iPod touch first hands-on
By Ryan Block 
posted Sep 5th 2007 2:33PM
posted Sep 5th 2007 2:33PM
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Does it work with gmail?
Hopefully. I'm still not sold on it though. Do they actually consult consumers when it comes to things or just maintain the "we're apple, we know best" company line.
Things I would've liked to see. And I think most would've liked.
Higher Capacity. 80GB would've made me happy, more would've made me ecstatic and I would've sacrificed a lil weight and thickness for it.
Rubberized rear end, since it's always going to be set down, which means scratches to the metallic backing which more than likely will continue to be made out of the softest and most scratchable metal known to man.
Bluetooth. Apple is supposed to be forward thinking. Prepare for the future and toss an A2DP profile bluetooth chip in there. Just think Apple, then you can make it even sleeker without that pesky headphone jack.
The specs say you can't use it above 3000ft altitude so you can't use it on most flights. And is there an antenna on/off switch?
Also I think it's a huge mistake to leave out the camera.
And what about wifi connectivity with my laptop and other iPod touches? (iPods touch?)
Thats ridiculous. Of course you can. And why would it have a camera? It's a music player, and it has internet because it had wifi and it would be stupid not to have safari. If you want a camera, buy an iphone.
Does it have gmail is only the tip of the iceberg.
What an absolute joke of an announcement today by Apple ("The Best iPods Ever" pshhhh). I have been eagerly anticipating the release of a touch screen/wide-screen ipod for quite some time now but this...THIS is what I/we were waiting for?
The main blunder, screw-up, or {your comment here} that Apple made regarding the ipod touch was giving the thing 16 GB of storage. Seriously? Seriously! Did we just jump back to 2002 when apple released a 20 GB ipod as it's powerhouse must have gadget?
Releasing a 16 GB video ipod is like telling an alcoholic that he can only drink 1 Zima a week until the day he dies. It aint gonna work. We have become accustom to having TONS of storage (160 GB!!!) in part by apple itself. Now they are saying "OK, you like what we've done...zoinks...all gone. But isn't it pretty?"
And for $400!!! Give me a break. I think we all realise the ploy here...iPod touch for $400 or iPhone for $400? "Jeee Ma'. I gets me a sumfisticated phone for da same price...duuhh'ok, i'll take me one of them fancy fellers." You make me sick Apple.
Main point: Clean it up apple. Stop cutting corners and give consumers what they want, not what they will most likely buy anyways just because its a new product. "Think different" Steve cause today's BS put you right in line with all the other corporate jokers out there that you so adimantly pride on not being. I'll end with that before I even get started on the Nano...good god.
Read the tech specs on apple's site. Top right it says environmental conditions "maximum operating altitude 3,000 meters/10,000 feet." I'm not joking. go look.
Most long distance flights fly around 30,000 ft/10,000 metres (that's 3 times higher than apple say you can use ipod touch)
Also I'll say it again, FAA rules state that you may not use a device that contains an antenna on a flight unless the antenna can be turned off and you may not switch the antenna on for the duration of the flight. (Have you noticed the switch on your laptop that does exactly that?)
So unless the iPod touch has a "wifi off" switch (and it seems unclear to me at the moment) you can't even power it up on a plane.
Now I'm aware that many aircraft pressurize the cabin to be effectively at a lower altitude and that may have some bearing but again, this is unclear.
So sorry thetinguy but I'm respectfully gonna take your assertions with a pinch of salt.
Apple limit features so you will buy the other products. For example, they are never going to increase the capacity, because they want you to buy an iPod classic. for that. They won't add bluetooth (or a mic) because they don't want you to use voip, they want you to buy an iPhone. This is the same reason they didnt add a camera, they want to make you lean towards the iPhone. The wifi was added to get you to buy more iTunes songs (think impulse buying, I hear a song, I want it immediately thus the starbucks nonsense). They added safari and youtube as an extension to the wifi. Its really too bad they left out the mic, voip would have been nice, but thats what the iPhone is for.
