Apple confirms: iPod touch cannot add calendar appointments
By Ryan Block 
posted September 10th 2007 5:07PM
posted September 10th 2007 5:07PM
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posted September 10th 2007 5:07PM
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By that argument, why would the iPhone have a calculator? it too is a "phone", not a PDA. And what the hell is an "iPod", anyway? I've never seen a definition, and most definitely have never come across anything saying that an iPod is a device used strictly for playing media files. You have the unalienable right to expect anything of a company. Never let anyone tell you that you have to be happy about current offerings, or that you shouldn't expect more for your money.
You should always want a better deal, you should always want more features. Because if no one was willing to say that they wanted more, why would anyone ever give us anything more.
Man, that is really disappointing, i was hoping to get rid of my palm tx for one of these. I have to have the ability to add things to my to do and stuff like that so i don't forget (bad memory). Looks like i'll be carrying my phone, palm and ipod for some time. maybe i'll just get another nano or something.
Really disappointing that the keyboard will only be used for web browsing. I agree, totally stupid move. But in essence it is a media player.
Just the funny thing is my palm tx will plays movies and music too. oh, and has wifi, and bluetooth. If they added the calander and notes option it would def. lure alot more people to it.
I'm in the exact same boat. Would ditch my T|X if the Touch had Mail, a worth-while calendar, and Notes. Without that, I'm afraid I can't justify it. Shame too since it's such a cool platform.
since the first ipod batch i have been sure that apple could have made the gadget to kill all gadgets, or at least a palm with hard drive and os X, which would be kickass, but somehow apple is tiptoeing around...
damn, i would cough 800 for a 40 GB fully fuctional palmtop mac, even 1000 if it have phone!...
Otra mas?? Que le pasa apple?
Glad i am not the only one miffed about this. I have no use for an iPhone (as much as i hate sprint i don't support hegemony at all). I just wanted to get an iPod with PDA functionality (mainly a calender on the go to sink with my MBP) but it would appear that this OBVIOUS feature is not so to apple who is willingly throwing away customers left and right these days by dropping features and prices.
I thought apple was still customer oriented?
I was thinking about getting a touch, but now I wonder what else they might have crippled. I hate the nano's form factor. I don't like the screen size of the classic v. the touch. And I don't want an iPhone because I hate AT&T. Maybe Apple will pull things together next time around. Until then, my 4gig Mini is still doing surprisingly well.
Gee, that will be the first thing hackers re-enable.
How f**king stupid can you be. Just leave the damned feature alone, it's going to be re-enabled within 3 days of the release anyways.
you said it first, darn!
they're supposed to be adding features to new products not taking them away and reintroducing them later {like colored folders}.
they might as well call this the iPhing if they start taking away preexisting software that works on nearly identical hardware, just give the iPhone some extra goodness in return, some people just don't want an iPhone but do want a iPod Touch, and if you take away the $100 overhead of features you left with the iPod Nano {a girl's iPod)
Now I'm just going to wait and see as this is all too ridiculous. Fine, Apple released an impressive smartphone and now a new iPod touch, but what about those who want those iPhone features NOT in a phone? We're locked into two year contracts with our phones, or possibly HATE AT&T. Should we just buy and Iphone and allow all the features without activation (except the phone part)? Or do we buy the iTouch and hope we can get hacks to fix things and hope that Apple won't "update" the hacks off?
Maybe after they figure out how to keep everyone happy, I'll name whatever the heck I get as "Newton, jr."
Let's face it - the Touch is meant (in Apple's mind) to be nothing more than a direct conduit to their iTunes site - the access to the rest of the net is simply a by-product.
Relying on online Calendars (and WP programs) to do basic PIM tasks will be a 'challenge' for both users and Apple to justify.
Meanwhile, with no input access to Calendars and no Desktop program (like Palm's) of their own, when offline Apple's Touch is relying on Microsoft's Outlook to be useful on a PC - and for Touch users to already have that installed.
