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ArtificialSugar

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 16, 2017
1
0
First of all, I'm terribly sorry if this isn't the correct place to put this.

Hello. I've never been a big Apple user, so I know nothing about the company or it's products.

I'm a twenty-three year old woman who often listens to music while drawing, or while on trips, when I'm cleaning, ect. I have a laptop and a Samsung Galaxy, as well as a Nook that can all play music. However, my laptop speakers aren't good, and it's too bulky to drag around, my Samsung has bad battery life, and it's getting old, and my Nook is once again too large to drag around and use simply for music, and I'm not sure how great the speakers are.

So, I've been considering getting an iPod touch. They seem pretty neat- music, videos, apps, even texting is available when I have WiFi, which is most of the time.

However, I'm wondering if it's worth it to spend $250-$300 on an iPod Touch. I'm not sure how old the new gen is, nor how out of date it will be soon. I know cell phones go out of date very fast. I would consider buying a newer cell phone, but they're quite a bit more expensive, at least $400-$500, which is a lot more, at least for someone like me.

So, my question is, should I buy an iPod Touch (considering how outdated the current one is, and how soon they'll update), and, if so, what size would be best? I'm thinking 32gb or 64gb. I would use apps, I have a decent amount of music, I would also like to put TV shows and some music videos on it as well, and maybe some games.

I've recently heard that the battery life is terrible for the 6th gen. Is this true? :(

Thank you for your time.
happy.png
 

44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,642
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The 6th generation iPod touch is completely overpowered with the A8 processor. Which has been rated for poor battery life. If you were to invest in an iPod touch, I would look into the 5th Generation, which is manages the battery Better and is still supported. There is no timeline or guarantee if Apple will update the iPod touch, being it's been a fading product for years now due to the growth of the iPhone.

Also, I would consider 64 GB of memory, especially for music and any other media content.
 
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elf69

macrumors 68020
Jun 2, 2016
2,333
489
Cornwall UK
I agree with power.....

I have an old 4th gen 16GB model.
it is ok and does what I want.

I do not use apps on it other than couple internet radio apps.
Have some music on it and 16gb more than enough as roughly 1gb is 10 hours of music in mp3 format 128kbps.

Battery life in the 4th gen is awesome but touch is poor compared to newer models.

I did buy a samsung galaxy player a few years back.
Was supposed to take on the ipods, it did not and is big pile of poo compared to ipod.

there are many android media players out there but TBH dont bother.
The ipod has awesome battery and great quality sound if use decent headphones/speakers.

I used to use my 4th gen ipod when cycling as the beat kinda kept me going
 

Sunny1990

Suspended
Feb 13, 2015
1,660
5,196
Extend your budget a little and go for iPhone SE, it has great battery life, it's speedy and will have long software support than iPod touch + it also has cellular connectivity, you can use it as a phone.it will full fill your all needs.
R-P fixed that for you :)
 
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Plutonius

macrumors G3
Feb 22, 2003
9,172
8,760
New Hampshire, USA
First of all, I'm terribly sorry if this isn't the correct place to put this.

I've recently heard that the battery life is terrible for the 6th gen. Is this true? :(

If you are getting it for music, the battery will easily last all day although you will need to charge it daily.

Don't bother with the 5th gen Touch. The battery life is marginally better but the 6th gen will be supported much longer. There is also no comparison between the two if you decide to run some apps.

The iPhone SE is way overkill for how you want to use it.
[doublepost=1494947646][/doublepost]
At $250-$300 price point you should better consider iPhone SE, it has great battery life, it's speedy and will have long software support than iPod touch + it also has cellular connectivity, you can use it as a phone.it will full fill your all needs.

The iPhone SE is $399 for a 32Gig one. It is also overkill for just a music player.
 
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44267547

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Jul 12, 2016
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At $250-$300 price point you should better consider iPhone SE, it has great battery life.


Wrong. The Base model iPhone SE starts at $399.00 for 32 GB, NOT "$250-$300."

Unless the OP was interested in the iPhone SE, I would NOT pay $400 for just an iPhone SE as a music player. I would easily recommend the the iPod touch for music needs/media.
 

