Apple Splitting iPod Touch Lineup Between Current and New Designs, Increasing Color Options for iPod Shuffle and New Nano?

[Pegamush]

If someone chooses an iPod Touch over a Kindle it will be because reading is less a priority, and instead they want:

[...]
* No ads in their face to subsidize the device

this made me laugh, free apps from apple store are bloated with banners, they're so annoying, that's to encourage people to buy apps instead.
the ads in kindle are just for the e-readers (when turned off, not while using it), not the fire, afaik.

 

[jagolden]

Is it weird that I am no longer thrilled or surprised by new iPod variants when they come out?

Don't think you're weird at all. Even Apple's music players are becoming commodities. They need to really come up with something groundbreaking to make them stand out.
I don't know what this would be but I mean more than a bigger screen and more storage.

I love my Nano and collection of shuffles but since I've started using my iPhone as my music player, I rarely use the others except for special circumstances.

 

[Dangerous Theory]

You know that argument we all hear about the consistent Mac and iPhone design (since 4): "Apple doesn't just change design for the sake of it, blahblah" Well what the hell is going on with the iPod Nano? They just can't help themselves....

 

[chrmjenkins]

Why?

Because the iPad mini will seem like much more a value at a 7.85" screen than a 3.5" or 4" iPod touch. They may not even have a need or want for the larger screen, but the price equivalency may create a feeling they're being ripped off with the touch and discourage the sale.

I know in my situation I would either find a way to justify the iPad mini or downgrade to another iPod that looked like more value for the money.

 

[kazmac]

if

I ditch my iPhone after my contract is up in a little over a year, I'll definitely go back to an iPod shuffle if I want music. My iPad does everything else. I'm usually watching something on it and/or don't always carry it with me, which is why I don't use it as a music player.

 

[SeanJE]

They shouldn't mess with the current Nano.

I would love a 32 GB Nano.

 

[jbimler]

I'd consider a Nano if it included spotify and a podcast app like downcast.

 

[jagolden]

I do not understand how anyone could use 128GB. It is simply unreasonably large amount of storage space. It is incredibly hard to use 128GB worth of music (assuming one uses them for music and not storing hundreds of apps they don't open), I mean that is just WAY too many songs to choose from, like you would literally never listen to most of them. Generally you listen to certain groups of songs you like, and most of them you never end up playing, like I have so many songs on my 8GB iPod Touch that I literally never play because I just don't feel like listening to them. It's just for those people who want every song they own, no matter how many plays it has on their device (0 being the majority) just because.

Well, let's see.
I have:
21,796 songs in my library
1,236 TV shows in my library
140 audio books in my library
121 movies in my library (no counting the unfiled ones)

It's easy to fill up 128GB. Especially if you don't want to manage your content that often.

EDIT: Oh yeah, how about carrying along some favorite photos, too.

 

[CarlHeanerd]

I do not understand how anyone could use 128GB. It is simply unreasonably large amount of storage space. It is incredibly hard to use 128GB worth of music (assuming one uses them for music and not storing hundreds of apps they don't open), I mean that is just WAY too many songs to choose from, like you would literally never listen to most of them. Generally you listen to certain groups of songs you like, and most of them you never end up playing, like I have so many songs on my 8GB iPod Touch that I literally never play because I just don't feel like listening to them. It's just for those people who want every song they own, no matter how many plays it has on their device (0 being the majority) just because.

Classical musician here, I take umbrage with that. My library contains 45GB of simply music, not including the books or audiobooks I carry around. Add the fact I have some 60GB of video stored externally and 15GB of photos, and you can see how this stuff adds up quick.

 

[Cougarcat]

the ads in kindle are just for the e-readers (when turned off, not while using it), not the fire, afaik.

There are ads on the Fire lock screen, and are not removable by spending more money, unlike the e-readers.

 

[69650]

I do not understand how anyone could use 128GB. It is simply unreasonably large amount of storage space. It is incredibly hard to use 128GB worth of music (assuming one uses them for music and not storing hundreds of apps they don't open), I mean that is just WAY too many songs to choose from, like you would literally never listen to most of them. Generally you listen to certain groups of songs you like, and most of them you never end up playing, like I have so many songs on my 8GB iPod Touch that I literally never play because I just don't feel like listening to them. It's just for those people who want every song they own, no matter how many plays it has on their device (0 being the majority) just because.

