A (rather lengthy) thought exercise to determine your optimum ipod capacity
First Step:
Divide up what you'll have on your ipod into long-term files (probably music and audio files) and short-term (video being the vast majority of space used).
Starting at about 7.3 gigabytes, if you used say 2-3 gb of space for music (ok, I know that's not much for many people, but I'm imagining many people have relatively small libraries they actually listen to or have huge libraries they actively use and are sort of going to shell out the extra $100 by default.).
That leaves 4 gb for video. if you use 5 gb for music, then you've got only 2 gb (ok, duh, I just think seeing numbers help visualize space)
Then ask yourself three questions:
1-How many different video categories (like a certain TV show, a drama movie, an action movie, a video podcast) will I have?
2-How often will I be at my computer?
3-How long will I watch video between times when I'm on my computer?
I ask about different categories, because (even on a 16gb) you can't hold an extensive video library on current flash memory sizes. So, if you have a TV show you're watching, you could easily have 3 or 4 episodes on your ipod at one time, if you want to have a dramatic movie if you get in the mood, you can have one of those, etc.
When you know how many different types of video you want to have available at each moment, then you can figure out how often you'll have a chance to synch up with your computer (most people, I imagine, would have the opportunity at least once a day, so I'll use that example).
Finally, if you figure how much you might watch your ipod between synching opportunities, and assume that you might want to watch ANY of your video categories for that entire time, you've got a ballpark estimate of how many hours of video you're looking at.
Example:
If you want a 1-hr (actually 45 minutes unless HBO) TV show, a horror movie, a romantic comedy, and a video podcast, and you would maximum (for most times) use it for an hour at the gym and 30 minutes on your commute each way (hint: don't use your display and drive), then you need a total of 8 hours a day to make sure that you have everything you want to watch (OK, so you don't have ALL your movies, but thats not an option regardless. For TV shows and sequential video, it works great).
File size
is complex issue, and you could certainly shrink down files, but for now lets just use iTunes videos as a default for they are more than enough for the ipod touch (but leave something to be desired for computers and TVs). If 400mb is an average size (in my somewhat limited experience) for a 40some minute video, then we get a rate of about 10mb per minute (if I'm doing my math correctly (?) that's .1666 megabytes per second which comes to 1333 kbps, more quality than you probably need). 10mb times 8x60=4.8 gigabytes (seriously, I probably made a significant mistake above, so sorry about that).
Adding it all together:
4.8 gigabytes leaves you 2.5gb for music (that's a reasonable number of CDs), 2 hours of whatever of 4 genres you want to watch for the entire time and a good music selection. Because I'll have the opportunity to hook up my ipod every day and I don't need more than 3gb of music (plus, I'm probably not going to watch any movies on the go, maybe a drama TV show, a comedy, and a video podcast), the 8gb touch will suffice.
Some of those who may need more space:
For those looking to use their video 3-4 hours per day, having many different options, wanting 6-8 gb of music plus video, wanting mostly music but 14+ gb of it, or having the opportunity (or time, although itunes makes it easy) to synch up less than once a day, THAT"S when the 16gb ipod really should come into play. Also, of course, if money isn't really an issue.
Summary:
First: if you're on the fence, feel free to buy an 8gb model and try it out during the return period, and if synching becomes cumbersome, then you know. Secondly: Buying
too little memory is something that can come back to haunt you (wish I had dolled out a little more for 80gb hard drive instead of 60gb, oh well), but if you look at it as putting $100 ($299 is a whole different level than $399) towards the purchase of your next ipod (hmmm, what will they come up with next), then you've cut 1/4 off the time until you upgrade. If you were going to wait 2 years, suddenly you've (sort of) pushed it up to 18 months (ok, not really with yearly ipod releases), 4 years becomes 3, and perhaps instead of waiting 3 years, you'll push it up to two. Hopefully, by then, they'll make then have plenty of space.
How to Treat Yourself:
on the other hand, if you want to "treat yourself" to the larger model, find some way to save $100 elsewhere where it isn't as important (like getting a smaller expresso each morning, etc.) or if you have a job that allows it, work an additional $100 worth that you absolutely wouldn't have otherwise (1 hr per day over two weeks at $10/hr gets you 8 more gb). This is a very practical way of figuring out your
opportunity costs (economics concept) and not spending extra money (especially when the glamour of a new gadget can interfer with your reasoning). I may make the effort to go into work 1 hour earlier for the next two weeks, or I may buy an 8gb ipod (my plan), and if I can then get myself to make (or save, or both) $100 before the 90 day return period (Costco) runs up, I'll bring it back and treat myself. Plus, then I get to see how much I use it.)
P.S.-Can't Macrumors fix the forum so it doesn't say iPod, iPhone, etc. are misspelled.
P.S.2.0-Wouldn't it be great if Apple offered a cable (and software) that would allow you to plug your ipod touch into your ipod classic or ipod video and play the video on their. Sure, a little cumbersome (maybe a dual case) but then you could have your entire music library stored away in a bag whenever you wanted it. Sigh... I guess they should just come up with a HDD ipod touch with hybrid flash drive (to run the OS, coverflow, etc.).
btw, I'm (obviously) making this decision myself, so it was helpful to spend this time (really, not much) even if no one read it
