Why No Fries with the iPod touch?
After nine months of anticipation, Apple finally released an iPod based on the iPhone form factor and interface. But for reasons unknown, Apple chose to leave off one or two essential applications, and according to the latest rumor, has neutered others.
You get the feeling that if Apple bought McDonald’s they would cut the fries from the combo meals. I hope you didn’t want fries with your new iPod touch!
The iPod touch is a lovely device, and I have to out myself as being wrong. I was among those who said Apple wouldn’t release a device like it within 12 months of the iPhone.
Hindsight is a great thing, and now I can see why Apple might have done so. Certainly there’s a big market for it, but the two devices could cannibalize each other. Which, at the end of the day, matters not to Apple, as they still get a sale. And Steve said as much in a recent interview with USA Today.
However, in markets still waiting for the iPhone—such as Europe and Asia—it will be interesting to see how the iPod touch sells. Personally, I’m having a dilemma over whether to get an iPod touch or wait for the iPhone. And a young woman I spoke to at an electronics retailer said she’d be waiting.
Actually, the more more I find out about the touch, the more I lose interest in it.
I saw one reader comment on a web forum last week that the iPod touch is a PDA. I suspect, though, he’s in for a big disappointment. Apple isn’t pushing it that way, so it’s hard to know if it really is. In fact, Apple’s demo video didn’t even mention iCal or Address Book, two key apps on a PDA. And rumors have it there’ll be no ability to input calendar entries—which is upsetting a lot of people who pre-ordered specifically expecting that feature.
But the big thing missing—the fries if you will—is email. Its absence is the deciding factor in my not buying an iPod touch.
For a device that has internet access, the lack of an email client leaves one speechless. So what if you can do it online through Safari? An offline reader is essential in a portable, internet-connected device. Plus, using a browser, you have to manually check your email. Also, if you have multiple email accounts, using a browser really starts getting cumbersome.
In my part of the world, wireless hotspots are rare, so I wouldn’t be able to use the browser or email much anyway. But if hotspots were available, then I’d be eternally frustrated at having an internet device without email.
Say that again a couple of times: “an internet device without email.” Have you ever heard of anything stupider? A car without seats? A combo meal without fries? A computer without a mouse? A house without a bathroom? An internet device without email?
Possibly, someone will port the iPhone’s email client to the iPod touch, and hopefully that will force Apple to include it.
Unfortunately, this adds to the dilemma. Do I wait for the touch to get an email client? Or just get an iPod classic? And do I then forget about the iPhone?
But if the rumor of the inability to input to the calendar and address book proves true, the decision is easy. No touch. Without those PDA abilities, the difference between a touch and an iPod classic narrows too much to justify the touch.
The interesting thing is, the lack of PDA type functions, such as calendar entry and email, stops me buying an iPod touch in preference to an iPod classic. But the absence of those from the touch wouldn’t influence my decision to buy an iPhone.
I’d buy an iPhone because it’s a phone with iPod features. But I would have bought a touch if it was an iPod with email and PDA features.
With the touch having no compelling features, and already owning an iPod, albeit sans video, I expect I’ll just buy nothing.
Steve was happy to appease the angry mob over the price cut; hopefully he’ll appease the rowdy rabble over the lack of email and calendar entry.
Come on, Steve, mate, give us the fries with that iPod touch.
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Comments
There is a tidbit I just read over from a recent eWeek’s review of the Touch. I was considering using the Touch as a VoIP device when the mention of the non-existent microphone, either built-in and via headphone jack.
This, of course, requires Jailbreaking it and installing an, as yet, unannounced SIP/Skype client to be possible. But without a microphone then this exciting possibility of the Touch is now dead. Hello, iPhone!
So much for iPhone cannibalization.
3rd party apps will not be able to fix a couple of sorely lacking features on a wifi enabled iPod that I think haven’t yet been mentioned (other than by me).
* Syncing via wifi. I’ve been waiting for this and am still waiting. When I brought this up before there was even a wifi Zune, the fanboys scoffed even at the idea of wifi on an iPod. “Why do we need this?” “It will just kill the battery!” Blah Blah. You know who you are (or given the extremely short memory of the Apple fanboy, maybe you don’t).
So now it’s here and like the “squirt” it does everything EXCEPT what you want it to. Like wifi syncing of your songs and video. and…
* Purchasing videos and songs via wifi. Unless of course you’re at Starbucks, which is a feeble first step. And you can only buy songs that way, and as far as I know, you can only buy the ones they’re playing over the PA. Uh huh.
These are basic things that you EXPECT a wifi-enabled MEDIA player to do, not e-mail or surfing the web (although those are nice bonus features).
Since when do you have to be in a starbucks to purchase songs via wifi? Any wifi connection will allow you to purchase wirelessly through the itunes store. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise.
Kill the classic, kill the touch, and release the iPod beeb - although maybe a pricepoint between the classic and touch if we want Apple to stay in business.
iPod Beeb. I love it. And well worth the Apple premium! Although, given the amount of money they shaved off the iPhone without changing anything, I’m under the impression that Apple’s margins have quite the luxurious breathing room.
It wouldn’t make sense otherwise.
It also wouldn’t make sense not to sync via wifi or purchase videos. But if I’m in error about the songs, then correction noted. Thanks.
