It's written all over, iPod sales are down. And it's not just down for now, the portable media player's record sales slump has become a trend and it's scaring Apple. Au contraire, its not-so-distant yet more famous cousin, the iPhone, is enjoying the limelight like no other, raking in needed profits for the Cupertino-based company. Now, something's gotta give.

Speculations are rife the next-gen iPod, the iPod Touch 6G, is going to redefine itself drastically - getting features that were beholden only to the iPhone for years.

Recent reports detail that the iPod 6G is coming and it's coming fast. Reportedly, Apple is launching the reinvigorated iPod Touch 6^th Generation during the WWDC (World Wide Developer's Conference) from June 8 to June 12 this year. In this event, the Steve Jobs-founded tech titan is taking the podium as the host. It would, therefore, be the best time to launch to the public the redefined music and media player.

Of course, at this point in time this is pure speculation. Though it's definitely hosting said event,  Apple is leaving no telltale signs of a major product movement, not even a vague hint to confirm the purported iPod 6G launching. And most certainly, no announcements. At least not yet.

Now, iPod represents a marketing bind.

Many pundits have cast a doubtful glance at the viability of the product. And they're not off-target, if the sales charts were to speak up.  

Not only do you have a product that could cost initially as much as an iPhone, the iPod does not offer much on the table. None but its media player and some so-so features, functionalities that last look are also found - more often than not - in an iPhone.

To get this product the relevance it needs to market, it has therefore to transform. To do an overhaul of its functionality. Or lose out big time.

It seems in this transform-or-die scenario that a solution has been arrived, at least by those who have looked long enough into the Apple market to know what's got to go and got to stay.

The iPod Touch 6^th Generation is going to be a hybrid. It would still carry the iPod name and would therefore be the official flag-bearer of the product line. But this time around, it will don some of those killer iPhone features.

The end-product should a portable media player that's approaching in functionality to the iPhone and more than just a portable media player. How more, that's for everyone to find out with the iPod 6^th Generation launching.