Is there a reason why i shouldn't get a touch?

[dannyfanny90]

i already have my ipod nano as my main ipod for running, listening around the house and for going out. i'm wondering if i should get the touch(8, 16, 32) for watching videos on.
i have lots of videos, well only 7gigs worth right now, but more coming and i was wondering if i should get a touch. any reasons not to?

[Touchingisgood]

If you have the money to blow, why the hell not?!

[dannyfanny90]

its either that or the classic...but should i wait and see the SDK on the 26th...and i'm HOPING there is a price drop soon...and i'm about 200 bucks away...it'll take me 2? months? or 1.5? to get to 300 bucks at least

[paranoidxe]

There are a few drawbacks of the iPod Touch...
- no buttons (makes audio navigation impossible through pockets)
- capacity (though 32GB would probably be plenty for most, even with video)
- battery life (Wifi mainly, turn this off and you'll have good battery life for the most part, though the 160gb classic is still the master in this category)

That being said, I enjoy my iPod Touch as much as I enjoy my other iPods..the lack of buttons (forward/back) actually bothers me the most.

[dannyfanny90]

oh yeah there's no buttons...crap...i totally spaced on that.

and one more thing...do i really need two flash drives? because the touch will get better and sadly enough i don't think the classic will last that much longer

[Allocentric]

There's all kinds of reasons for getting an iPod touch (I've listed a bunch in this thread (http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?p=1209874#post1209874) - post #8). But... you specifically said why not to get an iPod touch...

Reasons you might not want an iPod touch:

You store playlists inside folders in iTunes, and would like that structure reflected on your iPod.
You'd like to see the artist name when browsing the Song menu.
You'd like to see the number of songs contained within a playlist or album as part of the menu listing.
You'd like to have physical controls (volume, play/pause, previous/next) so adjustments can be made without taking out the device; helpful to avoid becoming a theft target on public transit.
You have songs with very long titles, and would like to see them (the iPod touch won't scroll long names)
You want to play games without being online or jailbreaking
You want the iPod with the longest possible battery life
You want to use the Nike+iPod running accessory (iPod nano only)
You'd like to have more than 32GB of capacity

There's additional reasons if you're a big podcast listener/viewer (as I am):

You listen to lots of podcasts, and like to play all episodes in order without user intervention (the iPod touch returns you to the menu after each episode finishes, rather than continuing to the next one).
You'd like to have your video podcasts contained within the "Podcasts" menu, rather than stored separately in the "Videos" section.
You'd like to read podcast text descriptions on your iPod

While as of today the iPod touch currently is not able to do the above tasks (or lacks the features mentioned), there's no telling what future hardware and software releases will change that. Most of those items listed above are currently possible with the current generation iPod classic or iPod nano.

That said, it sounds like video is big part of your mobile entertainment, and - aside from capacity - there's simply no better iPod than the iPod touch. If you can afford it, it's worth it (IMHO) to have both a traditional iPod and the iPod touch.

[netean]

To be honest if you want a video player. There are probably better things on the market. Like the Archos media player (and others I'm sure)

The touch is a great looking device but the music player really lets it down - it lacks basic features (like editable playlists, id3 tag viewers/editors, like lyrics support -without the $20 update etc)

Trouble is that it's trying to be too many things, a music player, a pda, a wifi web browser, etc.. and the result it that it does them all adequately but none of them stand out as being exception (Safari/web browsing being the most stand out app in my opinion but again, not without it's faults (eg flash))

the other reasons I can think of NOT to get one:

Price: they're are probably THE most expensive player on the market.
NON-FREE updates... how sucky is that: you pay all that money (in the case of the 32gb a whole lot of money!) and then you have to pay for minor bug fixes and little UI improvements.

I suppose the other BIG reason would be if you want a video player. The touch is picky about formats. Doesn't play divx or xvid (at least none that I've tried). SO if you have a large video collection in divx/xvid you'll have to convert to .264 mpeg4 or whatever it is (sorry I don't know the tech ins and out here, I just grab the converted and tell it make it ipod format)

[rockmyplimsoul]

... you pay all that money (in the case of the 32gb a whole lot of money!) and then you have to pay for minor bug fixes and little UI improvements.Correction: Apple charged existing owners for applications that were not available or advertised at the time of purchase. Apple has never charged for bug fixes or UI improvements.

