iPhone 2.1 beta firmware hints at new iPod touch?
By Nilay Patel 
posted Jul 29th 2008 11:57PM
posted Jul 29th 2008 11:57PM
Who knows how much this is worth, but there's a lot of chatter flying around today about some text strings in the beta release of iPhone OS 2.1 that make reference to an "iPod2,1." Seeing as the current iPod touch is designated "iPod1,1," that's a pretty strong hint that a new model is coming -- but hey, guess what? Of course a new model is eventually coming. What's more, we'd bet it's going to be almost exactly the same as the current iPod touch, with maybe the addition of GPS -- it's not like Apple is going to position this thing above the iPhone. Wake us up when tapping in Steve's birthday backwards spits out a ship date, pricing, and specs, and maybe then we'll be more excited.
ZZZZzzzz....
"Of course a new model is eventually coming."
Well, of course. Is this seriously news to anyone?
Of course a new model is coming. Last time the firmware was updated they immediately shipped new stock and put any remaining stock (old firmware) on a $10 discount to compensate for it. Since this hasn't happened, it's obvious they were just waiting for a new model. Also, I think they were waiting to sell a bunch of Touches with the back to school promotion (full rebate for the Touch with purchase of a computer) to clear out their old stock before unleashing the new ones. They did the same with the nanos and shuffles over the last few years. Hardly surprising at all.
In addition to the units they were giving away as part of their back-to-school promotion, the refirb units have reduced, special pricing. 8 gig touch is $199, 16 gig is $299. The 32 gig is $429 but that price is normal for the refirb. I think this went into effect maybe a week ago. I was considering getting one until I realized it could suggest a refresh (I bought a Macbook Pro about 40 days before the multi-touch refresh so I feel like not getting burnt again just yet with a poorly timed purchase). Never thought to submit it to Engadget though... Really now, just another mac rumor.
Yay?
Personally, I don't like iPods.
Yep why bother with them.
I have one and well Itunes blows and can't wait to switch.
If you like to pay for a music player that is over priced and looks a little cool then the Ipod is for you.
For those who don't we have many more options :)
All this Apple news is really getting tired some...
agreed. dumbest obv news ever for an overrated product
> "overrated product"
Sales figures aren't overrated. Doesn't Apple have 75% of the music player market? They must be doing something right.
@Adam
your kidding with the whole "over priced media player bit"
maybe not ipod touch's entirely but ipod classic's are, as far as i know the only pmp with that kind of capacity you can get...
and ipod touch's still arent that bad value for money really...
then again i live in Aus and things seem more expensive... but ahh well thats life...
Idiots, if you don't like the Apple news you can do two things:
1) Do NOT comment or click on the story. This increases page views and tells Engadget that they want their stuff being read about whatever, so they put more of that stuff on.
2) Go get yourself the non Apple Engadget feed.
http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/20/tired-of-iphone-and-or-apple-news-on-engadget/
But Kizor...
If they do that they won't be able to pretend to be annoyed by Apple stores... yet read and every one and comment on them about how annoyed they are while slowly passing a blade up and down their arm while asphyxiating themselves until they ejaculate
It's not hard to simply ignore the stories. I ignore about 2/3 of the stories on this site.... all it takes is a scroll on your sexy mouse wheel and the story is gone and forgotten.
Apple stories... but hey, Apple stores probably annoy them too
The iPod touch is overpriced for a PMP because you pay for more functionality than a PMP. The classics are a little overpriced, but I like my 5.5g and my only complaint is iTunes. It's a nice little device, and it does what it needs to do.
@ Indefinite Implosion
There are plenty of pmps with 160gb of storage other than the iPod Classic.
if they put a camera on the new one, id sell my current ipod touch and buy a new one.
but until then ill stick with mine.
Nearly $300 for a mediocre camera and a slight update?
loliPod.
Is it really considered news that there's gonna be a new one?
Loli Pod?
