"unable to join network" no matter what I do brand new ipod touch

Yes, but ...

1. The number of people reporting on this thread may be few and far between, but a quick Google for "ipod OR ipad OR iphone wifi won't connect" just revealed 13,200,000 results (a lot of which, from a quick speed-read of a few pages of results, looked directly relevent) ...
2. From what I've seen, the problem is least likely to occur if you're using a single AP, with the network broadcasting its' SSID (not hidden), with a 10 character or less PSK, with the AP not filtering on MAC addresses, and with the AP providing a "cheap'n'cheerful" DHCP server (which doesn't check whether the address it's about to return is already allocated). That probably covers most home users.

So I really wouldn't take the size of the discussion here as directly indicative of the scope of the problem. It's obviously enough of an issue that Apple themselves have tried to address it specifically in at least one iOS update, and anyone who has ever tried to get Apple to resolve anything will know they must have had a huge number of reported problems before they even considered trying to do anything about it 😀 ...

Oh, yes. A Google search is always the accurate solution. Very scientific on your part.

I've tried to post some information I hope others may find useful, based on considerable experience, having written network protocol stacks, DHCP servers and clients, etc., having performed network analysis of iXxxx devices trying to attach to networks, etc. etc. etc. etc.

You are just sitting at a keyboard somewhere throwing sarcastic criticism around without, evidently, having bothered to research anything.

No, Google is not the be-all-and-end-all of research tools. However having that number of hits, and having actually taken the trouble to look through many pages of the results to confirm whether or not they were actually relevent before posting that update, is far more scientific a process than not bothering to research anything at all and then just sitting there being critical of other people's posts. Which is evidently what you are doing.

I have seen iXxxx devices sending DHCP requests on the wire and claiming they cannot join a network before the response has gone back. I have, as you seemed to doubt that it was a problem (despite Apple themselves obviously thinking it is, or they wouldn't have released an iOS update specifically to try and address the issue), actually bothered to check whether other people seem to be experiencing the problem.

They are. Get used to it. Whether you'd like to think it's a problem or not - it would appear that there are an awful lot of users out there (if you actually bother to check any of the results) who wouldn't care less whether you think it's a widespread problem or not.

So what research, exactly, did you bother doing before making critical and sarcastic comments about other people's posts?

If you have anything useful to contribute, E.g. anything actually based on information rather than supposition with apparently no basis in anything whatsoever, then please do so. Otherwise shut up, grow up, and get a life.

You probably don't realize that this is a forum where Apple users post problems with requests for assistance. If anything, this forum should indicate an exaggerated count of the Airport problems. I've been providing assistance for a bit over eight years. You've been here for how long? Two weeks, maybe? How many users have indicated that your posts were "helpful" or that your posts "solved" their problems? How much have you actually contributed?

1. Don't be so patronising - I know it's a support forum, that's how I found it.
2. Again, comments with no research first - since I only signed up with the forum today (which you could easily have checked, had you have been bothered, by clicking on my handle link) I haven't had much of an opportunity to get a positive reputation. I have been providing support in various other fora for about 35 years (yes, before "The Internet" started for the general public - I actually provided consultancy for one of the very first 2 ISPs in the UK).
3. It's not an Airport problem, it's a client device problem. That's probably why it's in the "iPod touch" discussion group rather than the "Airport" one.
4. This forum evidently isn't the first point of call for most Apple users. I doubt that most casual iPod, iPad or iPhone users even know it exists.

Sigh - more posting without bothering to check your facts, even so far as a simple click on my tag handle (how hard would that have been)?

I have better things to do than respond to your self opinionated drivel - I'm glad you have been able to help other people out; that's what fora such as these are all about. However I wonder (though I'm really not interested) what your comment ratio of helpful to unresearched, uninformed and just plain rude, would be?

I'd guess you'll probably reply to this - self-opinionated types such as you appear to be usually feel the overwhelming urge to have the last word - however if you do I won't be bothering to reply. Unless, of course, it actually is something helpful, or based on real information, rather than an uninformed, unresearched, and basically irrelevent opinion that actually doesn't contribute anything actually to trying to help anyone else who might have the same problem - you did say "this is a forum where Apple users post problems with requests for assistance" didn't you (don't see anything helpful in your comments today ...)?

Thank you! I have an old iPod Touch and this post was very helpful. Number 6 - just keep on trying - was the one that worked for me!