Paddle1

macrumors 603
May 1, 2013
5,018
3,407
The 6th generation iPod touch is completely overpowered with the A8 processor. Which has been rated for poor battery life. If you were to invest in an iPod touch, I would look into the 5th Generation, which is manages the battery Better and is still supported. There is no timeline or guarantee if Apple will update the iPod touch, being it's been a fading product for years now due to the growth of the iPhone.

Also, I would consider 64 GB of memory, especially for music and any other media content.
The battery is fine for listening to music. The 5th generation has terrible performance and is not even a consideration if you want something up-to-date. It is not supported by the latest version of iOS and Apple will be phasing out 32-bit support soon.

Honestly you'd have to use it to know if it'll work for you. What one person finds unusable could be fine for you.
 

44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,642
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The battery is fine for listening to music. The 5th generation has terrible performance and is not even a consideration if you want something up-to-date. It is not supported by the latest version of iOS and Apple will be phasing out 32-bit support soon.

Honestly you'd have to use it to know if it'll work for you. What one person finds unusable could be fine for you.

I think for basic media tasks and music, it should be suitable. But you are correct, it's already considered outdated and yes, 32 bit will be a thing of the past.
 

Reno Raines

macrumors 65816
Jul 19, 2015
1,473
777
I agree. Music alone did not kill the battery when I had an iPod touch 6. It was watching video, multi media type of stuff that would run it down in two hours. If you are using it mostly as a dedicated music player I say go for it.
 

glay78

macrumors newbie
Mar 27, 2010
25
3
I would advise you not to buy Apple products.

Reasons?

They are extremely awesome and addictive. You will end up being an iPhone and a Mac user. So keep away from Apple products please, else Samsung gonna lose another customer ;)
 

Andy-UK

macrumors member
Sep 6, 2013
31
6
First of all, I'm terribly sorry if this isn't the correct place to put this.

Hello. I've never been a big Apple user, so I know nothing about the company or it's products.

I'm a twenty-three year old woman who often listens to music while drawing, or while on trips, when I'm cleaning, ect. I have a laptop and a Samsung Galaxy, as well as a Nook that can all play music. However, my laptop speakers aren't good, and it's too bulky to drag around, my Samsung has bad battery life, and it's getting old, and my Nook is once again too large to drag around and use simply for music, and I'm not sure how great the speakers are.

So, I've been considering getting an iPod touch. They seem pretty neat- music, videos, apps, even texting is available when I have WiFi, which is most of the time.

However, I'm wondering if it's worth it to spend $250-$300 on an iPod Touch. I'm not sure how old the new gen is, nor how out of date it will be soon. I know cell phones go out of date very fast. I would consider buying a newer cell phone, but they're quite a bit more expensive, at least $400-$500, which is a lot more, at least for someone like me.

So, my question is, should I buy an iPod Touch (considering how outdated the current one is, and how soon they'll update), and, if so, what size would be best? I'm thinking 32gb or 64gb. I would use apps, I have a decent amount of music, I would also like to put TV shows and some music videos on it as well, and maybe some games.

I've recently heard that the battery life is terrible for the 6th gen. Is this true? :(

Thank you for your time.
happy.png
[doublepost=1505074261][/doublepost]You can get a 32Gb 6th generation iPod Touch (the latest model) for $169 from the Apple refurbished store and at that price I'd say it's well worth it. As other people have already said, the screen drains the battery but it's not too bad, and if you're mainly using it play music then it will last for ages.

They are much thinner and lighter than phones so they are perfect to carry around. I guess an alternative might be an iPad Mini if you want a decent size screen but they are much more expensive (the refurbish store has only got 128Gb models in at the moment at $339 which is probably more than you want to spend on more than you want to buy). Here's the refurbish store iPod page in case you want check it out: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/FKJ02LL/A/refurbished-ipod-touch-32gb-space-gray-6th-generation
 

jlabute

macrumors regular
Jan 26, 2014
143
12
The iPod lineup has been trimmed. Hopefully the iPod touch won’t become obsolete too. Although the iPod touch is a great device for more than just music, you should weigh if online services may do you better. Since I have an iPhone, I probably wouldn’t consider an iPod touch, but, I do use Spotify giving me access to millions of songs by a simple subscription. Spotify is available for all platforms.
 

