The latest iPod Touch from Apple improves on the previous generation in nearly every single way. It does all this without increasing the price one cent (except the 8GB version which increased in price by and is now no longer a hardware generation behind). Bottom line, the iPod Touch continues to be an irresistible device that has no peer on the market right now. Think back even three years and people would simply be amazed at everything the latest iPod Touch can do for only 9. Games in every category, some of which have graphics superior to the PSP or Nintendo DS, news and weather apps, streaming video from your computer or from services like Netflix and Hulu, exercise and weight loss apps, the list goes on and on (and on). While we are starting to see some Android based tablets enter the market, there is nothing in the portable market that comes close to what the iPod can do.
If you really have some problems with some of the iPod Touch’s shortcomings (like the camera) and you want access to the Apple App store, you may want to consider just buckling down and getting an iPhone 4 (if you can afford it). However, once you consider the value proposition of the iPhone 4 (total cost of ownership over two year contract -85 x 24 + 9) vs. the iPod Touch at 9, you start to understand that some of these drawbacks are not so bad.
Compared to the previous (and well loved) iPod Touch this device:
- replaces the previous processor with the more powerful A4 processor. Expect smooth and fast operation with support for even the most graphically intense iPod Touch games. All other applications will run at top speed, although not dramatically faster than the previous generation.
- is now even thinner. The Ipod Touch is now shockingly thin.
- added a microphone so you don’t need a headset to talk to people or use voice control
- doubled the amount of ram so multi-tasking should be a breeze
- has longer battery life | extended audio life by 10 hours (from 30 to 40 hours) and video by 1 hour (from 6 to 7 hours).
- weighs less
- has TWO additional cameras (front facing for video and self-portraits and back for HD video) – the front camera is VGA quality (640×480) and the back camera is a 720P (1280×720) sensor (when used to take pictures that resolution is reduced to 960×720). Samples of the HD video show that this feature was not just “tacked on” and actually looks very good compared to some HD video available on other pocket devices (like the EVO 4G).
- 4 times as many pixels on the screen – Apple is calling this a “retina display” because it has the same dpi (dots per inch) as the iPhone 4. However, the iPod Touch is not using the same IPS display found in the iPhone 4 which means the viewing angles aren’t as good. I doubt most users will notice the difference here.
- adds the gyroscope for extra precision with motion based apps (mostly gaming)
- adds support for the faster Wireless “N” standard, which should help when streaming video to your phone or using Facetime to make a video call
- adds a vibrator for alerts, force feedback in gaming, and notifications for voice calling
Cons:
- speaker still sucks – I let my two year watch videos on my iPhone. Thus a crappy speaker is a deal breaker for me because she is too small to use headphones. You can blame the extreme thinness on this one. There simply isn’t enough depth to put an iPhone quality speaker in. If I didn’t have a two year old I wouldn’t consider this a big deal because I rarely use this function otherwise.
- no 5MP camera or LED flash – This is going to be a deal breaker for some who saw the iPhone 4 and started salivating at the thought of the possibility of the same high quality sensor in the iPod Touch. Read my thoughts below for more on this one.
- No GPS chip – you’re still stuck with using WiFi signals to determine location, a la the original iPhone. Maybe Garmin or Tom Tom paid them money not to include this feature.
Yes, I wanted the camera sensor from the iPhone 4 as well, but the unfortunate reality is that sensor wouldn’t fit in the old iPod Touch body and this one is even slimmer! In order to fit the iPhone 4 camera sensor into the iPod Touch, Apple would have had to make this device significantly thicker, which loses one of the big advantages the Touch has had over the iPhone, its size. I might have been willing to make the tradeoff, but obviously Apple wasn’t.
Keep in mind that the larger sensor (and LED Flash) adds to the cost of the device as well. Apple added a significant number of features to the iPod Touch and kept the price exactly the same. Something’s gotta give here. The 32GB iPhone 4 sells for 0! (AT&T pays Apple the difference when you buy one on contract). I’m sure if people were willing to spend 0 more than the 9 the 32GB iPod Touch sells for they would have a mind blowing sensor in there. I’m actually surprised at how much of the functionality of the iPhone the iPod Touch now replicates, given the huge gap in cost.
Appreciate the fact that you can now record HD video and do video calling over WiFi for the same price as the last model. Or don’t buy it. Consider how much you can do on this device compared to other portable gadgets, like the pocket sized Flip Video Camera, which costs more than 0+ and does nothing other than video, or even the ZUNE HD, which is a great device, but lacks compatibility with the hundreds of thousands of Apps that turn the iPod Touch into a pocket computer.
I’m waiting for something to come along to blow away the iPod Touch, but that device just doesn’t exist. All things considered, this device is a 4.5/5, which I round up to 5 because Amazon doesn’t do half stars. This device won’t be for everyone, but then again, no device is. For a great majority of users, this is product is nothing short of gadget heaven.
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