CNet has a piece about what a good deal the newly-discounted refurbished 4th-gen iPod Touches available at the Apple Store currently are: 8 gig discounted $30 to $169, 32 gig discounted $50 to $249, and 64-gig discounted $60 to $339. These are the models that have the double-resolution Retina Display, and would make great e-readers. If I didn’t have other demands on my money, I might very well scoop one of those up.

Another CNet writer has argued that Apple should ditch the iPod Touch, saying that as a brand name the iPod had basically died out. But the Touch really does fill its own techno-ecological niche—maybe not as flashy as the iPhone’s, but important nonetheless. It’s got almost all the benefits of an iPhone, without the contract payments. (And it does it so well that it has very few decent competitors in its field.) And with some new apps, it can even be used for WiFi phone calls.

For myself, I would love to have one of those 4th-generation Retina Display models—especially if it came with 64 gigs of storage. But I just can’t justify spending that much money—my tax return is already spoken for.

Still…rumors have been flying around that Apple might refresh the iPod Touch line this year (it skipped last year). If that happens, those refurbished 4th-gen devices will become even more affordable.

So, until then I’ll keep reading my 1st-gen Touch and dreaming of a new Retina Display.

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