Firmware Hints at New iPod Touch?

[ChrisA]

I wonder how they'll continue to update the Touch without brancing too much into iPhone territory. Plus the pricing will be interesting with the $199 price point of the 3G.

No the iPhone costs closer to $2,000. Yes only $199 up front cash but you pay the rest in monthly installments over a two year period.

To those who argue that you'd pay the cell phone bill anyways. Yes I would but I only spend about $25 a year on air time. I have an AT&T prepaid plan and seem to average about $25 a year. Turns out here in California is is illegal to use a cell phone in your car (unless parked) and when I'm not in my car I'm near a land line phone

 

[DarrenSW]

New iPod Touch?

Whenever a product refresh is around the corner, then *cough* "Refurb" models tend to make their way into the marketplace. So a "Refurb" 16GB Touch at Expansys for £183.95, with 42 units currently in stock? Hmm....

BTW: any UK user who happens to want one of these puppies (or the "Refurb" 8GB at the less bargain-tastic £144.95) PM me for a £10 off coupon code, first come first served. Athangew.

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

No the iPhone costs closer to $2,000. Yes only $199 up front cash but you pay the rest in monthly installments over a two year period.

To those who argue that you'd pay the cell phone bill anyways. Yes I would but I only spend about $25 a year on air time. I have an AT&T prepaid plan and seem to average about $25 a year. Turns out here in California is is illegal to use a cell phone in your car (unless parked) and when I'm not in my car I'm near a land line phone

you can get an iPhone on a prepaid plan. (maybe not with the 3G yet, I dunno about it)

 

[iOrlando]

im not too familar with GPS... would there be a monthly fee for the GPS if it was in an iPod Touch?

 

[citi]

No the iPhone costs closer to $2,000. Yes only $199 up front cash but you pay the rest in monthly installments over a two year period.

To those who argue that you'd pay the cell phone bill anyways. Yes I would but I only spend about $25 a year on air time. I have an AT&T prepaid plan and seem to average about $25 a year. Turns out here in California is is illegal to use a cell phone in your car (unless parked) and when I'm not in my car I'm near a land line phone

It's not illegal to use your cell phone, it's illegal to you the handset while driving. you just need an earpiece of some kind.

 

[Socrates12]

Bluetooth would be great if it included the stereo profile so you could listen to the touch wirelessly. FWIW I hope flash prices are low enough to make a 64gb model.

 

[wonderbread57]

What would be required to use Verizon's EVDO rev.A? That is supposed to be real fast (1.5Mb/sec reliable).

If they decide to include some sort of internet connectivity in addition to WiFi then I hope they include blue tooth too so I can sue a headset with Skype

 

[neilw]

I'd be surprised if they throw in GPS, because its usefulness would be limited mostly to stand-alone navigation programs (i.e., those with their databases completely built-in). While such applications will certainly exist, I personally don't think they justify the cost of the chipset, and it would sort of fragment the Touch away from the iPhone. Remember that most iPhone GPS applications to this point rely on the always-on connectivity of the phone to add their value.

I'd be happy with a volume rocker (seriously Apple, this is an iPod for cryin' out loud) and a speaker, for more convenient sharing. Camera and/or microphone would be gravy. I do not expect to get all four of these; in fact, it wouldn't shock me if we got none. Apple is hard to figure sometimes.

Oh, and a price drop or capacity increase for same price. That I *do* expect.

 

[kiensoy]

See, maybe the image from BestBuy is the new iPod.

https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=5930579

 

[Virgil-TB2]

camera and speakers at least please

A new iPod Touch may be an option for me.

I would prefer an iPhone, but I'm holding off due to Rogers.

Either way, keep the new stuff rollin.......

I am in the same boat.

Can't bring myself to buy an iPhone from Rogers. If I'm gonna do that, I might as well throw all my principals out the window.

Speaking as an iPod touch owner, (and for all those that can't afford an iPhone contract), let's hope that it's pretty much the exact same feature set as the iPhone 3G. I would still buy it without the GPS, but the camera and the speakers are a must have for the touch IMO.

I think this is likely because if you think about it, if the iPod touch was going to be seriously different hardware wise from the iPhone, then Apple would probably have already separated the apps in the app store. About one third of the apps don't really work on the touch because it's missing hardware features that the iPhone has. If Apple had no intention of correcting the disparity, then they should have already sectioned the store for the two different devices on the "OS-X iPhone" platform.

Of course apple could be just slow to do that cause they are intensely overworked and failing on all cylinders with MobileMe and the 2.0 firmware.

 

[Flobber88]

im not too familar with GPS... would there be a monthly fee for the GPS if it was in an iPod Touch?

GPS is free, paid by the US Department of Defense. You can get your location pretty much anywhere in the world as long as you have a receiver.

 

[gcmexico]

and I was just about to buy a touch...guess I wait

 

[~Shard~]

If I'm gonna do that, I might as well throw all my principals out the window.

How many principals do you have? I only ever had one in high school but he was too fat to throw out of a window...

Speaking as an iPod touch owner, (and for all those that can't afford an iPhone contract), let's hope that it's pretty much the exact same feature set as the iPhone 3G. I would still buy it without the GPS, but the camera and the speakers are a must have for the touch IMO.

I agree - I think Apple should keep the iPod touch as similar to the iPhone as possible. They are essentially the same platform, so I don't see why Apple wouldn't have an iPhone along with a phone-less iPhone (i.e. the iPod touch). Makes sense and keeps consumers happy!

 

[wonderbread57]

GPS is free, paid by the US Department of Defense. You can get your location pretty much anywhere in the world as long as you have a receiver.

unless it's A-GPS (3G) which requires the gps to call mommy to clean up the location data it collects.

p.s. THIS IS WHY THE IPHONE SDK IS UNDER NDA
Apple could want development for a new device or slightly refactored device to start before an official product was announced. Also, it will not be an OMGHOW moment if developers are told they have to develop for two possible devices/resolutions/whatever. Developers in the real world have been doing this to an insane degree in the PC business and with every mac device that allows you to change your resolution.

