Tech Specs - No backlight??

[mdibella]

I was looking at the tech spec comparison on Apple's website and I was interested to note that the iPod classic shows that it has an LED Backlight, but there is no backlight mentioned in the iPod Touch specifications.

I know that the use of a backlight greatly reduces battery life, but not having one at all strikes me as a problem.

iPhone users, is the lack of backlight a problem to you?

[Germansuplex]

It'll have a backlight.

[mdibella]

How do you know? Are you an Apple employee and can say this for sure? Because, as I said, the website does not show it.

[Bobster]

How do you know? Are you an Apple employee and can say this for sure? Because, as I said, the website does not show it.

How do you expect to see anything on the screen if it doesn't have a backlight?

You silly person.

[mdibella]

um if there is a light turned on in the room, you can see the screen without needing a backlight. A backlight is used to show the screen if the room is dark or dim.

Didn't seem like a silly question to me....

[Germansuplex]

It will have a backlight. Why would the last who-knows how many generations of iPods - even the monochrome ones - have a backlight, the iPhone have a backlight, the nano's have a backlight... but not the iPod touch?

Come on.

Even in a lit room you still need a backlight to get a nice, crisp picture. A high-res screen and no backlight is pointless.

*The iLounge video clearly shows that it has one.

[mdibella]

sigh. Am I being unclear here?

The APPLE WEBSITE shows tech specs for the new iPods. The iPod Classic's specs specifically list a backlight. The iPod Touch's specs specifically DO NOT list it.

I agree with you that it would be dumb for Apple to leave it out, but then I also think it's pretty dumb for them to release this device with only 16GB of storage.

[Germansuplex]

"Does not list" and "will not have one" are two different things.

It has a backlight. You can see it in the videos posted on the iLounge news page, as well as other videos floating about. Also, it has the ambient light sensor. Why would it need that if it didn't have a backlight?

[mdibella]

The screen does indeed seem pretty bright in the pics I've seen. No argument there. I'm just cautious to assume anything that is not specifically mentioned in Apple's published specs.

Cynical? Moi?

Maybe just a tad... ;-)

[eclipxe]

The screen does indeed seem pretty bright in the pics I've seen. No argument there. I'm just cautious to assume anything that is not specifically mentioned in Apple's published specs.

Cynical? Moi?

Maybe just a tad... ;-)

That's not being cynical...that's not using common sense. How many portable consumer electronic devices in the past 5 years DON'T include a backlight? (Sony ePaper Reader excluded).

[mdibella]

Well, I dunno why you'd exclude the Sony ePaper Reader. I mean, how's THAT for a device that has an obvious need for a backlight, yet it doesn't have one...

I am sorry, my common sense tells me not to assume anything that's not specifically listed in the specs, especially when it IS listed in the specs for other devices on the web page.

[VulnoX]

The ePaper reader is not a full color screen made to display video. It is not even a true LCD screen!

No, if you understood the actual mechanics behind LCD display technology, you would know that it would be impossible for Apple to create a display that would be usable without some kind of backlight. Period.

Turn off the backlight on a 5th gen iPod and see how it looks. I just did and even in a very well lit office you can see the display, but watching videos or anything else would be headache inducing.

As others said, its pure common sense. End of story.

[Matt174e]

Hahahahaha!

[eclipxe]

Well, I dunno why you'd exclude the Sony ePaper Reader. I mean, how's THAT for a device that has an obvious need for a backlight, yet it doesn't have one...

I am sorry, my common sense tells me not to assume anything that's not specifically listed in the specs, especially when it IS listed in the specs for other devices on the web page.

Well, the ePaper reader really isn't an LCD based system. Almost every LCD requires a backlight, even in fully lit conditions. The ePaper reader is much more like regular paper and is readable without a backlight. I agree it might benefit from a backlight, but since it behaves much like "normal" paper it works fine with an external light (like a reading light).

[wytwolf]

The backlight is the reason why the ipod touch only gets 5 hours for video and 22 for audio. It because you don't need the backlight on with audio playback.

If you want absolute proof go to http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/features.html and click multi touch on the left. Here is a quote:

The iPod touch display has an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts brightness to suit the ambient light in your surroundings. The result? A better experience for you and battery-saving efficiency for iPod touch.

[hyroboarder]

Hahahahaha!

darn, you beat me to it. :D



Okay, sit down. Ask yourself what is 2+2. If you can get the answer right it means pigs fly. Then the iphone will get a terabyte of flash memory. The next day when ipod touch is released there'll be no backlight.

[Commodus]

The backlight is the reason why the ipod touch only gets 5 hours for video and 22 for audio. It because you don't need the backlight on with audio playback.

If you want absolute proof go to http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/features.html and click multi touch on the left. Here is a quote:

The iPod touch display has an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts brightness to suit the ambient light in your surroundings. The result? A better experience for you and battery-saving efficiency for iPod touch.

The battery life difference doesn't have much to do with the backlight (though it does affect running time slightly).

Most of the battery drain is due to the processing power required to decode video. It requires a lot more than audio and probably invokes a dedicated processor on the iPod (if it's anything like the 5th-gen iPod).

[wytwolf]

The battery life difference doesn't have much to do with the backlight (though it does affect running time slightly).

Most of the battery drain is due to the processing power required to decode video. It requires a lot more than audio and probably invokes a dedicated processor on the iPod (if it's anything like the 5th-gen iPod).

Well at least my post stopped the arguing over whether or not there is a backlight.;)

[Zer0G]

wytwolf for the WIN!

[bobb-mini]

Well if the iTouch can be seen day&night wo backlit ('coz obviously Apple wouldn't sell u something that can only operate during daytime), then it would be truly a technolgy breakthru and u should run, not walk, to get one.

The tech writer in question probly forgot to write it.

There is a new technology in the horizon called OLED (organic LED) that's say to able to operate wo backlit, but yer not gonna get a gadget with that, today, for $399.