Yes, you can definitely purchase any itunes song you want wirelessly from any wifi location. I’m sure videos will follow soon. I’m guessing the wireless sync wasn’t done because of other reasons (piracy concerns? technological issues?) They certainly didn’t leave it out to spite you because they could have only gained from having that functionality.
I agree basically that the iPod Touch should have every app the iPhone has that it is capable of using. I hope the AppTapp developers work out a way of installing the same apps on both devices.
I also wish it had bluetooth. You see, my old dodgy 3G mobile phone has bluetooth, so an iPod Touch with bluetooth & email would be able to surf the net & collect my mail even when I was away from wifi, as long as I had my mobile phone on me.
Greg, you just made me realise some people will never buy an iPhone - probably people like me. We’d much rather have a phone with low running costs and second device for all our other features.
Currently, I carry 3 devices: a bare bones mobile phone on pre-paid; an iPod photo (30GB); and Palm Zire 72.
I’d willing sell the last two for a 16GB iPod Touch with email and data entry.
But not some hacked touch with hacked on iPhone email or with third party apps that Apple just this week guaranteed they couldn’t guarantee future OS updates wouldn’t break them.
It annoys me having three devices but two would be fine.
The omissions of the microphone (jack or built-in) and the Bluetooth (wireless headsets?) clearly is differentiating this device as a media player only.
The wi-fi feature is a great potential - if Apple decides that giving us a full-featured mobile email, iCal, and those useful Widgets from the iPhone. Ó Inc. should not be fearful of cannibalization because the Touch is clearly differentiated - <u>no voice-capability whatsoever!</u>.
And that’s fine. You want voice - get an iPhone. But limiting the Touch’s wireless potential to just that basics - Safari, YouTube, iTWFS, and Starbucks is too little to offer.
<u>Give us those iPhone Widgets!</u>
* Syncing via wifi. I’ve been waiting for this and am still waiting. When I brought this up before there was even a wifi Zune, the fanboys scoffed even at the idea of wifi on an iPod. -Bbx
Syncing via wi-fi means the wi-fi chip (power amplifiers, LNAs, baseband, MAC, etc) has to be <u>constantly</u> on when it detects an access point to useful. Apple apparently scoffed your “great” idea due to the drain on the teeny battery.
The firmware (OSX) is today smart enough to shut-off wi-fi when you are not using Safari, iTWFS, or the Starbucks widgets thereby limiting the battery drain.
Mr. Bbx, the circumstances before hasn’t changed much. Wi-fi still drains batteries when constantly ON. There is no magic in the OSX firmware. You shut it off - you don’t drain the battery.
And yet another blow to your neat idea - rights management. Yah, DRM. Keep in mind that the Touch can now purchase songs from the iTWFS. If the Touch can wi-sync back to a legitimate copy of iTunes, hardy hackers can also fool that wi-sync feature to upload to an unauthorized iTunes or hacked equivalent.
The technology is there, I admit. Ó Inc. just chose the direction with the fewer Motrin intake.
just in from PCMag via MacRumors is that you can edit contacts but not calendar.
Which, like web but not email, serves to rub your face in the proverbial even more.
I’m getting inclined to call this the iPod sucker. Apple is trying to see how big a sucker iPod buyers are and just how much bs will they take before they revolt against getting screwed over.
All these suckers going “I really wanted email and calendar entry, but I’ll get over it coz it’s so cool, gorgeous and easy to use.”
If this new Apple Inc made cars, they’d give you front seats but not back seats and all the suckers would be trying to convince you you don’t need them, Apple has a perfectly good reason for not including them, and you can always hack in some from another Apple vehicle or install third party ones.
So, we have an internet device with web but not email and a data entry device with contacts entry but not calendar entry.
What next? An iPhone with an address book that it can’t use to make calls, a Mac with a DVD drive that can’t read CDs, a Final Cut Pro that lets you edit movies but not play them back. And so on.
Personally, I think that the ipod touch without any internet capabilities is still a great deal, and that with safari it’s an incredible deal.
Remember, you’re paying a lot more than a $100 premium for the iphone. Over two years, the iphone will cost you ~$2100. I have a cell phone right now that costs $100/year, so this is a significant amount more to spend for a few additional features.
I’d be more inclined to call iphone purchasers the suckers, especially considering they’re locked in to AT&T, an inferior carrier in almost all states.
Sales to people who were not considering iPhones anyway aren’t considered “cannibalization”. This is additional revenue otherwise lost to “competitors”. This is what Steve had in mind.—Robotech
I think that is exactly my point. The iPod touch exists to take advantage of people who want the technology of the iPhone but for one reason or another don’t want the iPhone itself. But it also is necessarily designed not to appeal too much to people who might be deflected from otherwise buying an iPhone.
It’s a conundrum that quite handily explains some of its odder limitations.
I agree that wifi synching would be brilliant and do not agree that it is unfeasible or would require having the wifi on all the time.
All in all I think this line of iPod is full of compromises.
All in all I think this line of iPods has less compromises than ever before. Excluding the iPod touch and you simply have the best iPod selection yet with a near-perfect range of storage/feature options.
It’s the iPod touch alone that is the conundrum, and for fairly understandable reasons.
I agree that wifi synching would be brilliant and do not agree that it is unfeasible or would require having the wifi on all the time. -Ben
Like I said: The technology is there, I admit. Ó Inc. just chose the direction with the fewer Motrin intake.
Apple can do it, yes, but they are only playing it safe - for now.
The iPod touch’s feature restrictions is like a partner who won’t have sex with you.