When you get past 21 and you start to reach adulthood you'll realise that some of us have large music collections that we've been building for the past 30 years. Some of my CDs are probably older than you. Then you'll realise that the reason we want a 128GB iPod is so that we can put all our music on to one machine without having to shuffle stuff on and off the device all the time. I don't carry my iPod with me anymore, it just sits in the living room so I can play whatever song I want using AirPlay rather than having to get up and put a CD on. I'm willing to pay for that convenience because I like listening to a variety of music instead of the piss poor offerings we get in the charts today.

 

[s0nicpr0s]

this made me laugh, free apps from apple store are bloated with banners, they're so annoying, that's to encourage people to buy apps instead.
the ads in kindle are just for the e-readers (when turned off, not while using it), not the fire, afaik.

This is from Amazon about the offers, "Your offers display on the lock screen and lower left hand corner of the home screen—they don't interrupt use of the device." So close, but now they'll show up as a small thing on the home screen too.

As an owner of a Kindle (w/keyboard and special offers), the offers aren't that big a deal. Sometimes the offers are pretty nice, but once you've unlocked the device they're pretty invisible. And also owning a Fire, the home screen does seem to have a space that could house the ad without being too intrusive.

The banners that show up in free apps (especially on an iPod or iPhone) are incredibly annoying and seem to take up a sizable portion of the screen.

 

[DamonBowser]

I do not understand how anyone could use 128GB. It is simply unreasonably large amount of storage space. It is incredibly hard to use 128GB worth of music (assuming one uses them for music and not storing hundreds of apps they don't open), I mean that is just WAY too many songs to choose from, like you would literally never listen to most of them. Generally you listen to certain groups of songs you like, and most of them you never end up playing, like I have so many songs on my 8GB iPod Touch that I literally never play because I just don't feel like listening to them. It's just for those people who want every song they own, no matter how many plays it has on their device (0 being the majority) just because.

The bold part says it all, that target consumer base right there will be happy because of a 128gb option.

 

[Dwalls90]

Make the current nano the shuffle. ($49-79)

Bring back the traditional nano design from the prior generation we all loved. ($99-149)

Import some iPhone 5 functionality into the iTouch, but keep the prices low enough to keep it within reach. ($199)

 

[iMcLovin]

I wish they could release the iMac and keep these for october ipad mini release.

 

[Zunjine]

Because the iPad mini will seem like much more a value at a 7.85" screen than a 3.5" or 4" iPod touch. They may not even have a need or want for the larger screen, but the price equivalency may create a feeling they're being ripped off with the touch and discourage the sale.

I know in my situation I would either find a way to justify the iPad mini or downgrade to another iPod that looked like more value for the money.

iPhones cost about the same as iPads yet people still buy iPhones.

You're comparing two different product categories with two different value propositions. One has a large screen, the other is pocket sized. One is a tablet. The other is a portable media player. There's no reason they can't be in the same price bracket. People who want a tablet will buy the iPad and people who want a portable media player will buy an iPod.

 

[CapnJackGig]

Only a fool will pay 300 for a Touch when they can get 9 inch tablet for the same price. Keep trying, Apple.

 

[BornAgainApple]

I, too, would like to see a 128GB storage option. I know the future is up in the cloud, but I'm not ready for it yet.

 

[crono3]

I do not understand how anyone could use 128GB. It is simply unreasonably large amount of storage space. It is incredibly hard to use 128GB worth of music (assuming one uses them for music and not storing hundreds of apps they don't open), I mean that is just WAY too many songs to choose from, like you would literally never listen to most of them. Generally you listen to certain groups of songs you like, and most of them you never end up playing, like I have so many songs on my 8GB iPod Touch that I literally never play because I just don't feel like listening to them. It's just for those people who want every song they own, no matter how many plays it has on their device (0 being the majority) just because.

I know many others have already commented on this, but I also want to add that there are many music apps that will sort & arrange your music for your in interesting ways, creating specialized playlists, etc. If you only have a piece of your collection on your device you won't be able to get the full use out of things like this.

I have NO video, movies or photos on my iPod Touch, as it doesn't have a camera and I ran out of space a LONG time ago. I can only imagine how much more frustrating it would be if I wanted to record something and I didn't have the room for it.

Also, it's not unheard of for apps or games these days to be several hundred megs in size or even 1+ gigs! I've had to pass over some of these simply because I didn't want to deal with the hassle of having it on my device.

 

[jeffy.dee-lux]

I do not understand how anyone could use 128GB. It is simply unreasonably large amount of storage space. It is incredibly hard to use 128GB worth of music (assuming one uses them for music and not storing hundreds of apps they don't open), I mean that is just WAY too many songs to choose from, like you would literally never listen to most of them. Generally you listen to certain groups of songs you like, and most of them you never end up playing, like I have so many songs on my 8GB iPod Touch that I literally never play because I just don't feel like listening to them. It's just for those people who want every song they own, no matter how many plays it has on their device (0 being the majority) just because.

