If you buy an iPod Touch today (no apps yet), do you still pay for the Apps

[mini.boss]

I know of the $20 fee for old iPod Touch owners. But what about new buyers? The very latest app-updated Touches aren't in store yet so if you buy one of the older models then do you still have to pay or is there some sort of process you can go through to get it as a free download?

(Yes, I know some stores are discounting $20 to compensate cost but around SoCal then most stores aren't. And I'm buying from Sams Club due to the cheap warranty)

[bigmase911]

I know of the $20 fee for old iPod Touch owners. But what about new buyers? The very latest app-updated Touches aren't in store yet so if you buy one of the older models then do you still have to pay or is there some sort of process you can go through to get it as a free download?

(Yes, I know some stores are discounting $20 to compensate cost but around SoCal then most stores aren't. And I'm buying from Sams Club due to the cheap warranty)

It will likely be a little while until the new Touches have it built in, simply because stores are going to move old inventory before new. So (in my opinion), you'll have to pay the $ for any new iTouch purchases without it built in. Or you can just wait until the new 'built in' ubits are for sale.

I am sure, if you choose to wait, it will be yielded in these forums what specific week # you need to look for on the serial number that'll have the apps included.

[bigmase911]

You'll have to pay.

[LittleBoomBox]

They'll do the same thing as when I updated but didn't buy the $ update. It will update your iPod Touch but won't give you the apps. Even in May, they will not have these apps in the new iPod Touch's.

[mini.boss]

That sucks then. Obviously it's a tough thing for early adopters to swallow, but to even make brand new Touch users pay is silly.

I guess this just needs to be put down as yet another reason why apple dominance is a BAD thing. Everyone beats up MS for their decisions but it's pretty clear that when Apple is given the same power then they are much much worse. Let's hope the Mac market never exceeds 7% or we'll end up paying a fee at every incremental update.

[rstark18]

Even in May, they will not have these apps in the new iPod Touch's.

What makes you say that? I was talking to a helpful Apple Store person and was told that it will be about a week until the new units are in and I should come back then.

[BlackWolf]

They'll do the same thing as when I updated but didn't buy the $ update. It will update your iPod Touch but won't give you the apps. Even in May, they will not have these apps in the new iPod Touch's.

you are wrong.

1) a guy at apple discussions said he called apple support and they said every ipod that was bought after the macworld announcment will get the apps for free. this is not approved by anone yet, but if apple says so ... you should call their support to be absolutly sure though.

2) the apps will be available on all ipod touches that are delivered from now on. so they WILL have the apps when you buy one in may ^^

[RompaRoom]

you are wrong.

1) a guy at apple discussions said he called apple support and they said every ipod that was bought after the macworld announcment will get the apps for free. this is not approved by anone yet, but if apple says so ... you should call their support to be absolutly sure though.

2) the apps will be available on all ipod touches that are delivered from now on. so they WILL have the apps when you buy one in may ^^

What about us that bought them 2 weeks ago? :rolleyes:

[Dougfnj]

What about us that bought them 2 weeks ago?

Do you see the angry rants written by everyone all over the board since the ridiculous announcement?

Basically Apple's answer to the "us" is bend over.

[BlackWolf]

What about us that bought them 2 weeks ago? :rolleyes:

don't tell me, I'm as ####ed off as anyone else. I'm just saying this is what the official statement is and by that i'm answering the topic of the thread, that was all. I never said I agree with this ;-) In fact, I will be returning my touch in a few weeks if apple doesn't come to their senses. probably get me an archos player, they have better sound quality anyway even though I'll miss some of the nice features of the ipod

[MtnBikerChk]

Jailbreak it and get the apps for free!

[archurban]

no you are not. New apps just are included in new touch with the same price.

[kdot]

I bought my iPod Touch from the online store shortly after the announcement on Tuesday. It was shipped within 24 hours and will have all the new software. $299.

[Dougfnj]

don't worry, there will be future updates youll find out you will have to pay for

[rstark18]

Details please.

[Dougfnj]

Details please.


Simple as this, they get you once, they will get you again because they can! You can't possibly think this will be the last update they charge you for, can you? $20 here, $20 there, sure individually it's not alot of money, when it accumulates, you'll eventually have paid a few hundred more than you originally thought.

[rstark18]

Sorry not you. I was asking details about the 299 touch and how he knows he is getting the apps.