 

[sam10685]

I hope to see...

• GPS
• Bluetooth
• Camera
• Speakers

This is now getting me excited! September can't come fast enough.
I'll sell my iPod Touch on eBay for this new one.

Same here... and i just bought my ipod touch a few weeks ago. The thing is already amazing! Just wish it had a better battery.

 

[Virgil-TB2]

video recorder

If they add everything from the 3G, minus the phone (so BT, GPS, cam, mic, as you say) I'd sell my touch and get a new one, even if it meant going down to 8gb (from the current 16gb I have). Tethering a touch to my Palm Centro with unlimited data for $30/month (Sprint) would be better than an iPhone (cheaper, and two batteries - one in the phone and one in the iPod).

I doubt they will do that though. At best it'll be one feature - a camera, or BT (if Apple is planning to use the BT for something other than headsets and could monetize the addition through accessories sales)... but it would be great if it was all of them.

Considering the iPod is positioned as a "lifestyle device" that manages your media (pictures, songs, videos), it would make sense to have a camera and speakers. In fact it might make sense to have a really good camera that does video and differentiate the device that way.

"It's an iPod, ... it's also a video recorder!"

Even though it would be nice, I don't see Apple adding GPS. The number of times you need it or it's useful when you are in a Wi-Fi area is really really limited. The GPS would suck up battery life for only a small net gain. As shallow as it may seem, adding coloured cases would pump up the sales more than GPS would.

I see them positioning it as a fun new consumer/media device and to basically discontinue all other iPods except the shuffle.

 

[muldul]

Hope it is not released too soon, i need to save up the money

 

[iOrlando]

Estimates as to Price points (for 16GB)
I am assuming it has GPS, camera, speakers, etc..

299?

since 399 is for 16gb now

 

[puffnstuff]

They really should stretch the screen bezel to bezel. That would make the most sense.

 

[iMacmatician]

How many principals do you have? I only ever had one in high school but he was too fat to throw out of a window...

Too heavy, too wide to fit through a window, or both?

 

[afishertx]

Apple and AT&T better get the current GPS figured out right first. My iPhone keeps showing me in Houston Texas.

You too? So does mine...wait, I am in Houston!

 

[bikemonkey]

What is people's fixation with cameras in phones/pdas etc...? I mean seriously, they're going to be pretty rubbish unless they have a dedicated optical lens that is larger than a pin prick. I can kind of see their use in a phone for quick MMS or whatever (which the iPhone doesn't support anyway ). But seriously if you want half decent pictures get a compact camera.

One day phone cameras will replace compacts, probably. However, just not at this present time. Lots of megapixels does not mean great photos (as I'm sure some people are aware). There's a bit more to it than that. My 4 year old Canon Ixus 430 (great camera btw) really blows away the top-range camera phones and its only got 4MP!

And don't get me started on comparing them to SLRs...

So then, what the hell are people going to use a camera on an iPod touch for? Photo's might look good on that 'gorgeous' screen, but they'll probably look a bit naff at 100% on a large monitor. Only when the technology has become good enough will I stop bitching. But then again, these things will never replace SLRs.

However, GPS would be a nice addition.

/rant.

 

[iMacmatician]

What is people's fixation with cameras in phones/pdas etc...? I mean seriously, they're going to be pretty rubbish unless they have a dedicated optical lens that is larger than a pin prick. I can kind of see their use in a phone for quick MMS or whatever (which the iPhone doesn't support anyway ). But seriously if you want half decent pictures get a compact camera.

I'd rather have a "rubbish" camera (and I'm sure it's not too bad) than no camera. And a compact camera's just one more thing to carry around.

 

[cheekybobcat]

If Apple puts many features that the iPhone as into the iPod Touch, there won't be nearly as much appeal to the iPhone.

If the Touch gets GPS, bluetooth, and a camera, I think that will bring the Touch too close to the iPhone's pedestal. Not to mention, the addition of all those features would probably raise the price considering you won't be paying ~$70 a month for it...

 

[gnasher729]

im not too familar with GPS... would there be a monthly fee for the GPS if it was in an iPod Touch?

It depends what exactly you mean by "GPS".

Anything with a GPS chip inside can find out exactly where you are, and how fast you are moving, at no cost for you whatsoever (except a tiny little bit of battery power). If an iPod Touch had a GPS chip, then any software developer can very, very easily write a little program that will display your exact position (longitude, latitude, height above sea level) and velocity on the screen. Someone will offer this for free. Note that a GPS chip has no idea whatsoever in which town you are. It would again be very easy to write some software that lets you enter locations that you visit often once; so the next time that application would know that you are at home, at your office, at your parents home etc.

It is also very likely that there would be an interface to Google Maps for free. But that would only be useful if you have a WiFi connection (unlike the iPhone which can use Google Maps everywhere). Again, that would be free.

The real thing would be map + navigation (route planning) software. With a GPS chip, the iPhone can do everything that car navigation systems like TomTom can do. However, you would have to pay for the software and for the maps. For example, TomTom sells the complete United Kingdom + Ireland road maps for £30; complete US maps are $80. Their cheapest satnav unit costs around £110, so I would think they might sell software + the same maps for some price in between. They would probably try to sell you new maps every year; it would be completely up to you how often you pay for new maps as the old ones get outdated. Now for that money you would get exactly the same as a TomTom device, except that the screen is a lot better, and you don't leave it in the car because it is so much lighter. You'd probably want a power adapter for the car because GPS _does_ use batteries on longer journeys.