Also, for those that did buy the 32GB model, they came with the applications installed at no additional cost, and for the last few weeks the 8 and 16 have been coming with them pre-installed (or discounted by $20 to offset the cost).

[bobb-mini]

no buttons (makes audio navigation impossible through pockets)
Well, I'll be darned <smack> how come nobody tells me that? ;)

OK, YOU have a problem with it, but it's not called an iButton.

To OP, as already mentioned, if video is your thing then there are other choices out there, play more video formats for one.

iTouch shinnes in its internet connection and other applications. Call it your mini-laptop.

[dannyfanny90]

i love the internet too, but the touches battery is horrid with wifi(duh)
and yeah i do watch videos...is the extra inch in the display really that much difference?

and i'm a huge apple fan...not a fanboy who's crazed or anything, but apple is my cup of tea

[Dumb Monkey]

Correction: Apple charged existing owners for applications that were not available or advertised at the time of purchase. Apple has never charged for bug fixes or UI improvements.But don't most consumers consider a UI element that is either missing or works differently than how they want, a bug? :p And were lyrics display and homepage editing part of the 1.1.3 update, or part of the $20 app pack? I thought I remember some people whining about that.

[Dumb Monkey]

i love the internet too, but the touches battery is horrid with wifi(duh)
and yeah i do watch videos...is the extra inch in the display really that much difference?You want horrid battery life, try out the wifi on that Archos player. You get what, an hour if you're lucky? But I will say that videos are much better on the touch/iphone than the video/classic. Obviously the screen is bigger, but the resolution is also doubled.

[bobb-mini]

i love the internet too, but the touches battery is horrid with wifi(duh)
and yeah i do watch videos...is the extra inch in the display really that much difference?
The extra inch may not make a difference video-watching wise, but that extra inch may afford a bigger battery = last longer.

I love Apple too but sometimes if u don't get your 1st and 2nd priorities satisfied, it really doesn't matter even if it's iGod.

Waiting for 2nd Gen (guaranteed better batt life) is a valid option.

[Ebonygurl00]

I sold my iPod Classic (80GB) in December, and got the 16GB Touch for Christmas. It's a great sort of PDA (if you Jailbreak it). I've just bought a 30GB 5G iPod from Ebay to play my music on, though, because the Touch isn't the best music player, IMO.

If you want this for a video player, then just remember that 16, even 32GB isn't a lot for storing lots of movies and videos, especially if you install applications on it. Like someone else above said, if you don't have lots of movies and shows bought from iTunes, then look into buying a different player. I have over $500 in TV shows from iTunes, so buying a different player wasn't an option for me.

The biggest gripe I have with the Touch is that there isn't the ability to view "lyrics", or information, about podcasts, even with the $20 update. I have over 600 episodes of podcasts, and I use my iPod 75% for listening to podcasts, so that's a huge letdown. I bought the 5G 30GB iPod from Ebay because of this.

Honestly, I feel that the 5G iPod is the best iPod ever made. I could be biased, because it was my first one (bought it in Feb 2006, sold it later that year to get a 5.5G, sold that in 2007 to get the Classic), but I just feel like these new iPods have so many bugs in them, it's crazy. I'm going to see how much I use the Touch when my 5G gets here.

I don't want to sound like I'm bashing the Touch, because it's a great little device if you use it for everything other than music. Safari is great, my only problem with it is how it doesn't save the website you're on if you go out of it, and how the music stops while browsing the Internet. The sound quality isn't as good as other iPods I've owned, which is a shame. Jailbreaking the Touch makes it worth the money. I use my Touch mainly as an Internet browser, eBook Reader, music and podcast player (this will change once I receive my 5G). I hardly play videos on it, for some strange reason, I like watching videos better on the other video iPods. I honestly couldn't live without MobileScrobber (Last.FM application) on the Touch. If the 5G was able to use MobileScrobbler, I'd sell the Touch.