Damn, I just bought a 32GB iPod Touch in January. I love this device since I'm not a fan of AT&T, but would like to have the iPhone.
I can live with a 64GB version, but if they add more than just memory to it, then I'll be pretty bummed.
you bought it in January? so you'll have at least 8 months of solid use out of it before ANY upgrade whether minor or major...that seems like a pretty decent result tbh :P
You know full well what Apple are like with spitting out new iPods.
Maybe it's just me but 32GB is the perfect amount of space.
Except for the fact that the 32gb came out in February....
i have a macbook pro, i have an ipod touch, i love apple and look forward to see some new things come our way, but i don't understand whats up with the lack of imagination. i mean, come on, you couldn't even redesign the GUI a little bit? snazz it up? make it more exciting? it's been a snooze fest for apple. and if you think i'm renewing my dot mac AKA mobileme you're sorely mistaken. for $99 a year i expect more, because the alternative is very cheap and readily available, so why should i? one last thing. plz deliver upon us a eee pc sized mac lappy. it would be my perfect gift to myself this christmas.
> "redesign the GUI a little bit? snazz it up? make it more exciting?"
The iPod Touch GUI? What more can they do? It's already got one click to all your favorite apps and music and video. And coverflow. How much better can they make it? There's not much to it... it's a bunch of icons and a list of songs.
Oh, and it's only a year old...relax.
Lack of imagination? Apple? Are you kidding?
Who the hell gives themselves gifts for Christmas?
lern2friend, guy
Don't call me your guy! I'm not your guy, friend!
@cesium
FAIL
I think they can probably afford to last more than 12 months without a huge GUI redesign...
i have a macbook pro, i have an ipod touch, i love apple and look forward to see some new things come our way, but i don't understand whats up with the lack of imagination. i mean, come on, you couldn't even redesign the GUI a little bit? snazz it up? make it more exciting? it's been a snooze fest for apple. and if you think i'm renewing my dot mac AKA mobileme you're sorely mistaken. for $99 a year i expect more, because the alternative is very cheap and readily available, so why should i? one last thing. plz deliver upon us a eee pc sized mac lappy. it would be my perfect gift to myself this christmas.
mobile me is a hunk of junk and a complete waste of money
im in the same boat as u, wont be renewing come next year unless some cool functionality gets added, but my 10 bucks is on nothing significant.
hell it doesnt even work with exchange but i can manually cable sync
like wtf
This is what I am waiting for since mine when "mysteriously" missing at work. Not going to leave it alone for a minute when I get a new one. Hopefully the new one will have even larger capacities at lower price. How about, "Twice the storage, half the price?" Playing off on the silly iPhone slogan. 64 GB for $250 certainly wouldn't hurt anyone.
"Wake us up when tapping in Steve's birthday backwards spits out a ship date, pricing, and specs, and maybe then we'll be more excited."
No engadget, you wake US up when that happens. What a worthless article.
Uh, no, it just means 2.1 firmware.
Next thing you know they'll announce a new iphone......oh wait
GPS, external speaker, and possibly a camera and 64GB pleeasse! Those things would sell me to buy a new iPod touch, and it would make sense for apple in a way.. since it would make the iPod touch compatible with more apps in the store.
Why do you want GPS? so you've got something else sucking battery while you still cant see where you are because youre not in a wifi hotspot area?
Why aren't the maps saved on the drive? its the one thing that sh*ts me about my touch
battery life isn't really an issue.. turn it off when you're not in a hotspot, and take a laptop with you to charge it if you're going to be gone for a long time, or buy a car charger.. the only reason I want GPS is for some possible apps that can come out.
And wait.. maybe I'm wrong, I'm no expert, but wouldnt GPS be a dedicated chip, and not require wifi?
The maps arent on there, so even if it knew your location you couldnt see where that was.
its only really usefull for geotagging or some apps.
But im bitter because including maps on the device itself is a fairly simple thing to do, and it prevents the device being useless when offline (in the touches case) or data charges (iphones case)
ya need google maps to access map data over the internet unfortunately...
