“The iPod touch January ’08 update is a bargain for $20, as it turns the nation’s best music and video player into an even better handheld computer than before,” Sascha Segan reports for PC Magazine.
“Your Jackson buys you five new applications and a lot of ancillary features. What’s most worth paying for are the new Mail, Maps, and home screen features. Those three upgrades will change the way you’ll look at your iPod Touch. I think they tip the balance from an iPod which also happens to have a Web browser on board, into a real handheld Web device that also happens to be an iPod,” Segan reports.
Segan looks at:
• Customizable Home screen
• Mail: POP or IMAP
• Maps with location awareness via Wi-Fi hotspot triangulation
More in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Corinne” for the heads up.]
Still think I’ll wait till they sell iPhones on the Danish market.
Why no Star?
I’m questionning the purpose of the iPod Touch, and also the iPod line, now that we have the iPhone…
I mean, why buying a Touch and a separate cell phone when you can have them all together in one with the iPhone?
I’m looking for some rational answers.
More memory iPod Touch PLEASE!!!
*waiting for revision 2 with 160GB HD*
Excel 2008 4x slower than Excel 2004
Software industry supporting the hardware industry by making bloated code? You decide.
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/feedback/mac_Excel_2008_performance.html#storytop
@ Mac+
Not everybody wants cell phone combined with “whatever”. I love the iPhone, setup a few for my customers but I like a very small flip phone that clips to my belt and doesn’t make me look like I’m out of Star Trek.
Short term, I also live out away from the city and Verizon currently has the best coverage in this area. Once AT&T;gets better coverage or the iPhone is available to Verizon then I will re-evaluate phones.
I also want a very small iPod when I work out. The iPhone is too big and heavy for that.
That’s why Apple sells a variety of items.
“I’m looking for some rational answers.”
Most of the people I’ve asked say they don’t want to move to AT&T;for various reasons, both rational and not.
Mac+
I was thinking about dumping verizon and going with att and the iPhone but after setting up my brothers email on the iTouch I realized a separate small appliance plus my current cellphone would take care of my needs for less money.
Mac+ the reason I bought an iPod Touch and not an iPhone is because I really enjoy my cell phone service and I’ve used AT&T;in the past and did not like them. I also don’t carry my cell phone with me half the time, but I need something that will connect me to the internet sometimes so that I can check my e-mail.
Don’t get me wrong the iPhone is great, but when I go away for the weekend, I don’t want to be bothered so not having a cell phone on me at all times is a plus. This is not a reason for everyone, but I’d thought I give my two cents.
Does anyone know how much more space this update takes? is it less then a few hundred kilobytes or does it take a gigabyte or more?
“Your Jackson buys you five new applications and a lot of ancillary features.”
Randy or Michael? I know it’s not Tito.
the touch seems to be the device of the future. double the screen size, install a wireless receiver and offer an unlimited data anywhere plan for $25 a month, and you’d have yourself a home run of a device.
Demon: The must have 1.1.3 free firmware upgrade is ~160 mb and I think the apps are under 6 mb.
They have to put a HD on the Touch. I’m pretty sure 16GB isn’t going to be enough for all the music, games, videos and all the apps we’re going to put on them. That’s the only thing that keeps me from buying one now. Add a 160GB HD and watch it fly off the shelves…
I see a bunch of 12 year olds using iPod touch, you don’t expect their parents to buy them all an iPhone instead.
It’s interesting how much flak Apple got for charging $20 for this update. I think the article makes it clear that you get a lot of value of the $20.
I think the outrage mostly came because the iTouch people had to pay $20 and the iPhone people got their update (a totally different update) for free. I’ve strenuously argued that people have to understand the accounting requirements before they can criticize Apple on this point. However, I was surprised that Apple didn’t opt to use the same accounting procedure for the iTouch (deferred revenue) that they did for the iPhone. As this article makes clear, the iTouch, like the iPhone, is capable of many significant software upgrades. The accounting laws will require Apple to charge for all new improvements to the ITouch whether they want to or not.
@Mac+
I had AT&T;and switched to T-Mobile. Where I live AT&T;coverage is woeful. Can’t contact my wife from home, yet she’s 9 miles away when at work. Can’t call home from my work 9.9 miles without dropping the call. Can’t call my daughter (71 miles away at college) and hear her ask for more money. T-Mobile network does not drop calls and works where AT&T;did not. I do like like my Touch though. Is that rational enough!
@Mac+
My company pays for my cell… as long as it’s Verizon.
I’ll hang on to my Jackson a little longer thank you. Apple hasn’t added anything that can compete with the software available to those with Jailbroken Touches.
However, when they finally unleash the developer community I will slap this puppy right back in Jail.
In the Touch you are looking at the future of iPods. Give it a year and all iPods, except the Shuffle, will look and function like the Touch.
Once again, while all the competitors are clamoring to build iPod-like devices to compete with Apple, Apple moves to another playing field leaving the competitors wondering what happened. It is a great business strategy that is driving MS and other competitors nuts.
Time to order a few more office chairs for Redmond.
@Mac+
I live in Canada. I can’t *legally* buy an iPhone with regular service yet. In addition to all that, Rogers looks to get the iPhone, if and when Rogers ever gets off their stoopid fat as*es and gets realistically priced data plans.
For now, the iPod is the way to go in this country, coupled with a cheap Telus phone (at least where I live, in the hinterlands of Saskatchewan)
@mrmikey
How’s the weather up in Saskatachewan?
What you have today we in Minnesota have the next day.
To me, the update to the iPod Touch is the biggest news with the widest ramifications. Kids can stay in touch via SMS or email without needing a monthly cell contract.
@ Mac+
I bought an 8GB iPod Touch. I wanted to get an iPhone, but AT&T;doesn’t have any plans in my area… they’ve got service here, but no local phone numbers here… figure that one out.
I was beginning to wonder if I made a mistake buying the iPod Touch, but after getting the Software Update, my only regret now is that I didn’t get the 16GB.
Mac+: Some of us don’t want cell phones… people become slaves to those things.
“What you have today we in Minnesota have the next day.”
A herd of angry moose?