Go play with one at your local Apple store. You'll be able to get a feel on how it works. Sorry for the novel, hehe, I hope I helped some!

[rockmyplimsoul]

But don't most consumers consider a UI element that is either missing or works differently than how they want, a bug? :p And were lyrics display and homepage editing part of the 1.1.3 update, or part of the $20 app pack? I thought I remember some people whining about that.At the time the Touch was first sold up until the January update, where was it documented that it would support lyrics? Homepage editing? Notes? Mail? None of these were standard features on the Touch, until now.

IMO, the lack of these things doesn't make them bugs, nor does a difference between the Touch from prior iPod models. Just because you have certain expectations, or that you don't like it that you didn't get these things doesn't mean that Apple screwed up. Sure, I would like it if I got all these things for free, but I don't feel I was deprived, deceived, or short-changed -- the product works as advertised, and where it doesn't I would expect a free update.

[Ebonygurl00]

At the time the Touch was first sold up until the January update, where was it documented that it would support lyrics? Homepage editing? Notes? Mail? None of these were standard features on the Touch, until now.

IMO, the lack of these things doesn't make them bugs, nor does a difference between the Touch from prior iPod models. Just because you have certain expectations, or that you don't like it that you didn't get these things doesn't mean that Apple screwed up. Sure, I would like it if I got all these things for free, but I don't feel I was deprived, deceived, or short-changed -- the product works as advertised, and where it doesn't I would expect a free update.

I agree, that doesn't make them bugs. However, I expected with the $20 update that when they said "lyrics support", they would also put in Podcasts lyrics/information.

[touchy]

At the time the Touch was first sold up until the January update, where was it documented that it would support lyrics? Homepage editing? Notes? Mail? None of these were standard features on the Touch, until now.

IMO, the lack of these things doesn't make them bugs, nor does a difference between the Touch from prior iPod models. Just because you have certain expectations, or that you don't like it that you didn't get these things doesn't mean that Apple screwed up. Sure, I would like it if I got all these things for free, but I don't feel I was deprived, deceived, or short-changed -- the product works as advertised, and where it doesn't I would expect a free update.

However those apps were installed from the get-go on the iPhone. When the touch was introduced the 8Gb iPhone price was cut to the same as the 16GB touch. They have been linked and compared to each other ad nauseum, many thinking the touch was an iPhone with double the storage but lacking phone, camera and microphone.
When Apple decided to simply extend those iPhone apps to their iPod touch line it should've cost everybody zero dollars. Everybody.

[Touchmyipod]

again, it was only $20, if you didn't want to pay, then jailbreak, but don't moan about it...still.....a month after the fact

[rockmyplimsoul]

However those apps were installed from the get-go on the iPhone. When the touch was introduced the 8Gb iPhone price was cut to the same as the 16GB touch. They have been linked and compared to each other ad nauseum, many thinking the touch was an iPhone with double the storage but lacking phone, camera and microphone.
When Apple decided to simply extend those iPhone apps to their iPod touch line it should've cost everybody zero dollars. Everybody."what it should've cost everybody" is a business decision, not a quality issue or flaw. This nebulous "they" who did the iPhone/Touch comparisons are not the ones making business decisions, are they? I'm not arguing that it would've been nice to have gotten these things for free, but for someone to say that "Apple charges for minor bug fixes" is an extrapolation of the facts.

[touchy]

again, it was only $20, if you didn't want to pay, then jailbreak, but don't moan about it...still.....a month after the fact

Who's moaning? If someone states in a thread "a month after the fact" that they shouldn't have been expected,
then i'm entitled to reply why i feel they should've, that simple.

And you've assumed incorrectly, i've been jailbroken since November and had those apps since the same time.
I'm not the one who started a thread moaning (http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?t=217832) about all the moaners when it came out, am i?

[natoosh21]

oooooo touchy got touchmyipod back there... nice thinking ;)

[Dim]

Apple has never charged for bug fixes or UI improvements.How is the editable homepage not a UI improvement?

