What do you get when you take 90% of the iPhone’s functionality and remove all traces of a meddlesome US wireless carrier? You get the brand-new iPod touch… And a lot of unhappy iPhone owners, I’ll bet!
Someone should seriously write a marketing book about this… Back in June when the iPhone was released, those privileged enough to live in the US and A and willing to spend two years under the lock and key of AT&T were cheered as they left Apple Stores across the nation with their new purchases in hand, while the rest of the world looked on like orphan refugee children pressed up against the fence of their internment camp while their conquerors paraded by.
So what does Apple do? Gut the phone, keep the WiFi and add the ability to buy music right on the device! Now the rest of the world can check out the now-famous tappity-flick-smudge interface right in their very own Apple Store, months before the actual iPhone goes on sale in their local market. I’m betting most of them won’t ultimately be interested in the iPhone, but they’ll be all over this thing. How could we not be after being inundated with so much iPhone hype?
I myself am in already possession of an internet tablet, a last-gen Nokia N770 that I haven’t even bothered to review here because it’s really only good for one thing — surfing on the toilet or in front of the TV. Hey, it’s more portable than a newspaper…
And would I trade in my tablet for a touch? In about two seconds!
For the touch has far outgrown a mere iPod yet still retains the functionality of a classic PDA. It really is a Newton for the 21st century. But this time it’s good.
16 Comments
AC:
According to the news item at MacLife (former MacAddict), the iPhone storage has been doubled from 4 to 8 GB, so those suckers, er, early adopters, who lined up for days have now seen an iPod and a new iPhone come out with double the storage of their phones, as well as what you’ve pointed out above:
http://tinyurl.com/34dy4l
The iPod Classic comes in 80 or 160 GB flavours, with pricing in the same range as the iPod Touch. I guess you either go for wi-fi connectivity and the trendy touchie screen, or yo go for for storage capacity. The touch screen isn’t a dealmaker for me, but having a 160 GB portable hard drive that also plays movies, music, and photos is pretty tempting. But I’ll wait, just in case Jobs comes out with a 320 GB version for the same money just in time for Christmas….
Ed
Hey Ed,
My only theory would be that Mr. Jobs and Co. don’t want to risk bleeding edge hard-drive capacity on the relatively new form factor of the iPhone and iPod touch, and opted for sturdier solid state memory instead.
160 GB is currently the upper limit reached by Samsung and Toshiba for an iPod-sized drive, but you’re right — it’s only a matter of time before a HD makes its way into these devices.
Maybe I won’t run out to the Apple Store just yet…
I too have a Nokia web tablet (though I have the N800).
The only thing sstopping me from ditching it for an iPod touch, to be honest, are:
1. Email – where’s the email on the iPod touch?
2. Google Earth – where’s Google Earth on the iPod touch?
3. Bluetooth – for those rare times when there’s no Wifi.
For these three reasons, I’m holding out for an iPhone when it’s finally released in the UK.
Hiya mj, and thanks for writing…
How do you like your N800? I was thinking of shelling out extra for it but I thought I’d test the waters with the 770 instead.
The interesting thing about email is that in North America at least there seems to be a mass migration towards using it only on the web. In fact, one half of the Canadian ISP duopoly has stopped offering a POP server altogether:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/29wa9g
As for the Bluetooth, I could make do if Apple included a WiFi LAN client instead…
Your software looks very interesting, by the way!
I believe energy conservation is the main reason behind the use of flash on iPod touch.
The other reason would be iPhone cannibalization. Make the memory on the iPhone touch 30, 80 or 160 gig and people flock to it and ignore the iPhone. Millions of people live with an iPod and cell phone now, and they’d just keep doing that. Making the memory of both equivalent makes the “phone” feature seem like a reasonable $100 add-on.
I don’t know if I would say that the early adopters are suckers persay. Most of them know that this is the way it is and that this sort of thing happens all the time. Its merely that the people who stood in line to get the iphone wanted the item right then and there and would do anything to get it. Personally, I waited because of the third party app situation, but with the ipod touch out, I’m considering buy that.