Schadenfreude.
I don't think users if the Touch will want to use the device as a PDA. This is an "executive" feature, which is an entirely different market.
This is BS... I cannot believe this. They keep trying to please everybody, but instead Apple is pissing everybody off.
just a matter of time before they crossbreed the iphone and ipod touch, has the same system, im sure you can jailbreak the ipod touch and still drag your iphone files to it, and patch it together
This is completely ridiculous. The ability to add to the calendar is the smallest of features, and just the tip of what should be on the iPod Touch. What about Notes? Or Calculator? Where are those apps? Don't tell me either of these would cut into the potential market of the iPhone. All PDAs have had this capability this the Newton. And don't give me that crap that the iPod Touch is just a music player—a simple player don't have touch-screen interfaces and wifi!
It's a deal breaker for me.
i want to get an ipod touch (if they increase the hard drive to at least 30 gb) but it would be weird to have both an iphone and a touch because they look exactly the same
But nobody has a retail iPod Touch yet. How is this being confirmed. Why isn't it possible that the retail version might have this feature? Since the Touch wasn't available for sale right after the event, maybe there is still some stuff Apple has to add to it.
Oh yea...
Sorry. I misread the part about Apple's confirmation. My bad.
I'm still going to get a touch, I think, but I have to agree that this is stupid and annoying. Surely it is more expensive to remove calendar entry then to keep it in. I won't buy an iPhone regardless because I can not possibly afford $60+ per month for a cell phone, even if it is a really great one. I feel like I'm being punished for buying an iPod touch. They should keep calendar entry in, as well as Google Maps, notepad, etc. I think they are being far too paranoid about the touch affecting iPhone sales. If you need a phone and are able/willing to pay $60 or more per month for one then you'll get an iPhone because, uh, it's a phone!
wahhhh
no calendar appointments? well why would u mark ur appointments on ur iPod Touch? isnt it more practical to do that on a cellphone like iPhone which u would always carry around?
no calendar appointments? well why would u mark ur appointments on ur iPod Touch? isnt it more practical to do that on a cellphone like iPhone which u would always carry around?
As someone that PRE-ORDERED an iPOD touch, I'm irritated that Apple would remove any features after it started accepting orders.
This is FALSE ADVERTISING, plain and simple.
Is it enough to cancel my order? Good question - probably not. But if they remove any other features, particularly those that give us PDA-like functions - I'm going to be really POd.
I know it sucks cause the iPhone can add contacts, but the IPOD could never do this, and the product you're complaining about is the IPOD Touch. This isn't iPhone lite, this is still an iPod at the end of the day.
I know many many people have said this, but I thought I'd add more in hopes apple does something.
This is honestly a deal breaker for me. I'm sticking with my iPod Mini.
I'd rather not be able to enter contacts than calendar events. At the very least, they should include the Notes app. Very disappointing...
iTouch not sounding like such a "Deal" anymore.
iPhone minus...
Camera
Microphone
Speaker
Bluetooth
Mobile OS X features
and the Mobile Phone
It would appear that Apple has lost its touch in the area of customer loyalty. Didn't they learn anything from the iPhone rebate fiasco? Has anyone started a petition asking Apple to reactivate full Mail, iCal, and Notes functionalities?
How stupid is it to remove features for any reason when it poses no technical limitation. I will not buy the touch if Apple does no offer Calendar and notes input. PERIOD. Apple lost a sale.
As an iPhone owner, I'm glad that the Touch doesn't have all the features my phone does. Yeah, I was one of the iDiots who paid the $650 on launch day, and that should buy me more features than a simple iPod. You want to add calender appointments, notes, contacts, google maps, etc. then buy the phone. Simple as that.
