iPod touch prices slashed dramatically before today's event (nano and classic too)
By Thomas Ricker 
posted September 9th 2009 5:08AM
posted September 9th 2009 5:08AM
Update: And now the nano and classic have fallen under the axe. The classic has been cut to $229 (was $249) while the nano now starts at $129 (was $149) for the 8GB model or just $149 (down from $199) for the 16GB nano.
[Thanks, Max H.]
And that's your opinion and you are entitled to it. However, I think it is clear that not too many people agree with you so you'll have to be happy being in the minority. Best of luck.
In for one $279 32gb iTouch. I'll take the $120 I saved and put it towards a quality camera.
what's an iPod?
it is exactly what the Zune is not. A successful product.
@FoxKenji
says who???!
@FoxKenji
Oh will you PLEASE fuck off?
@FoxKenji
So, whats your definition of "Successful"
If you're basing your definition on the fact that the iPod has a commanding market share,
then I could easily say that Mac isn't successful because PC has the commanding market share. ( Which is not true and I'm a avid mac user saying this)
But, based on this http://www.engadget.com/profile/2611406/
It sounds like you're afraid Steve is going to come and rape you in your sleep if you don't downplay anything thats not apple
@Everyone: Don't mind FoxKenji, he's just doing his normal damage control rounds.
What the prices should have been all along. Just another example of Apple greed.
Greed? I'm sorry but no one is putting a gun to people's head and forcing them to buy an iPod. Apple prices their products at a price that people are willing to pay. How is this greed? This is business and what every single company should be trying to do. If other companies charge less then it is either because they are trying to grow their market share by undercutting their competition, or because they know that their product is not perceived to be of a higher quality, or because they are just plain incompetent.
120gb refurb is down to $199 - fingers crossed that the 80gb will pop up again soon at $149. C'mon, Apple!
You can buy my girlfriends hardly used 8gb at a fair price my friend....
32GB Nano plz
I'm surprised they kept the price above the previously announced Zune prices. It's not like Apple needs to keep their supposed premium image now anyway (and how could they, when every Walmart carries ipods), so I don't see why they didnt go for the kill on this one.
Simply because they don't need to. I expect that Apple has a target revenue and they are pricing to meet that. They will take into consideration what the competition is doing but you do not need to try and kill your competition in order to achieve your goals. Some people (and I'm sure that there are people like this on this discussion) will never buy an iPod so there is very little point slashing your prices and margins to try and get them to buy just to have 100% of the market.
@Kelmon: That's true, but if Microsoft does any kind of decent marketing at all(a longshot, I know), nobody in their right mind would buy a player of equivalent size and features for $100 more. Differences of $10 or $20 are easy to overlook as are devices with far fewer features, but that just isn't the case here. I'm honestly a little worried for Apple on this one.
@Kelmon, I'm one of the people who was on the fence between the iPod Touch and the Zune HD, with the announcement of this pricing, I don't see them at all competing price wise with the Zune HD, 16 GB Zune HD for $220 vs the iPod Touch 3rd Gen >$250, I'm guessing they probably won't drop prices below the old models. Apple adding a camera at this point isn't going to justify getting the Touch over the HD, not for that much money.
for just pure music & podcast listening nothing beats a regular iPod or Nano, the wheel is a lot easier to work with when your multitasking or at the gym for instance
Looks like Ballmer got those pay checks out. The anti-Apple troll brigade is in full force today.
All this makes me think it won't be terribly dramatic this year.
It's funny, because I remember it last year when people were saying "This event sucked, the major upgrades are coming next year". I doubt it; looks to me like a minor speedbump and improved capacity judging by the way the prices are changing.
Also, there's references in the iPod Touch and iPhone firmware to unannounced models which, following Apple's numbering strategy, are due next year or the year after which makes me think any earth shattering new features won't be coming out today.
As it stands, a $299 32GB touch vs a $279 32GB zune hd are pretty competitive prices. If I had to chose (and I do), I would go with zune if only because the itunes UI looks more convoluted than Windows media player 9, and all my music is formatted to wma (because I like WMP 12 it works with windows 7 quite well). Don't get me wrong, zune 3.0 is a bloated pile of particle effects crap, a program where you need a quad core just to play music (but it sure as hell looks pretty). If I owned a mac (and I don't but I could build a hackintosh) a touch would be the best way (the only way) to go. But since I'm relatively poor and lazy a zune HD would seem to be the right way to go.
Don't confuse me for a (pure) mac hater though, personally I liked the aluminum keyboard so much I bought one and use it with my crappy Compaq presario.
What if these are the 3rd gen prices?
The image may still be second gen, but ordering one might get you a third gen. The 64 GB will just bump in at a higher price on the right of the screen. Having an 8 GB model available for cheap will make the iPod touch accessible for almost everyone.