Hopefully though this thing will be as hackable as the iPhone.
To the "won't work above 10000 feet" people. You do know that that same restriction has been on all hdd-based ipods (and I imagine it has to do with the touch screen this time.) You could still use those on the plane--planes are pressurized to about the equivalent of 6000 feet. Basically you can't use it at the top of a mountain. You'll be fine on a plane.
Ah, but they can add Bluetooth with just the A2DP profile which I believe doesn't have support for mic, just for stereo.
And they will up the capacity if they know what's good for 'em. It's not a matter of competition between models if the pricepoints are different. If you introduce an 80 gig touch, it'll big a lil bigger than the classic, and tack on $100. I'd easily lay out another $100 if it means I get 80 gigs of storage on a touch.
Airplane cabins are pressurized.
Genius.
Sure a plane cabin is presurized but what about all those mountains I go to in the winter that are all above 10,000 ft. Mammoth Mountain, Aspen Mountain and all those other big ones in Canada.
Hey Morons - about the altitude thing. Jets fly at 30,000 ft but the cabins are pressurized to about 5-6000 ft. The iPod Touch will work when you fly in airplanes - has nothing to do with how high the airplane flies but what altitude the cabin is pressurized at. Sorry. You'll have to go find something else to bash Apple about. Go get educated before you embarass yourself anymore.
you guys are so fast it's terrifying.
Scary indeed... I just love these guys...
Is the Headphones jack recessed like the iPhone or 'normal' ?
from the photos, looks like it is normal, but will wait confirmation from Ryan and co.
so basically they covered the camera and took off the phone app and labeled it ipod?
It's considerably thinner and lighter.
They also got rid of the bluetooth too (WTF)..
and Notes.. and Mail.. and Maps.. and Messaging (which could have been IM based instead of SMS) which doesn't make any sense.. any of the internet connection based apps live or die on WiFi connection so why not have Mail if you have You Tube??
Sure for Maps ill go to safari and go to google maps..but why make it so difficult for the user? And it has the iPhone keyboard so why there is no Notes boggles my mind.
Great idea!!! Putting the iphone in the hands of everyone now apple? just with out that whole phone thing. Oh well, it will still sell like hot cakes, and i will still wait for it to be cheaper. College+fiancee=poor. oh well!!
This isn't the best place to come out of the closet......but Bravo I guess!
Now, back to oogling the iPod Touch!
Sweet!!
Just what i wanted. But $400 for 16GB? Lower it to $350 and I'd snatch it up (If I had the money, that is).
Looks great, but why is it only 16GB. I want a 160GB ipod, because the 30GB video feels very cramped.
Cause the 160gb uses a hard drive, this uses flash. Not only would it be thicker, but it would have about 0 battery life.
That reminds me, were the battery stats with or without wifi on? (I'm guessing without)
I'm with you on that one, 16 Gig, this is 2007 not 2003. The flash thing never washes with me, yes they are small volume but why not add a card facility for SD or something those things will go up to way over 16 gig soon, you could just have a few with your high volume media on. Personally a few millimetres for the sake of another 80 Gig (or more) is more than worth it.
I agree! I like carrying my entire collection with me, so 16GB just doesn't cut it. (Universal random play rocks!)
It's kind of cruel of Apple. I'm stuck in no man's land, wanting an iPod Touch with wi-fi and all, but needing HD capacity. Make it thicker, but please make it. (I'm not holding my breath.)
John,
The new 160 GB iPod Classic has 40 hours music playback and 7 hours Video playback. That's longer music playback than any of the iPods and the same video playback as the iPhone.
$400 and it still comes with those shit earbuds? Weak!
The worst sounding headphones, the most uncomfortable headphones. but they're WHITE! OMG!
ipod "touch"?
Does this mean another losing legal wrangle with Creative?
They didn't lose any legal battle, they settled, big. difference.
After many months of legal acrimony paying $100mm isn't admitting you were wrong?
Well I like the Zune better anyway.