[Dim]

When Apple decided to simply extend those iPhone apps to their iPod touch line it should've cost everybody zero dollars. Everybody.Because of course software development is free and had no effect whatsoever on the cost of the iPhone. :rolleyes:

[rg3n]

Safari crashes at the most random times! I don't think the safari is even stable yet . But as a video and music player, its works excellent!

[dannyfanny90]

so i think i might go with a classic or a video? and then later...(come september) i might get the touch as it will have a better battery life...(hopefully) only it would really bite if the classic got a 3" screen somehow

[Delphi96]

I'm returning my 32 gig Touch because:

1) No backlight timer so the damn thing is either on all the time killing the battery or you can set it to auto off which means constantly doing a 2 step process to turn it back on:mad: . Absolutely, unbelievably :shake: , stupid interface decision for what is otherwise a great interface.

2) Poor blacks on the LCD looking to washed out.

3) Poor angle of view on the LCD compared to my 5.5 video.

4) No disk mode support

Otherwise, it is a great piece of engineering. I look forward to a future version with a better screen, at least as good as the IPhone's, with good angle of viewing capability, a back light timer, and disk mode support.

I don't recommend buying the Touch at this time.

[LatinaC09]

I'm returning my 32 gig Touch because:

1) No backlight timer so the damn thing is either on all the time killing the battery or you can set it to auto off which means constantly doing a 2 step process to turn it back on:mad: . Absolutely, unbelievably :shake: , stupid interface decision for what is otherwise a great interface.

2) Poor blacks on the LCD looking to washed out.

3) Poor angle of view on the LCD compared to my 5.5 video.

4) No disk mode support

Otherwise, it is a great piece of engineering. I look forward to a future version with a better screen, at least as good as the IPhone's, with good angle of viewing capability, a back light timer, and disk mode support.

I don't recommend buying the Touch at this time.
i wouldn't buy anything that just came out. it will improve over time.

[liam5293]

Its A Really Good Ipod But The Reasons Not To Get Are:
.Touch Screen Is Very Delicate And Get Scratched So Easily
.Very Wide And Too Big For A Normal Pocket
.Only Has 22 Hours Of Music Play Back And I Think Only 5 For Videos

But The Good Point Are:
.Biggest Screen Of All Ipods At 3.5"
.Extremely Slim
.16 Million Colour Glossy Display

I Think Its A Good Bet But If You Are Worried About Play Back Time More Than The Screen Size Get The Classic.

[mini.boss]

i already have my ipod nano as my main ipod for running, listening around the house and for going out. i'm wondering if i should get the touch(8, 16, 32) for watching videos on.

You are exactly the person who should get a touch. The Touch is great for video/internet/apps but is easily the worst music player in the iPod lineup. So just as long as you rely on the Nano for music then you're set.

The only reason NOT to get a touch is because the existence of the 8GB is pretty much pointless. Memory prices have dropped significantly since the 8GB was released but Apple isn't passing those savings to us yet. So by summer then it's extremely likely that Apple will
phase out th 8GB and drop the rest of the line $100 less and the 16GB will be the entry level $299 touch.

[dannyfanny90]

so if i did get a touch, are you saying i should wait until the 16GB is the 299 standard? i could do that...ahhh i have also forgotten that i'm going to new york for choir, and prom soon after...this ipod i'm getting is going to be sometime after that into summer. so i hope they have a better touch by then...

[rg3n]

so funny how everyone gets used to apple releasing a better model of a iPod. Its like if you keep waiting there's no point because they will keep releasing a newer and better model every few months. So either take a risk of getting it now and expect apple to release an update for it in a few months.

[dannyfanny90]

i think i will risk a little bit...but if the 26th truns out to be the SDK i might not wait...hah

[Wilder_K_Wight]

I love my 32GB iPod Touch. I highly recommend it. The storage is great, putting it on par with the 5G 30GB iPod (a little more space, actually) and the screen is beautiful. The sound is good, the applications are very nice, and I get a lot of use out of it.

I do not jailbreak, and I refuse to do so. I'll wait for legit applications, thanks.

The new application pack is $20 to early adopters (and the cost is built into newer iPods) and includes five applications. That's $4 per application. That's hardly a "rip off" and in fact, I think it's a fair price.