Just a thought...
I love my iTouch and it'll be interesting to see what pops up in the new and improved catagory. A 64 GB iTouch? One with a 'good' camera? Lower prices on the great stuff that's already out there? Nothing could be cooler. Zune? WMA? Why on earth would anybody use WMA? I guess somebody has to be on the side of Betamax like equipment.
Hey Betamax was a good format....
About the WMA, well I have been using it for years and it still works, so why fix what isn't broken?
Better question: Why wouldn't you use WMA? There's nothing inherently inferior about it. If you move back to Apple, iTunes can convert it. Not to mention as long as your songs don't have DRM you can move music over to the Zune from your iTunes library without any problem(or even the Amazon store since that sells MP3s). If WMA is really what's holding you back from getting a Zune HD then you clearly haven't thought that decision through.
Dude says I 'clearly haven't thought the possibility of purchasing a Zune all the way through' -
That's a good one. Let's see, got my iTouch, got books, movies, games, internet and that other thing, oh yeah - music in MP3 format which all my music is ripped in - nor the Proprietary Microsoft music format WMA. I thought about it very carefully and am very happy with my decision. Thanks much.
@Gilbert Davis: And the Zune HD is confirmed to also have apps and games and has a browser. And it certainly can play MP3's, or your iTunes bought AAC's. I'm not saying you're wrong to buy an iPod Touch(not that close minded), but at least be an intelligent consumer and do a tiny bit of research into what you're buying and why.
You know Mark, I'm not saying you're ill informed or unable to make a rational decision based on things like facts and specs and the availability of games and applications but really now, the last Apple product I had ever bought was an Apple IIGS and wouldn't buy anything from Apple - I hold a grudge and when they decided to no longer support the Apple I had bought I had decided to never buy anything from that company. Guess what? They came out with an impressive product that I could no longer ignore. After 'careful' and long deliberation and consideration I did look at what the Zune had to offer and it comes up considerably below what the iTouch offers. I wouldn't go so far as to say that the Zune is crap but you couldn't give one of them. The games are bad, the community is nonexistent and the product doesn't even look good. NO thanks, I did more than a 'tiny' bit of research and so have lots of other people, sure there are always going to be outliers who pick the inferior product and someday there might even be a product that actually competes with the iTouch and ipod products but it hasn't happened yet and if it did I'd buy it.
Store is down now...lol
All I want to hear from Apple today is that they are releasing a new version of iTunes that "just works." I'm sick of itunes 8s slow interface. It's horrible.
Here's hoping that they finally produce a Cocoa-native version of the application and get shot of Carbon.
Apple site is down for the pending announcements.
As for the death of the iPod Classic, I think this would be a mistake. I just sold my 32GB 2nd gen Touch because it was full and I don't use apps, contacts, mail, stocks, weather.... I have a BlackBerry for that. I picked up a 120GB Classic in its place. I think true audiophiles, like myself, just want a no-frills mp3 player. I have over 130GB of music and with digital downloads becoming more and more popular, the need for space will always be there.
If you're an audiophile, why would you go with an iPod when there's players out there that give much better quality sound? Hell, the Zunes use a higher quality audio driver and they're nowhere near as good as some other players.
I'm glad i sold my ipod touch a few weeks ago before the sale value went wayyyy down :D
DRAMATIC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Kyi0WNg40
And apple just fcukde Ms and the Zune HD.... MS when will you guys learn? Didn't you see this coming? Now who's going to buy those zunes at those prices?
Wait what? A year old 16GB model for $250 vs the brand new HD for $220? I'll admit the 32GB is cheaper, but I don't expect the new 32GB to be $280, therefore will be more expensive than the 32GB HD.
What are you talking about, man? Ya, who would choose a player with substantially better hardware and equivalent if not superior software for about the same price? If these were the new iPod Touches then yes, you'd have something maybe close to a point but since this is just the old models with their vastly inferior hardware: you're just dumb.
3.49pm - UK store down too
Prices don't seem to have changed at Best Buy or other retailers. I'm hoping they do, because I'd like to take advantage of the price guarantee and get some of my money back.
Or maybe I'll wait and exchange for a new model. I'm stupid, and I grabbed mine just this week without realizing that Apple was about to refresh. Luckily, I have 45 days of return policy time to think about it.
I hope that's enough time for Apple to get the product to stores this time!
i dont remember how much i got for my iPod touch, but i was expecting a little more from it....i started with the original ipod a whopping 20 gb you know the one with a click wheel never filled it then to a ipod 5th gen video, 80 gb almost filled it and now have the new ipod touch 8gb, lost alot of songs b/c of comp probs but still i was expecting things like a flash player on the safari
What time is this "event" meant to be starting?
No changes so far in the UK
i dont know, im watching on Apple store online but seems the prices are still there. i dont see any price cut.