Does it still make sense to buy an iPod Touch?

(Credit: Apple)

This post started out as an iPod Touch deal: Walmart had the refurbished 5th-gen Touch (32GB) for $179, the lowest price I've seen for that model and a whopping $120 less Apple charges for a new one.

Alas, it sold out before I finished the third paragraph. Which is okay, because I wanted to have a discussion about the product anyway: Does the iPod Touch still have a place in the world?

Because, think about it, it's really the only remaining product of its kind (not that it ever had a lot of competition). Put simply, it's an iPhone without the phone, a fully app-capable entertainment wafer without the pesky monthly service charge.

Ah, but who's the target market these days? Most adults and teens have (or want) smartphones. That leaves younger kids, but in most cases a tablet makes more sense for the 2-12-year-old demographic.

It certainly makes more financial sense. Today, for example, Staples has the 7-inch Kindle Fire HD (8GB) for $124 shipped (plus tax), and you get a $25 Staples gift card by mail. Sure, it lacks cameras and doesn't fit in your pocket, but it offers a much larger screen, parental controls, and other kid-friendly benefits.

Now, you might argue that Walmart's rapid sellout of the Touch proves it remains a highly desirable product, though I suspect the rock-bottom price was the key driver there. (Apple's owniPod Touch refurbs go for $219.) Deals on Apple products don't come around often, and people tend to snap them up when they do.

That said, what's your take on the iPod Touch? Who's buying them, and why? Given the brisk sales of the iPad Mini, is there a chance Apple might discontinue the Touch? And would anybody care?