Who gives a fuck? Apple ass-rapes it's early adopting customers, so nobody will buy this for 6 months anyway.
Speak for yourself, soon as the store opens I'm snatching one.
You were smoking some really bad crack right before you made this comment.......right?
Did you even bother to think before typing??
This thing is going to sell faster than statues of Jesus during his 2nd coming!
wow. the store went up and immediately crashed.. guess everyone (including me) wants one
Hell yeah I see the Arctic Monkeys..
You guys are all over the place.
I wanna buy one but there's toooo much traffic on the Apple site :'(
It isn't released until the 28th.
i totally agree. whenever i try to watch a demo video on apple.com it always locks up. i say ZIP FILE IT!!
Wait, so the headphone jack is at the bottom? or can you flip the display all the way around so it's at the top if you want it to be
I'm underwhelmed!
Underwhelmed is a real good way of putting it.
What were you expecting? Everyone knew this was happening.
damn you apple. a 16GB toy to impress friends or a 160GB total music solution. i'm so torn
Amen.....
It's huge (in size). Is this Apple's entry in the "umpc" market?
iPod Touch = gimped PDA
It's only a small software update from being considerably more useful.
I wonder what reason Apple will give for not permitting 3rd party apps for the iPod touch?
its thin
Capacity TO low !!!!
so its a iphone
-
phone
so its a
ipod?
so
someone should
ihack?
after waiting 2 months to buy, right around the price drop to 199
What a weird little device.
You save $100 over the iPhone, give up an all-in-one device, but don't really get a better PMP or platform in return. It's just a little cheaper or comes with slightly more storage. So odd.
It really needed a HDD, camera and bluetooth option.
i'll probably get one because i'm wed to t-mobile because of my contract. yeah, i'd love to have an iphone - and for $400 it would be pretty damn sweet considering the cost of alternatives - but a 16gb phoneless iphone will have to tide me over until they offer a less gimpy version or a more pimp iphone.
My phone dies way too often for me to ever want it integrated with my mp3 player.. which, also dies too often.
So no mail though, huh? I guess you could do web mail but not having the Mail app kinda sucks
No camera. I want a camera.
Does it have video out?
In accessories it says it has a video out.
If you look at Apple's section for iPod touch accessories, it lists the component AV dock, which says to me it has video out. Now if only they'd enable that on the iPhone.
NOOOOOOO!!! Why would they continually use that stupid CHROME scratch/fingerprint magnet!! Sure it looks cool for the first hour you own it. But seriously...can anyone say functionality!??!
Apple sucks balls..i got an iphone..who would buy this ipod over the 399 iphone...its a stripped down i phone
Uhm......people outside of the US where the iPhone isn't available yet?
Think man.....Think!
Khris - There no way I will buy that lame ass ipod touch, we dont have the iphone in the UK. Its far far far too small (capacity wise) for a video and music device. And I am so dissapointed - so for a large music collection you have to lump for an ipod classic - ie the same ipod that pretty much hasnt changed since the ipod video in 2005 - how lame is that!
Oh, maybe 75% of the country were AT&T's crap service does not work. Like the entire midwest, outside of the major citys. Although I am hopeful cingular and now AT&T's web site has been advertising that service will be coming soon to the city I am moving to for three years now. All I want to know is if I have wifi why cant I access my e-mail ? , are we sure that we cannot ?
People like me who are addicted to their BlackBerrys and don't need a phone or contacts or maps or e-mail or GPS.
I'd put money on the fact Jailbreak isn't fixed. And that it won't be. It's a selling factor for those who know about it, Apple don't care like AT&T do. NES emulator? If it's a selling point, let them, just don't support it! Voila! Higher sales!
can you say engadget giveaway???
No Google Maps app on the iPod touch is lame.
Glad sombody else spotted that, your right. If that isn't on there, how crap is that.
Look at the huge void on the main screen on the touch..I'm sure the apps will be released in due course. :)
I bet it has bluetooth and will enabled when A2DP is ready.