Mac03ForLife

macrumors regular
Sep 19, 2017
158
25
Washington, DC
I would actually recommend an iPhone 3Gs.

It can do all the things that the iPod touch 6 can, but it's about 50-100 dollars, instead of 300. I know a lot of people that use them for music and light texting ( It supports iMessage ). :)
 
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John80

Suspended
May 15, 2016
11
12
I would actually recommend an iPhone 3Gs.

It can do all the things that the iPod touch 6 can, but it's about 50-100 dollars, instead of 300. I know a lot of people that use them for music and light texting ( It supports iMessage ). :)

Well, not sure about that.

Here are the cons of iPhone 3GS:

- very old battery (7-9 years)
- old Bluetooth version (2.1 vs 4.1)
- very heavy (135 g vs 88 g)
- only 256 MB RAM (vs 1 GB)
- very slow CPU
- no 64-bit apps support
- no longer supported by popular apps (e.g. Spotify requires iOS 8)
- no Apple Music
- almost no games, even old one are not playable
- 3,5" screen (vs 4")
- no retina display
- not secure

There is more of that, but the most important is lack of guarantee. When you choose new iPod, you have 1 year or 2 years here in Europe. iPhone 3GS could broke next day you bought it, nad there is nothing you can do, cause there is almost no components for this device anymore...

If you don't want new device, there is also option to buy used one. I bought iPod 6th gen for 450 my country currency, which is ~140$. Device is still on Apple's guarantee (2018), and then I have another year (2019). iPod looks like a new.
 
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pika2000

Suspended
Jun 22, 2007
5,587
4,903
So, my question is, should I buy an iPod Touch (considering how outdated the current one is, and how soon they'll update), and, if so, what size would be best? I'm thinking 32gb or 64gb. I would use apps, I have a decent amount of music, I would also like to put TV shows and some music videos on it as well, and maybe some games.
Only get the iPod Touch if you are aiming for a 64 or 128GB model.
Anything lower, get a cheap Android phone with an SD card slot, and just put in a cheap 32GB SD card in it.
Why? Most cheap Android phones don't support SD cards larger than 32GB. If you find one that does, then get that instead of the iPod Touch.

Why do I say this? Being a non-Apple user, I assume you are used to putting your media manually form anywhere into your device. That is easier done on Android vs iPod Touch. On the iPod Touch, you will have to use iTunes (not a must, but it's the easiest way vs other workarounds). I have yet to see people using iTunes if they are not in the Apple ecosystem to begin with. So look for cheap Android phones first. Only get the iPod Touch if you cannot find an Android device supporting large SD cards within your budget.
 
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JohnnyCanadian

macrumors newbie
Oct 13, 2015
26
34
First of all, I'm terribly sorry if this isn't the correct place to put this.

Hello. I've never been a big Apple user, so I know nothing about the company or it's products.

...

So, my question is, should I buy an iPod Touch (considering how outdated the current one is, and how soon they'll update), and, if so, what size would be best? I'm thinking 32gb or 64gb. I would use apps, I have a decent amount of music, I would also like to put TV shows and some music videos on it as well, and maybe some games.

I recognize that recommending an Android device will result in my immediate tarring-and-feathering, however since you're already used to the Android operating system and environment, my recommendation would be to pick up one of the lower-tier Android smartphones: something like a Sky Platinum 5.5c. It'll run Android 7, and even though it only has 8GB of internal storage it has a microSD card so your effective media storage is only limited to the size of card you choose to go with. If you'd like to use iTunes with it, DoubleTwist Pro works brilliantly, or you could always use one of the many sync apps with a library & player like MusicBee.

In the end you'll save money, have access to a familiar environment and in a pinch you have a spare phone. :)
 

pika2000

Suspended
Jun 22, 2007
5,587
4,903
I recognize that recommending an Android device will result in my immediate tarring-and-feathering, however since you're already used to the Android operating system and environment, my recommendation would be to pick up one of the lower-tier Android smartphones: something like a Sky Platinum 5.5c. It'll run Android 7, and even though it only has 8GB of internal storage it has a microSD card so your effective media storage is only limited to the size of card you choose to go with. If you'd like to use iTunes with it, DoubleTwist Pro works brilliantly, or you could always use one of the many sync apps with a library & player like MusicBee.