And just because versions of these applications were on the iPhone doesn't mean that they "should be" free for the iPod Touch. The PowerBook came with software that didn't come on the iBook, and vice-versa. I didn't expect to get those apps for free on my PowerBook just because iBooks had them installed. That's just ridiculous.

These weren't just straight ports, either. They had to tailor the apps to work on the Touch and take into account the lack of EDGE support. There's work involved here. If people have a problem rewarding developers for their efforts, then they should just say so, and stop hiding behind the whole "it's the principle of the matter" argument. The principle of the matter is that you're paying for software, which is what makes it possible for software to be developed. Deal with it.

If I could have had my 32GB iPod touch for $20 less without those applications, I still would have paid for the apps. They're good apps. They do some cool things.

The bottom line is that the iPod Touch is not a total replacement for a traditional iPod, but it's not a "lite" version of the iPhone, either. It's a hybrid device that falls somewhere between iPod, iPhone, Newton, and a traditional PDA.

If you need something that has Wi-Fi, web browser, email, notes, calendar, clock, contacts, music, movies, and other soon-to-be-seen applications, then grab one. If you just need a music/movie player, then get an iPod Classic.

[Wilder_K_Wight]

I'm returning my 32 gig Touch because:

1) No backlight timer so the damn thing is either on all the time killing the battery or you can set it to auto off which means constantly doing a 2 step process to turn it back on:mad: . Absolutely, unbelievably :shake: , stupid interface decision for what is otherwise a great interface.

2) Poor blacks on the LCD looking to washed out.

3) Poor angle of view on the LCD compared to my 5.5 video.

4) No disk mode support

Otherwise, it is a great piece of engineering. I look forward to a future version with a better screen, at least as good as the IPhone's, with good angle of viewing capability, a back light timer, and disk mode support.

I don't recommend buying the Touch at this time.

I heartily disagree.

1. If you're looking at it, you need the backlight on. If you aren't, you don't need the screen on. You do understand that the auto off is to prevent accidental touch-entry, don't you? i think it's a nifty, intelligent design that watches your battery levels (and you can dim the brightness if you're so worried) and makes sure you don't accidentally start a movie playing while it's in your pocket.

2. Yours must be faulty. Mine looks incredible- Identical to the iPhone. Blacks are most certainly not washed out. Colors are bright and vibrant.

3. Are you watching it from a 90-degree angle or something? Mine looks great from most angles, as long as I'm in front of the screen.

4. Nope. It's not a portable hard drive. They don't advertise it as one, either. Never have. As I never used this mostly-useless feature on any of my previous iPods (and I've had most of them) I don't miss it on the iPod touch. If I want a portable flash drive, I'll get a pen drive for $40 instead of relying on my $500 PMP to do the job.

You will likely never see an iPod Touch with disk mode support, or a backlight timer. A backlight timer would be useless on the Touch, considering the means of input. Disk mode would mess with the way the mobile OS X handles things.

You're better off with a Classic. You were expecting things from the iPod Touch that were never offered in the first place, and aren't on the likely development menu for the future.

I'm sorry your experience was disappointing. Mine is awesome. I dig my iPod Touch and consider it the best purchase I've made in a long time.

[Delphi96]

I heartily disagree.

1. If you're looking at it, you need the backlight on. If you aren't, you don't need the screen on. You do understand that the auto off is to prevent accidental touch-entry, don't you? i think it's a nifty, intelligent design that watches your battery levels (and you can dim the brightness if you're so worried) and makes sure you don't accidentally start a movie playing while it's in your pocket.

2. Yours must be faulty. Mine looks incredible- Identical to the iPhone. Blacks are most certainly not washed out. Colors are bright and vibrant.

3. Are you watching it from a 90-degree angle or something? Mine looks great from most angles, as long as I'm in front of the screen.

4. Nope. It's not a portable hard drive. They don't advertise it as one, either. Never have. As I never used this mostly-useless feature on any of my previous iPods (and I've had most of them) I don't miss it on the iPod touch. If I want a portable flash drive, I'll get a pen drive for $40 instead of relying on my $500 PMP to do the job.