Nothing in todays announcements really gets me all fired up. iPod classic is cool, but it's really not worth the upgrade from my 4.5G just yet.
The iPod touch is cool, but who the hell wants a device with all those features that only sports 16GB? I have 16GB of music on my 4.5G Photo now.. Where am I going to put my movies?
I'm sure it will sell like water in the Mojave, but 16GB in a device like this is just plain useless. They should have rolled it with a hard drive, at least 30 or 60GB.
I'll just wait for the 6.5G iPods / 2G Touch devices with larger storage.
The specs don't mention bluetooth under wireless capabilities... just b/g.
What the heck is a "rear screen"? Do you mean the back of the device?
when they say rear matte screen im guessing they mean that they wish the back of it wasnt chrome, but instead more like the psp's backing.
no Mail.app? WTF??
prediction: iphone gets bumped to 16GB
Wow, iphone adopters should feel fuckin pissed. The least that Apple could've done was have the Touch white instead of fuckin black. But a genious move on their part nonetheless.
i gotta say... this will do wonders for the number of businesses that will implement wireless internet. you'd never normally bring your laptop to a store or restaurant, but i'll bet those types of business will introduce wifi to attract and retain customers.
HEY EVERYONE! IT'S ME, ZUNE! REMEMBER ME? HOW'S IT GOING? HELLO? ANYONE IN THE SOCIAL TODAY? HELLO?
I'M GONNA BE LESS THAN A $100 SOON! HELLO? ANYONE AT ALL WOULD BE SWELL!
HELLO?
THIS SURE DOES SUCK BALLS RIGHT HERE!
WELCOME TO THE ANTI-SOCIAL
I see what you did thar.
Yes more fingerprints and scratching I CANT WAIT untill i cant see the screen anymore due to all the scratch marks.
Two words......Invisible Shield!
If you've never heard of it, Google it. I've had one on my 5G iPod since day one and if I were to peel it off, my Ipod is still MINT underneath.
It doesn't distort the display, and takes severe punishment before getting marked up.
Aren't these things meant to be mineral glass on the front?
Of course, the back'll get scratched anyway.
I can vouch for Invisible Shields though (admittedly, I get mine from Best Skins Ever, but it's more or less the same thing).
@Khris
Does that shield prevent the touch-screen from working?
Let the HomeBrew Begin!!!!
And no speaker or microphone, it seems. So no way to hear music without earphones (not that the sound on the one speaker on the iPhone is that great), and no way to record voice notes or to record lectures. That sucks as well. What we need is a 16GB or 32GB iPhone! I am sure that it is in the works.
Forgive me for being cynical but I think the reason Apple did not put a Speaker and esp a microphone is to stop people using web based phone services like "skypeforiphone.com". They also took out the bluetooth imho to stop people getting around that by using a bluetooth microphone for exacltly the same reason. I suppose it makes sense fro apple to do this because they want people to go with the iPhone not use the iTouch as a phone? So unless a 3rd party adds a external mike its pretty much impossible to use it as phone, and in any event it would be pretty much useless trying to make call using the earphones!
Oh well!
Does it have tv-out? , It better, otherwise it'll suck! That's why I didn't buy the iphone
I thought all iPods have video out ability via the headphone jack.
According to the A/V cable page at Apple's store, the 3G nano, classic, touch, and iPhone all do video out. I've got an iPhone and I didn't know that.
I was really hoping for touch + the space. :( only 16gb? I was hoping for AT LEAST 30gb.
Is the screen still glass like the iphone? or acrylic/plastic?
Question, which one would be the better investment. Getting the 16 GB flash base or getting the 80 GB harddrive base?
AKBlade13
It depends: if it is storage that you crave then the 80GB classic is a better "investment", if it is internet connectivity and screen size and not so much the space then the 16 GB touch.
It is not an investment though, so.... But which model is "better" is simply a very subjective thing, a matter of your particular priorities, like everything in life.
the guide on iPod touch Guide Tour makes me laugh. haha.