Why do you need a camera on an MP3 player??
Doesn't Nokia's N810 do the GPS thing? If that internet device can do that, why couldn't/wouldn't the iPod Touch?
I'm also hoping for WiMAX too since it's finally starting to become a reality here in the US (at least now or in the upcoming months in Baltimore, DC, and Chicago. The N810 has its WiMAX version out now too I believe.
A camera for a couple of reasons. The iPod touch is the ideal device for uploading pictures to facebook and if they ever put a video camera in it (which they wont) it'd be great for uploading youtube videos to. Apple has an opportunity here to really sperate this thing from the rest of the PMP's available today. Plus, why not make it completely compatible with ALL the apps in the itunes store.
PS. Anyone notice that the comments are broken? My cursor keeps skipping around..
I'm hoping for a price cut. Why is the 8gig still $299? I'm assuming the new Touch will look more like the new iPhone 3G...
I want it just to stream music in my apartment thru WiFi without turning on my desktop. But not at $299.
"Wake us up when tapping in Steve's birthday backwards spits out a ship date"
I had to read that 4 times before it made sense to me.
It never made sense to me, not even after reading it 10 times. Too bad my native language isn't English, I'd really love to know what that means :D
Wow, another iPod coming out.
Nothing gets by you does it Engadget.
(Nothing apple related that is...what a bunch of tools...)
I use a Zune (best shit ever) : | omgwtfbbqh4x
Actually I use my PPC, and soon to be released HTC Raphael.
Also, buy music?
What is this, 1998?
You Apple users are a riot, you say the darndest things sometimes...how quaint.
@ SuperSexyErik
I believe he would be having the last laugh if he was buying from Amazon:
DRM Free...something that the Apple store will never fully remove for a long time because major labels will be scared.
Cheaper
Better quality
hehehehehe
And waiiittt hasent the zune sold like 2 million? Maybe you should give a try before you bash the shit out of it. Maybe one day you will get through your thick head that the iPod is not always the best.
Tired some.... what?
hey i heard a new iphone came out or something.
GPS on the new ipod touch would be pretty useless without maps installed on the device.
Why wouldn't it have maps? All the new devices have maps. Apple only boned the early adopters with the $20 fee for the update, all the new devices have it standard.
All i want is a 32 GB iphone.
Yeah, but it would be really amusing to see people throw themselves into a hissy fit if Apple introduced a Touch that had capabilities that the iPhone didn't.
Bah, having been screwed on my original purchase (I just HAD to be an early adopter), I refuse to get excited over future products until they've been proven worthwhile (and not "just some second-rate to another product" product).
I believe Apple does this thing in their company called "progress".
A new iPod touch is coming out? NO WAY!
A new Macbook Pro is coming out? OMGWTFBBQ
New Macbook? ORLY?
I sent this in to Engadget last night (UK) and didnt even get my name in the footer as a thank you!
lol i bet there will be no diff...
only lik a crappy camera and a gps chip...
It had better include bluetooth with the A2DP protocol. What a sad thing to leave out.
I hate to say this but I don't think you are ever going to get A2DP. There's a good reason too. Apple makes a truck load of cash of licensing and locking you into using 'special' cables, docks etc. A2DP would mean you wouldn't have to buy Apple approved [read licensed] kit, just something that was A2DP capable.
I also think the "You can't have it because it's a battery hog" is bogus and just misdirection.
I hate to say this but I don't think you are ever going to get A2DP. There's a good reason too. Apple makes a truck load of cash of licensing and locking you into using 'special' cables, docks etc. A2DP would mean you wouldn't have to buy Apple approved [read licensed] kit, just something that was A2DP capable.
I also think the "You can't have it because it's a battery hog" is bogus and just misdirection.
Sorry about the double post, Engadget comment system sucking cock again.
