for the iPod Touch
• There are no Blutooth capabilities for the iPod Touch
• The iPod Touch has a differently styled -Dock," with a reflective surface — akin to the Dock that will debut with Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)

• While the iPod Touch is sleeping, the user can tap the home button twice to bring up touch controls on the screen — a feature the iPhone currently lacks
• The iPod Touch has a separate Contacts app — it's built into the Phone application on the iPhone
• The iPod Touch has separate Video and Music apps, whereas the iPhone has a single -iPod" app that contains these functions
• There is apparently (and obviously) no microphone on the iPod Touch, though it will be interesting to see if such audio-in capabilities could be enabled via a third-party device.
• The iPod touch's headphone jack is on the bottom of the device
• The iPod touch lacks a built-in external speaker
• The iPod touch's screen appears to be of a slightly higher quality than the iPhone, with 163 pixels per inch to the iPhone's 160 pixels per inch.

We may very well see some of the iPod Touch's enhanced features make their way to the iPhone in a forthcoming software/firmware update. Apple has already announced plans to deliver the WiFi iTunes Store to the iPhone later this month via an update.