You will likely never see an iPod Touch with disk mode support, or a backlight timer. A backlight timer would be useless on the Touch, considering the means of input. Disk mode would mess with the way the mobile OS X handles things.

You're better off with a Classic. You were expecting things from the iPod Touch that were never offered in the first place, and aren't on the likely development menu for the future.

I'm sorry your experience was disappointing. Mine is awesome. I dig my iPod Touch and consider it the best purchase I've made in a long time.

Are you kidding me??!!:eek:

Compare to my video that I set to turn off after 5 seconds in which all I need to do to use the interface again is to simply touch the wheel. Now consider the irony and stupidity when with the video ipod I simply have to TOUCH it to use the interface again and with the ipod Touch I have to press either of two buttons and then slide my finger across the screen before I can use the interface again!!:mad:

This is madness!!. How can anyone argue in favor of such a horrible interface choice especially when you further consider the effects on battery life??!!

The Touch lcd is known to be inferior to the iPhone. This is common knowledge. I also tried quite a few samples. The blacks are simply more washed out compared to my video and the iPhone. There is less contrast overall. The angle of view compared to my video is very narrow.

And if you spend $500 on a device where the previous version had disk mode for much less and where you and many other people found it useful then it shouldn't be much to expect that same feature, especially when it doesn't cost Apple a penny to implement.

[Dim]

Compare to my video that I set to turn off after 5 seconds in which all I need to do to use the interface again is to simply touch the wheel. Now consider the irony and stupidity when with the video ipod I simply have to TOUCH it to use the interface again and with the ipod Touch I have to press either of two buttons and then slide my finger across the screen before I can use the interface again!!:mad: Problem is, if all you needed to do was touch the screen to begin using it, then people carrying it around in their hands or reaching into pockets would likely make touches to the screen that inadvertently interacted with the interface. You also fail to mention the double tap of the button to bring up basic ipod controls.


The Touch lcd is known to be inferior to the iPhone. This is common knowledge.No, it's not. The quality of the screen is equally affecting iphone and touch devices. There's been good and not so good screens put into both devices, from my experiences with them.


And if you spend $500 on a device where the previous version had disk mode for much less and where you and many other people found it useful then it shouldn't be much to expect that same feature, especially when it doesn't cost Apple a penny to implement.But it does cost them. Implementing disk mode opens it up for security holes that would take further development/troubleshooting to address. We'll see if the SDK can overcome this, but I still think for a flash device, this 'feature' isn't that useful. On a 160gb classic, sure. Even then, I've never used it. But it's much easier to just have a thumb drive that I can plug into any USB instead of carrying around a cable for my ipod.

[Ebonygurl00]

I recieved my 5.5G 30GB on Friday (lucked out, because the owner thought it was a 5G and sold it for only $120). I've found myself using the 5.5G mostly. I use the Touch to check my email, visit a few websites, but that's about it. I've found myself watching more videos on the 5.5G, simply because the controls are a bit better, and I can actually fit more of my videos on it.

About the whole flash-drive debate: I use the Flash drive on mu iPods all the time to transfer things between computers. My computer that has all of my iTunes stuff on it doesn't have reliable Internet, so instead of having that computer disconnect every five minutes when I'm downloading a show, I simply download the show on another computer in my house, and transfer it by via the iPod. It makes it easier for me. Of course, I wasn't expecting the Touch to have a Flash drive, but it is useful for me.

[Phoenixfury]

One of the biggest complaints I see from other Touch owners is that you get "only" 3 hours of battery life on WIFI.. Honestly I haven't really noticed such a drain on my Touch at all.. I hang out at the local coffee shop for maybe a couple of hours at a time and notice my battery is only down by a quarter before I leave. Also even if all you are getting is 3 hours, to be honest I'll tell you as a Notebook owner that's really not bad at all. There are not very many notebooks that can get that kind of runtime, even with a beefier battery you'd be lucky to hit the 3 hour mark. I'm lucky if I even get an hour and a half out of my notebook, but that's if I turn my brightness up. I'm just saying compared to the average Notebook (not counting the Air) I'd say the Touch's battery life on WIFI is impressive.