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iPod touch Best choice right now: iPod Touch 4G or iPad?

M

Maximized

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 6, 2010
19
0
The Netherlands (not to be mistaken with The Nethe
I'm a iPhone 3G owner, so I definitely could use a fast and new iOS device. I don't want to get rid of the phone just yet, so I am planning to get either an iPad or the new iPod Touch 4G.

Although I'm really excited on getting an iPad soon, I'm starting to think that perhaps an iPod Touch 4G would be a better buy at the moment.
The only difference between the iPad and the iPod Touch right now seems to be a bigger screen of the iPad. At least physical. The resolution of the devices (thanks to the retina display of the new iPod Touch) isn't that different (960 x 640 on the iPod Touch 4G versus 1024 x 768 on the iPad).
They both have a fast Apple A4 processor.
The iPod Touch 4G supports multitasking and all that stuff right out of the box. The iPad won't get the cool features until the end of this year.
The iPod Touch 4G is small, thin and fits right into your pocket. The iPad won't.
There are games and apps specifically built for the iPad that really rock, that just wouldn't be the same on an iPod Touch.

Can anyone help me out here? :)
 
iPad for me

I am in a similar position to you....and after much consideration have opted for the iPad. I have used a touch for years and the thought of not having to constantly re-size things is the big advantage for me.

It's a hard choice as they are both excellent bits of kit....you could always buy both :rolleyes: ...maybe not ;)

Good luck with the decision making!
 
the ipod touch is a way better buy. in addition to all the advantages you mentioned,it has double the ram and also facetime support. the ipad is only good if you really need the big screen. each product caters to a different market.

if you HAVE to get the ipad,atleast wait until january when it will get (atleast) facetime and more ram.The current ipad doesnt offer enough features imo.
 
I just picked up the new touch but I was not contemplating the iPad as I wanted the portability of the touch. That aside I think the touch is possibly the better option at the moment a) because the new features (cameras, facetime etc. and b) because the iPad is about half way through its cycle and could well be updated within 6 months or so especially with the rumors of a smaller screen version a possibility.

I think it is safe to assume that a new version iPad will contain facetime and possibly a rear camera as well as other improvements.

Just out of interest if you watch the video of the recent iPod update event at 15:45 into it SJ gets onto the subject of a iOS4.2 update in November and how it will be all about the iPad and bring all the new features of iOS4.0\iOS4.1 over to it, while mentioning some of the feature he includes HDR Photos, a slip of the tongue perhaps or maybe a new iPad model with camera as early as November.
 
I was going to get the iPad but when the new 64GB iPod Touch came out with 512mb RAM vs only 256mb for the iPad along with HD video and 802.11 n I ordered that instead. The iPad is too big to carry in a pocket and I already have a laptop. When they come out with an iPad that has a Retina display and 1080p I will get it.
 
Well, what are you looking to do with the devices? Sure there is quite a bit of overlap between the two, but there are some basic fundamental differences.

I think you are looking at comparisons in resolution in an improper way. Sure the resolutions are getting closer between the iPod and the iPad, but the biggest benefit of the increase in iPod resolution is that things just look much better, not necessarily providing more screen real estate. Can you comfortably type with 10 fingers on an iPod? I personally don't think so. At the moment do you get apps with an order of magnitude like keynote or omingraffle? Not yet.

If an when the same resolution comes to the iPad, would it be ridiculous to ask if you should get an iPad instead of a 27" iMac because of the screen resolution? Of course it would.

If you want something to fit in your pocket and is really good at mail, the web, video, and games, etc. Go with the iPod. If you expect to do different stuff, go with the iPad.
 
Maximized said:
The iPod Touch 4G is small, thin and fits right into your pocket. The iPad won't.
Click to expand...

That is the critical statement. What do you want to do with it? Obviously if you want have it with very much/all the time you should get a Touch.

I have always considered the iPad a home device. (or at best transportable in a bag to another "home" location).

As a portable the touch totally destroys the iPad because you can put it in a pocket.

As a home device the iPad totally destroys the touch, because it has a massively bigger screen ( 8 Times the size). Compare

Having more resolution on the touch does NOT make up for it's much smaller size.

What matters more to you? Big screen or pocketable size? Because this difference makes it an apples and oranges comparison, that should make your choice easy.
 
Thanks for all your input. I think that it's safe to presume that the only significant difference (besides a difference in RAM and the Facetime functionality) is the physical screen size. The iPad is a hefty piece of hardware, especially compared to the iPod which is even smaller right now with the most recent update it was given.

I think I'm going with the iPad. I don't travel much; I'm not someone who's sitting in busses or trains a lot (and even if I am, I carry a rucksack with more than enough room for at least one iPad). Plus, an iPad could come in handy with my work (webdevelopment) where I could certainly use the extra room. The iPad is still the fastest iOS device yet, so it's still a good purchase.
 