In the end you'll save money, have access to a familiar environment and in a pinch you have a spare phone. :)
As most cheap Android phones, that phone only supports up to 32GB SD card as well. Just FYI
 

JohnnyCanadian

macrumors newbie
Oct 13, 2015
26
34
As most cheap Android phones, that phone only supports up to 32GB SD card as well. Just FYI

That's news to me -- and greatly appreciated! That's just sloppy engineering, and bloody silly. I suppose the Asus ZenPhone 3 Max (which does support up to 128GB SD cards) would be an option at around $150 USD?

I think if I were looking at a device that I was only going to play music on I'd probably hit up Kijiji / Craigslist and find something (gently) used -- a battery replacement might be in the budget at that point as well.
 

pika2000

Suspended
Jun 22, 2007
5,587
4,903
That's news to me -- and greatly appreciated! That's just sloppy engineering, and bloody silly. I suppose the Asus ZenPhone 3 Max (which does support up to 128GB SD cards) would be an option at around $150 USD?

I think if I were looking at a device that I was only going to play music on I'd probably hit up Kijiji / Craigslist and find something (gently) used -- a battery replacement might be in the budget at that point as well.
Going higher than 32GB means supporting SDXC, and supporting SDXC means paying some license fees to Microsoft for exFAT. Chinese OEMs making dirt cheap phones probably don't want to spend that extra money.
 
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JohnnyCanadian

macrumors newbie
Oct 13, 2015
26
34
Going higher than 32GB means supporting SDXC, and supporting SDXC means paying some license fees to Microsoft for exFAT. Chinese OEMs making dirt cheap phones probably don't want to spend that extra money.

I sincerely appreciate the explanation -- good to know, thanks!
 

mochatins

macrumors newbie
Aug 18, 2012
29
20
Let me expand on a few comments made above about choosing an iPhone SE over an iPod Touch and some points in its favour for your needs.
  1. It's a future-proof device, with lots of life ahead of it. With a third-generation 64-bit processor and 2 GB of RAM, it will be supported with OS updates for many years to come. It also has much longer battery life.
  2. Yes, it's a couple hundred dollars more than an iPod touch (also with 32 GB of storage) but if you like it, it can also replace your Samsung phone (whose battery, as you said, is dying). If you don't like it, you can sell it second-hand for good money. (Apple devices tend to retain their value on the resale market.)
  3. Since you say you like listening to music in such different circumstances, I also highly recommend Apple's wireless AirPods. If they fit your ears (and they do fit most people's ears), they vastly outperform every other portable headphones on the market, wired or otherwise. (There's a reason there's been a six-week waiting list for them until just a few weeks ago!) I often forget they're still in my ears, long after stopping playback. And they're the best sounding portable headphones I've ever heard. The ease of house cleaning without wires dangling from your ears, catching your dampmop or whatnot, cannot be overstated – perhaps it makes cleaning fun?
The major downside to iOS for listening to music is the pain that is managing your library with iTunes (which should be burnt to the ground). Yes, it works, but it's not a file manager, like most Android users are accustomed to. As alluded to, there are options: VLC is a free app that lets you drag & drop files in when connected through iTunes (or streamed or copied over your local network).

I know this is more money that you're looking at spending, but I honestly don't see the point of owning a separate music player AND phone, and you said your phone is near end-of-life... hope that helps.
 

ackmondual

macrumors 68020
Dec 23, 2014
2,442
1,149
U.S.A., Earth
I would advise you not to buy Apple products.

Reasons?

They are extremely awesome and addictive. You will end up being an iPhone and a Mac user. So keep away from Apple products please, else Samsung gonna lose another customer ;)
I loved using my Ipod Touch 5. Less so since the battery's dying, but that's the main reason.
I do more gaming on my iPad Air (1).

For phones, I continue using Android.
Productivity... Windows 7.
"On the go" web browsing with a large screen... Chrome Book

Not really a strike against, Apple. I just couldn't stomach paying for expensive hardware anymore, from ANY manufacturer.
 
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