I totally agree with you AC, I’m getting one of these. Besides, you’d also live free of any iPhone bugs. All I wanted out of the iPhone was Safari, touch screen and wide screen! I love the idea of the iPod touch and with plans of bringing in iPhones in the middle east in a few months, I think this launch came in the right time. Not a day too Zune!
Hi Andrew,
Good post! I’ve been looking into getting a Nokia 770 or 800, but your jolly review of its limited use has made me think twice. The iPod Touch definitely looks impressive, but I’d like a tablet/mobile device that allows me to easily type for emails, blog posts etc. Do you know of any devices that would have wiFi, mobile browsing and a nice keyboard interface (I don’t like onscreen keyboards for anything more than typing a few words)?
Thanks to all for the continuing comments!
Mike, I was hoping that my N770 and Nokia SU-8W Bluetooth keyboard could take the place of my laptop for note-taking on the road. The set-up would look something like this:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/39o8gz
Unfortunately the BT connection on the N770 times out way too quick, and having to constantly reconnect by hand interferes far too much with what I’m trying to write.
Maybe the keyboard works better with the N800?
Nice story! I am a gadget-fan but the whole hyper Gekko iFone thing is more of an alarm bell ringing than a stage in human evolution. Whatever the technology, it was a truly Orwellian spectacle of consumption which surely just previews worse to come. I think it’s absolutely hysterical that of all companies, it’s Apple putting out the product smacking all the first-in-worst-fleeced zealots in the mouth (which they opened to scream WOOOOOOHOOOOO as they left the shop – how powerful is it to be able to collect $700 from someboday for an item that comes with a monthly bill, and actually have them cheering for all the world to see….!?). iLOL.
I love the look of the iTouch… The design is great, but I doubt I’d use most features.
I’m actually someone who is against the iPhone… If I buy a phone, I only want it, as a phone… I don’t need a “does all” piece of technology because it “does all – not quite as well as other things do”. I can browse the Web on my PC, play music on my (you guessed it) MP3 player, etc. If I want to make a call, I use my phone. The iTouch, however, looks like a great MP3 player and I’d probably only use it as one.
In Australia I have been advised that apart from an expected shipment of iPod touch’s by the end of this month, Apple resellers are not expecting to see any significant stock till FEB MARCH next year.
I want one but it may be a long wait till these things filter down through the supply chain in numbers significant enough to entice.
Perhaps that is just Australia?
Really? That would suck… I mean, I’d expect a bit of a US and A bias for the first shipments, but I can’t imagine any market with an iTunes Music Store to be waiting that long for the must-have gadget of the holidays.
And anyway, aren’t you guys are closer to Taiwan than we are?
Here’s a quick update: Apparently Apple has removed the ability to add calendar events to the iPod touch:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/39k239
While hackers and/or a gen2 device will probably solve this, I’m thinking it might be post-worthy to list a feature comparison between the touch and it’s competitors, like the Nokia N800.
Anyone got an N800 they can lend me?
AC:
I just read the review of the iPhone in the current issue of MacLife. A few of the comments make me wonder if they are the same on the Touch. iPhone Bluetooth support is limited to headsets, so no stereo headphones or data transfer to other devices. The iPhone’s touchscreen is made out of glass, which makes it scratch resistent but you don’t want to drop it. They liked the iPhone’s playback sound through headphones (with special recessed port so if you want your own ‘phones, you’ll have to buy an adapter), and the display quality is reported as amazing. Also, OS X takes up 700MB of the 4 or 8GB memory. finally, battery life is good–for music playback is about 23 hrs, 6 hrs for video.
MacLife is also betting on a 3G version in January.
Ed
PS: No GPS receiver on the iPhone….
Hey Ed,
From what I know the touch does NOT support Bluetooth (the radio might be in there but it’s been turned off) but the headphone jack has been re-jiggered so’s you don’t need a special adapter.
I’d provide links as proof but you all trust me, don’t you?