[kdot]

The iPod Touch icon on the web page is labelled "New". The description says, "Now there's even more to touch." More description:
Revolutionary multi-touch interface
3.5-inch widescreen color display
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)
8mm thin
Safari, YouTube, iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, Mail, Maps, Stocks, Weather, Notes
Ships: Within 24 hours
Free Shipping
$299.00

And, you get free laser engraving on the back cover. The web site is pretty clear that it includes the new apps. Check it out:
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?nnmm=browse&mco=7B723640&node=home/shop_ipod/family/ipod_touch

[fynebawdee]

Dude, its Apple. You ALWAYS pay. They'll ALWAYS get you no matter what.

[Peter321]

you are wrong.

1) a guy at apple discussions said he called apple support and they said every ipod that was bought after the macworld announcment will get the apps for free. this is not approved by anone yet, but if apple says so ... you should call their support to be absolutly sure though.


Not true, I purchased a 16GB touch on january 17th from a local reseller - came with the old FW of course.

I have contacted both AppleCare & iTunes support and they both basically said: "contact your reseller for a refund/return, we can't help you".

The AppleCare guy offered me a $50 store credit to the Apple Store, but it was only valid on puchases of $400 or more - so not really something I could use :-(

I don't understand why Apple won't just give the upgrade for free for all iPods registered after Jan. 15th. - should be simple enough to do: When you first connect your iPod it asks you to register with Apple - so they know when you got it - why not offer a free upgrade if the registration is after jan. 15th 2008 ?

GREEDY APPLE :mad:

[Reubania]

Dudes (and dudettes) - don't buy from resellers!!!! Dunno about Apple Stores (Australia doesn't have one yet), but direct from their online store, the new apps are included FREE.

One large reseller here is considerate enough to post a note warning potential buyers on their website/store that their stock of Touchs don't include the new apps and that you have to buy them from the Apple website.

Lucky I waited so long to get mine. Had to wait for all the screen thing to clear up and now, I don't need to jailbreak to get those cool and very useful apps on my Touch. No need for fancy customisation of my Touch's homepage - I just wanted mail, notes and maps!

[Dumb Monkey]

Yeah, I would only purchase directly from Apple right now if you want the apps.

[Schyler]

There's something I haven't seen discussed yet on this topic:

How is Apple going to differentiate between the "have" and "have not" Touches? Are the new ones going to have new model numbers, and therefore different firmware variants?

If not, are they planning on omitting these features from future firmware updates so that they won't be giving them to people who haven't bought them?

[Dumb Monkey]

The firmware updates wouldn't necessarily need to include these apps unless they were making a change to the apps themselves.

[Schyler]

But aren't iPod firmware updates typically complete copies of the OS? That way if they become corrupted, you can restore them...

[LittleBoomBox]

If they are giving it out for free to people next week, why are they charging me since I bought it last week? Both consumers are paying the same exact price. Screw Apple and their nickel and dime attitude.

[Dumb Monkey]

But aren't iPod firmware updates typically complete copies of the OS? That way if they become corrupted, you can restore them...
Well, it's all speculation at this point. It could be 2 separate firmwares and something on the Touch itself that lets iTunes know whether or not it's "with apps". They could authenticate your serialID with a database of ones housing the have and have nots. Perhaps there'll just be one base firmware without apps and it'll have to install those separately. Who knows.


If they are giving it out for free to people next week, why are they charging me since I bought it last week? Both consumers are paying the same exact price. Screw Apple and their nickel and dime attitude.
Did you ask Apple if they'd refund the difference. In some cases they'll do that if it's been close to the cutoff.

[mini.boss]

Spoke with Apple customer support a few times and got the same response. If you didn't buy from Apple you have to pay.

That is absolutely obnoxious. I feel bad for those who bought within the last month but I'm buying one TODAY and I STILL have to pay $20 extra. How the hell can Apple expect us to be happy with buying full price and then paying $20 additional?

I know some stores charge $20 less to compensate but not around my area. And it shouldn't be a stores responsibilty to adjust the price for Apple's software. Customer service and the Apple Store clerks were of no help.

[LittleBoomBox]

Even if it weren't that close, my iPod Touch was $399. The iPod Touch units are $399 right now. Same price and yet they want early adopters to fork over more money.