This is ridiculous. So basically, you don't do something, so why would anybody else do it?

Just talking about music, I have a 47.62GB iTunes music library, vast majority at 128 or 160kbps, which I plan to upgrade gradually by re-ripping my CDs. 6.70GB have no plays at all, mostly old stuff that I listened to a lot on CD years ago that I haven't gotten back to recently. But looking at those albums now that I've sorted by play count, it's reminded me of a bunch of stuff I haven't heard in a while that I'd like to hear (and am playing now!) I'm 28, and I have about 300 albums. Looking at my dad, he's got about 600 records and 300 CDs, I don't see any reason my collection isn't going to keep growing similarly. I can't help but feel like somebody who says this size of a music collection is "unreasonable" simply doesn't appreciate music as others. That might sound shallow, but simply put, a big collection suggests a broad taste and enthusiasm to keep hearing new things and desire to hear them again.

All that through the headphones, I'm not even talking about how to make use of that big new screen!

 

[jagolden]

The bold part says it all, that target consumer base right there will be happy because of a 128gb option.

I think oOJellyOo has iPod Touch envy. Can't/won't buy a 128gb so no he needs to justify himself.
Needs to see further than the walls of mommas basement. iPod is for music, movies, TV shows, photos, apps, etc. All these rapidly take up space.

128mb couldn't come close to my entire music collection alone. Nor would I want it all on there. But I have eclectic music tastes so I like to keep various music on the player. Add in some movies and TV shows, then a collection of favorite photos...

 

[George Zip]

I do not understand how anyone could use 128GB. It is simply unreasonably large amount of storage space. It is incredibly hard to use 128GB worth of music (assuming one uses them for music and not storing hundreds of apps they don't open), I mean that is just WAY too many songs to choose from, like you would literally never listen to most of them. Generally you listen to certain groups of songs you like, and most of them you never end up playing, like I have so many songs on my 8GB iPod Touch that I literally never play because I just don't feel like listening to them. It's just for those people who want every song they own, no matter how many plays it has on their device (0 being the majority) just because.

Man, I'm really tired of the "if I don't need it NOBODY does" people...

 

[chrmjenkins]

iPhones cost about the same as iPads yet people still buy iPhones.

Starting price of an iPhone: $0
Maximum price of an iPhone: $399
Starting price of an iPhone: $499

You can't compare across subsidized and unsubsidized product categories that easily. That's why android phones are doing great but android tablets are getting absolutely smashed.

You're comparing two different product categories with two different value propositions.

Something you were guilty of to start.

One has a large screen, the other is pocket sized. One is a tablet. The other is a portable media player. There's no reason they can't be in the same price bracket. People who want a tablet will buy the iPad and people who want a portable media player will buy an iPod.

That doesn't mean the consumer is blind. They'll wonder why a much bigger product with the same or greater functionality costs the same as a smaller product. That may cause them to rethink the value proposition of the iPod touch.

 

[Techwriter]

Only a fool will pay 300 for a Touch when they can get 9 inch tablet for the same price. Keep trying, Apple.

Guess I'm a fool. I've been waiting to update my iPod Touch 3rd gen for a while. If Apple gives it a better camera, better RAM, and the 4" screen, I'll plop down the $300.

 

[jagolden]

This is ridiculous. So basically, you don't do something, so why would anybody else do it?

Just talking about music, I have a 47.62GB iTunes music library, vast majority at 128 or 160kbps, which I plan to upgrade gradually by re-ripping my CDs. 6.70GB have no plays at all, mostly old stuff that I listened to a lot on CD years ago that I haven't gotten back to recently. But looking at those albums now that I've sorted by play count, it's reminded me of a bunch of stuff I haven't heard in a while that I'd like to hear (and am playing now!) I'm 28, and I have about 300 albums. Looking at my dad, he's got about 600 records and 300 CDs, I don't see any reason my collection isn't going to keep growing similarly. I can't help but feel like somebody who says this size of a music collection is "unreasonable" simply doesn't appreciate music as others. That might sound shallow, but simply put, a big collection suggests a broad taste and enthusiasm to keep hearing new things and desire to hear them again.

All that through the headphones, I'm not even talking about how to make use of that big new screen!

I have to so agree with you here. Mr. Jelly must be 10 with little content and life experience. I just checked. My FILED items (many I've not yet added to iTunes) is over 500gb. I, too, have eclectic taste and my interest waxes and wanes from genre to genre so It's nice to have a lot available for whatever/whenever the mood is striking.