This is something I have been thinking about recently as well. I really don't want an iPhone because I just don't really want a new contract right now.

I am also a web designer who usually hauls their iMac to work in a Ilugger bag every day. I still plan on doing that because I need the horse power an iMac gives me. I deal with a lot of animation at work as well and the 21.5" was the perfect balance between render power and size.

Anyway I thought about getting a 13" Macbook but I just cannot see the point of having another Mac computer sitting around 95% of the time when I am at the studio or at home. I like the iPad a lot but three things have me a bit concerned.

1. The cost.
2. I think it needs a bit more like it is almost there as a pseudo computer but not really yet.
3. The portability factor.

Like the OP I am hardly ever on a bus/train or in a coffee shop long enough to do any real amount of work. I do however travel to South Africa with my wife a lot to visit her family and I would like something a bit more comfortable to use while I am there instead of a small device.

What I do want is a digital form of a day planner and organizer that I can carry with me at all times. Of course both products should do this equally well. Some native apps such as the calender and mail seem to work a bit better on the iPad. The larger real estate makes them function like you would expect on a real computer. I like that. The apps work very well on the newer generation iPod touch and iPhone 4 but they always seemed a bit claustrophobic to me. The main apps I will be using are more productivity and organizing in nature with an occasional RPG or puzzle game here and there.

I can tell you the one other thing I really like about the iPad is the 3G service. I hate ATT and I doubt I would ever use them as a phone service again but the deal they have for just the 3G service with the iPad is phenomenal. This I think is the one feature that keeps bringing me back to considering the iPad even though it is a bit large to use as a day planner. Man I really wish the iPod touch had this 3G option.
 
spblat said:
Why on earth not? If you're on AT&T with a 3G your contract is ready for a subsidized upgrade, and you'll get more for your money.
Click to expand...

I'd wish I could, but Vodafone (NL) doesn't do iPhones. In Holland, only T-Mobile sells (subsidized) iPhones, and that isn't an option for me. I could buy a iPhone without a contract in Belgium, but that would cost way more than a iPad/iPod 4G. Around €800,- I think. That's just silly. :)
 
I'd get an iPad if I had the money. I can actually type fast with all of my fingers like I'm on an actual keyboard. The words come up slower than I'm typing though :p With iPod touch, you have to type with your thumbs or only some of your fingers. If you're gonna take them in a bag, then I'd get iPad, but if you're gonna carry them in a pocket, then iPod touch.
 
So, you already have an iPhone, but want something new just so that you can do multitasking (are there any other significant features missing from iOS 4 on the 3G?).

So if you get an iPod Touch, you'll be carrying two devices around - meaning you've lost all of the size benefits, won't have data when you're on the go like you have with your iPhone, and so while you could now multitask you'll be less likely to multitask because most reasons to multitask i can think of are in apps that use data. Unless you only intend to use it at home, where you get wifi...?

In which case, might as well get an iPad, which is far more usable. I would not use an iPhone or iPod Touch at home, for the simple reason that it's much more usablea to get a laptop / desktop / iPad and actually have a decent screen and keyboard, rather than squinting at a 3.x" screen.

The other option, of course, is that you don't actually need either, you just want to be able to tell people you have the latest gadget, in which case you'll probably go for the iPod Touch even though it's less usable just because it's newer. Which seems bizarre, but carry on :)

David
 
In your situation I would get the iPad, and I wouldn't have to think about it for very long. I don't know whether you have the 8GB or 16GB iPhone and whether or not you feel that you're really pushing the limit as far as storage, but lets not be an idiot here: you're likely already eligible for a subsidized upgrade to an iPhone that is the same thing (well, actually better in a few specific ways) than the new iPod Touch. You have to use the phone as your phone. Unless you're planning on ditching iPhone for something else, it seems pretty moronic to allocate money to an iPod Touch.

Yes iPad has similar internals to new iPod Touch, and it always will: Apple can't have too much differentiation between capabilities so that apps can continue to be easily written for both. But the iPad still has a MUCH larger battery (about 5x as big as the iPhone 4 battery, which is bigger than the iPod Touch battery) for much better battery life, and it runs faster. Look up speed comparison of iPhone 4 and iPad: iPad renders websites considerably faster. Its A4 is obviously running at a higher speed. Which makes sense considering that it has a massively larger battery and isn't constantly maintaining a connection with the cell network.

I don't mean to flame, its just beyond my logic as to why anyone who currently has an iPhone, is already upgrade eligible, and who presumably will be getting another iPhone in the near future, would spend money on the iPod Touch over the iPad.
 
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