[kornchild2002]

There are always risks when it comes to being early adopters. Look at gaming consoles: you pay a high premium for something that might be defective just for the company to lower prices 1-2 years down the line and improve hardware. I consider the iPod touch and Xbox 360/PS3/Wii to be the same. You are paying a high price for getting the technology sooner. Although I don't agree with the $20 update charge as it is a software update, not a new firmware. That was just one of the risks for being early adopters. Look at the Xbox 360, Microsoft charged $399 for their Premium bundle and many of those consoles failed. They then reduced the price by $50 and released a Elite model that wasn't that much more expensive. Did people complain about the Elite being released? Absolutely, they didn't think it was fair that early adopters got screwed over especially now that all Xbox 360 consoles have HDMI output.

So this type of strategy is nothing new when it comes to electronics and Apple has always included less and less with each iPod release. Don't be surprised if they make 1G iPod touch owners pay $20-$30 for a firmware upgrade whenever the 2G iPod touch is released.

That being said, don't purchase iPods from stores like Best Buy, Wal-Mart, or Circuit City if you are worried about the software. Purchase them from Apple directly as 3rd party retail stores don't just get new shipments of iPods in. They order them only when their current stock is getting low. Don't get mad at Apple for purchasing an iPod now from a 3rd party retail store, get mad at the store for not updating their models.

[Reubania]

People should know to wait a bit when a new product is release when it comes to Apple. Undoubtedly they will improve within the first few months, if not even re-release the second generation, and come with a price drop.

I know the major resellers here in Australia are offering $20 off their current iPod Touch with a disclaimer that you have to purchase the new apps off the Apple website.

The new Touch selling on Apple's website include the new apps for free, AND you pay less now. It is not a punishment on early adopters - but a rather aggressive take to recruit more customers into purchasing this product. And you know they've always been aggressive with their marketing and prices.

[Cool Cat]

My mom heard about the new iPod touch apps and got so excited that she ran out to the local Apple Store and bought an 8GB model on Thursday afternoon. It does not have the new apps on it. Hopefully she'll be able to get them free since she did buy it after the announcement. I haven't been able to find anything about an "up to date" program like what Apple usually has for new Mac buyers after an OS release though, so I told her she should call AppleCare and see what they say. If that doesn't go anywhere then we'll go back down to the Apple Store and try to get some satisfaction there.

Has anyone else here purchased a new iPod touch since the keynote and been successful getting the new apps via a free update? If so, I'd like to hear what you had to do to get them.

[mach_zero]

Didn't get free apps via update, but I bought my wife her Touch today and they knocked $20 bucks off of it because it didn't have the apps installed already. Pretty happy about that. :)

[amit_govind]

the prices of iPod touch in australia and new zealand have been lowered by between $50 and $80 !!!!

[kornchild2002]

My mom heard about the new iPod touch apps and got so excited that she ran out to the local Apple Store and bought an 8GB model on Thursday afternoon. It does not have the new apps on it. Hopefully she'll be able to get them free since she did buy it after the announcement. I haven't been able to find anything about an "up to date" program like what Apple usually has for new Mac buyers after an OS release though, so I told her she should call AppleCare and see what they say. If that doesn't go anywhere then we'll go back down to the Apple Store and try to get some satisfaction there.

Has anyone else here purchased a new iPod touch since the keynote and been successful getting the new apps via a free update? If so, I'd like to hear what you had to do to get them.


Engadget had a report a while back that stated if you purchased a iPod touch after January 1st that you can call and get the apps for free. You must first spend the $20 and then Apple will credit your account the $20 purchase price. This has not been officially confirmed by Apple but many representatives (ie tech support people) said to just call Apple and they credit your account only if your purchased the iPod touch after January 1st. I guess they are doing this because it falls within the return period. That means that people who purchased their touches on the 1st (or after) can go and exchange their iPods for ones with the apps given that it was announced on the 7th.

[Reubania]

That's where I got my information from too. Sounds legit. And yes, it's now much cheaper to purchase it in Australia - a $50 price decrease.

[Cool Cat]

Update on my mom's iPod touch. She called the local Apple Store and they told her to buy the apps from iTunes and bring in the receipt and they'd give her a refund. We're quite happy with this solution.

The only problem she's got now is that her TiBook's USB1 isn't up to snuff and the touch can't sync reliably. On top of that her PC card slot has apparently died so a USB2 PC card is out of the question too. Sigh....