The iPod is an mp3 player first, I think some people forget that.
response to Mike:
Your $650 did get you more than an ipod.... it got you a phone and access to that really slow Edge data network. Get off your high horse!
grr. I was all set to replace my Dell Axim 50v (synced to iMac via Missing Sync) with the iPod Touch. I don't need a data package for my phone and I'm fine only being connected when in a hot spot. I was kinda hurt by Google Maps missing, but not being able to edit the calendar? That's the function I wanted it for right behind listening to music!! I didn't really care about the iPhone price drop, but this is ridiculous...only allowing partial app usage. And you KNOW someone is going to be like, "Oh, well you didn't tell us sooo...CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT BLAHHHH!"
Definately a deal breaker! There is no way in H#!! I can go to AT&T for an iPhone (nor do I want to). The ipod touch was my answer to not getting a pda phone with my current carrier. I run off of 3 different Macs for my job and wanted the seemless syncronization. Jobs has lost me on this one. I had planned on getting the Touch the DAY it came out. No more high end ipods for me after my current one bites the dust.
My main wish would be for the iPod Touch to have a built-in mic and speaker suitable for using the iPod as a VoIP phone. I'd love to have a phone by Apple but I absolutely will not sign-up to service with Cingular. For my needs a VoIP phone is what I really need anyway. Heck - throw in a web cam and I'll use it to have web video chats from wherever I'm at.
hmmm a new product missing lots of functions that could be easily added as demonstrated in similar products by the same company...
lets call it an iPalm
think i'll wait for the bigger ilife touch tablet with the 7" screen. probably be out in feb.
I believe a full functioning ipod touch, which would be a hit, would conflict with the contract that Apple has with AT&T. Imagine AT&T's disappointment in loss of contracts when you can purchase the ipod touch that does the same things as the iphone, minus the cell capabilities, for less money. Apple screwed themselves on this one and really didn't listen to what people wanted in future devices. The iphone=cell/pda/mp3 player which in long run equals costs probably not worth it with less than desirable cell quality. The ipod touch=bloated and overpriced mp3 player.
Slightly dissapointing, but a good sign for Apple's prospects. This is a very Microsoft thing to do. Fortunately, I have no use for calendars.
1) For all you people saying either it shouldn't have the calender etc because it's an ipod, or a music player, they shouldn't have made it look like and have the same OS as an iphone. They should have gotten off their asses and innovated like everyone says they do instead of recycled and then people wouldn't be complaining, at least about this. If you don't want to use the calendar, great, don't use it, but as it was already there, no point in crippling it. It's a slap in the face.
2) For those that don't want it to have the same features as their iphone. Firstly, see above. Secondly, after such a crippling, it shouldn't cost what it does. Thirdly, stop whining. You over payed. Deal with it. Lastly, "if you want to add calendar entries and contacts and do all that cool stuff that organizers do, then get one of those." Thats what you wanted to say, not "get the phone." You seem to be confusing a phone with a PDA, now seeing that you agree that the natural progression is the integration of features and devices, then you should understand that if you can have a phone and a pda and a music player, that a music player with a working calendar isn't exactly an absurd proposition.
And the extra money you payed for is easily accounted for in lack of bluetooth, and phone, and camera, and speakers, and mic etc etc etc. and again stop whining.
Apple seems to think that people who want something to play music will run away if they see even one PDA-like feature. holy shit its a working calendar, it surely wont play music anymore, cheese it.
3)To those that think apple's marketing department is god. take a good look at the iphone price drop/stock price drop fiasco.
Yea, I know, a rouge Microsoft spy penetrated the apple core years ago rising through the ranks of the apple marketing department until he finally made his move convincing Jobs of the price drop scheme. what was i thinking.
I was actually gonna get the ipod touch even through my hatred of apple cuz i wanted a widescreen, decent screen sized, smallish device. But at that price, fine I thought, I'd like an iphone without the phone, so the fact that the features could have been there but they just removed them cuz their of their huuuge egos (surely compensating for something) is just a load of crap. They're just hurting their bottom line. Some people just don't want or cant get the iPhone and apple is going to have to realize that. Otherwise, yeah thats what consumers.... educated consumers want, to pay more for less.
