iPod touch First Gen. Vs Second Gen: App testing purposes

[wicko]

Hi there,

I've started developing games for the iPod Touch/iPhone platform, and I need to buy an iPod Touch for testing. I was just wondering if anyone could give me information on differences they've experienced between the 2 generations.

My plan is to get the lowest common denominator so to speak, under the idea that optimizing my apps for the the weaker model will ensure that anyone with that model will have a good experience with the app, and those with the greater model will have the same experience if not better. I basically don't want to exclude anyone from using my apps.

One thing I have heard is that the external speaker for the first gen. is not nearly as good as the second gen, and that would be something I need to look out for.

The first gen on the Canadian Apple store (I live in Canada) was only available as refurbished (and I can't find the first gen anywhere at Futureshop or Bestbuy other than the expensive 32GB model). Usually I'm wary about refurbished products but this carries the same warranty as a new product and I've heard good things about them in terms of quality.

Thank you in advance for any input!

 

[quick5pnt0]

First gen didn't have an external speaker. The first gen model is the slower of the two (processor wise) so that might be what you want to go with. From what I've heard the refurbs are good quality.

 

[armoguy94]

For testing purposes go with the 1st Gen because as its (much) slower you want it to run fast on the 1st gen and you'll know it will run even better on the 2nd gen. for personal use (I know that wasn't the question) go with the 2nd gen and wait for a jailbreak if you want to jailbreak it if not then dont wait for anything and go with the 2nd gen. I have a 1st gen and its incredibly slow. I'm sure some of it is due to the amount of stuff I have on it but it really shouldn't be so slow and unstable, a lot of things crash

 

[Night Spring]

For testing purposes go with the 1st Gen because as its (much) slower you want it to run fast on the 1st gen and you'll know it will run even better on the 2nd gen.

Except there is such a thing as running too fast, especially with games.

But the first gen Touch is definitely the "least common denominator." And I wouldn't worry about the quality of refurbished unit, especially since they come with the same warranty as new units. I got a refurbished unit as a replacement from Apple after my first unit suffered a screen failure, and I've now been using it longer than I had my first unit, and I've never noticed a difference between my first unit and the refurbished one.

 

[firewood]

The CPU in the 1st gen iPod Touch is around 20 to 25% slower, compared with the currently shipping iPod Touch, so you'll definitely need to find a used or refurb 1st gen device for performance tuning on the lowest common denominator.

.

 

[goosnarrggh]

Except there is such a thing as running too fast, especially with games.

Which is why, when you're creating software in which "too fast" is as undesirable as "too slow", you design it from the ground up with a time base such as a timer or clock tick with a known, guaranteed interval. You schedule events to occur based on that timer.

Most operating systems provide a facility to set up such timers, automatically compensating for any variations in CPU frequency, and I have no reason to suspect that OS X Mobile would be any different in that respect.

 

[Muncher]

I'd agree with getting a 1st gen for your purposes. However, you should skip refurb and get a used one on ebay. It seems as if you only need the ipod for utilitarian purposes and could care less about the superficial blemishes that come with a used device.

 

[wicko]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I thought the processors were identical but a quick look at wikipedia says that the 2nd gen processor is about 121mhz faster. And I guess what I mentioned with external speakers applies to iphones, not ipods. It's good to hear that the refurbished units are high quality, I will most likely pick one up. I was looking on eBay for a used one, but all the ones being sold by US sellers, their auctions are going for as much as the Apple store refurbs (if not more), minus the warranty (plus I'd have to pay for duty and the canadian dollar is pathetic at the moment). Canadian sellers are pretty much the same thing in terms of prices, and I've only found one that's at a decent price of 80$ but there are 4 days left in the auction, and its brand new. I don't think it will end up being cheaper, unfortunately. eBay is not what it used to be

Yes, absolutely I would use a timer not only because the current hardware differences but also because of differences that may occur in the next generations. I'm guessing I should be able to tell from code which features are supported (ie. a camera) so I can add additional features but disable them for those that do not have the hardware.

Again, thanks for your posts, the input was very helpful