Almost a week ago I tipped Engadget about the "VIP" email I received from iSkin featuring a new Duoband for the for the new "iPod Nano 3G" coming out. Anyone else here about this. Here is the url: http://www.iskin.com/duoband_overview.html
My prediction. All this will come right after the end of the free ipod education deal that ends Sept 15th. they always announce new ipods after that. Also, I think that the new touch will be coupled with capacity bumps for it and for the iPhone. The touch will bump to a max of 64 gigs while the iPhone will max out at 32. I won't comment on the price of these though. I would think price points would stay the same and just have the capacity bumps.
Here is what I hope to be in the new iPod Touch (currently I have a 16GB one with 1.14 jailbroken)
- Stereo Bluetooth for wireless headphones
- GPS
- 64GB memory
- FM Radio
I know these are unlikely (especially the radio). If they get just the GPS and bluetooth I will be happy and upgrade to the 32 GB one. If they don't upgrade enough stuff, I think I may move to a player that can use wireless headphones with similar memory sizes.
I just ordered a refurb 8GB from the Apple Store for $199, that's $100 off retail. I'd bet that it's probably not a refurb, but a retail unit that's been slapped into a brown box so they can clear out inventory. They're probably not moving as many as they' like with the back to school promo and a capacity bump is coming. External speakers would be nice, like the iPhone has, or Bluetooth would be awesome. Anything else, like a GPS, or crappy camera would get a big fat "meh" from me.
And Maps IS installed on the iPod touch.
http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/features.html#maps
If they add GPS, I will buy this just to at the very least, replace my GPS in my car.
Why? A TomTom Go or similar device is going to be a lot better than an iphone/touch.
This is just my opinion and has nothing to do with factual information.
A new iPod Touch in the works, now that would be something. To me, I love the iPod Touch. I don't see how they could make the "iPod Touch" better beside updating the software inside. Sure, GPS would be freaking awsome, but usually GPS would go along side mobile capabilities, which you could say the iPod Touch can be taken everywhere but there has to be some theme going on.
Like all phones out, there is usually a theme for the phone (I seriously hope that makes sense.) and having GPS with the iPod Touch would be freaking weird, but hey weird is not always bad in my opinion.
Like I said above, this is just my view. This is just my speculation and provides nothing factual.
The Apple crowd must be due for their quarterly $400 dues to the Apple Gods.
do we know when 2.1 is coming out?
iPod Touch Nano will be the new device. Getting rid of the click wheel will allow the old stick form factor to show widescreen video.
They will put a plastic back on it and better battery life. Nothing more.. maybe.. Apple has been known to sneak a bomb in there and blow us away.
Stereo Blue Tooth would be nice along with GPS, but i suppose that would position a feature above the iPhone.
Apple is so terrible. I had an iPod and I seriously despised it. I switched over to Zune and I will NEVER be buying another Apple product in my life. Even that ugly grey color of the iTunes software could use improvements. Microsoft cares about customers. Apple cares about making money. Why else would they be popping out tons of new iPods while leaving the people who bought older models in the dust?
oh darn
i just got an ipod touch
but it still PWNS the zune
zune only has a wannabe click wheel
no pwnage touch screen
and no ability to add monkey ball! :D hehe
It'll take GPS + camera (that stereo bluetooth thing wouldn't hurt either) to get me to upgrade...
Ok listen here all you GAYLORDS, I have an iPod Touch and absolutely love it, best investment I've ever made. Now that I have games I couldn't be more happier. Overrated? I'm sorry if you guys are mad because you cant afford to be cool. BTW......Zune looks like a iPod Classic took a shit and out it came. I'm an Apple lover and always will be. When Windows figures out how to be there own OS and not try to copy from everyone else and makes something that works i might not throw up when i see a shitty dell. Erik your a badass!!
ipod touch cannot have GPS the reaon being
for a real GPS it has to store maps on its drive. Now I am not an expert, but in a 8GB space storing maps will mean less space to store yous songs. Thus it will effectively make it less better music player, which was supposed to be its original purpose