Apple seems to be fighting innovation more than innovating. All thats really at stake here besides a few, hopefully a ton of, sales is the principle of the thing. I for one don't think I'll be getting one now because I'd rather not pay for a slap in the face. They should really re-brand it an iTough because thats basically what apple is telling us, tough.
I agree with the fact that if you want a simple mp3 player you don't give it wifi. I can see that they would want you to buy music online, but why have a safari browser, just take that off too, i'd be fine without it and all the other apps. just know another $150 off the price tag and they won't have to worry about pissing at&crap off. I still like the touch, and i got a 60gb video for $400 a year and a half ago. So thats the most i'd pay for an mp3 player. but one with only 16gb, i dunno about that. if had all the other features, in a heartbeat. but i'm seriously reconsidering.
and as for all the iphone whinners, you payed to be in the club, don't get upset that now everyone can buy them and thrown them away if they mess up the hack. I don't have a problem paying $400 for an mp3 player, i didn't get upset when they came out with an 80gb model for $50 less than what i got. its technology. thats what it does.
I just hope everything comes together for the touch before it gets released. it'll still be a good seller for the mis-informed or those who just don't care, but those who expect alot out something this capable will be disappointed.
You know, Apple is just stating to piss me off. Not only they making us go with AT&T...who always sucked as a wireless provider in the first place. Now, they giving us a ipod witha touch screen and keypad and we can't input in it. What's the deal Apple. Why are you being asses about your stuff now.
We stuck with you during the bad times and now that Apple is Big and making an impact in the market you screw us over. Well, F you Steve, F you Apple. If i wanted just a media player I just go with the archos 705.
I can't enter appointments or edit Notes on my iPod Video either, and it is still useful.
If you don't like the feature set, then don't buy it. And calm down.
Most people don't care about entering appointments. Most people don't use PDAs....why add features that just generate support headaches. Pushing the calendar data from the desktop is easy and reliable. Just like it is now with the iPod and iTunes.
If that's not good enough, then just keep your calendar on the internet. No syncing required.
Apple will sell millions of these.
yeah but they don't charge 299 bucks for an 8 gig ipod video and economies of scale must be in motion at this point, at least enough to counteract any but the screen is a multitouch etc etc arguement.
Besides, you know, with the all mighty easy to use apple UI, there shouldn't be support calls, as it should be self explanatory.
Like someone above said slash $100 off the damn thing and no one complains about the lack of these things. This is just apple asking us to bend over. Like i said above, its the principle.
for me, and the two colleagues i talked with this afternoon, this is a deal breaker. i was hoping our discussion was theoretical, because this was all before Apple confirmed the dropped feature.
it may sound odd, but am not a phone user so this was the perfect marriage of a PDA and music player. i guess i'll continue to use my old palm based unit and ipod mini separately... very disappointing. i hope that somehow Apple has change of heart because they truly lost a sale here. sure there will be hacks, and that may sway me, but i'd prefer that the thing worked properly out of the box and i don't have to worry about a hack breaking with a new apple update...
Don't worry applets. Jobs will drop the price $150 in 80 days and you'll have a hell of a deal. Well, unless you're stupid enough to buy one now.
comeon apple, you are slowing become M$FT. dont make us hate you. we still love you. get your act togather
It was a deal breaker for me too. Cancelled the order today. I need a PIM along with the music capabilities. AT&T doesn't provide service in Alaska.
So this suffers from the same limitations as the regular ipod. I think they will have another flop, just as they've had with all their ipods.
Fact is, when people by an mp3 player, they want iCal input. Oh, and skype added. oh, and a camera. Talk about deal breaker. I cancelled my order twice just to make sure they get the message.
They should be more like microsoft with 17 versions of Vista, non of which are crippleware.
So yeah, I predict another in a long line of ipod flops.
Waddo
Who told you iPods were a flop?
I think you're talking about Zunes