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iPod touch Should I buy iTouch 4 or 4S?

F

feather

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 4, 2011
8
0
The only difference is that 4S is white, right? And that it has a chip?

What is the purpose of the chip and I heard that the new iTouch 4S will run on "iCloud". What does that mean?

I'm not a techsavy person (as you could see) and looking to purchase which ever one is easy to use for a newbie :p
 
alust2013 said:
There is no hardware difference. It's just a matter of the white option and a small price reduction.
Click to expand...

The one I'm getting (32GB) does not have the price reduction (only 8G has the price reduction :(). Didn't they say the new iTouch will come with "chips"?
 
feather said:
The one I'm getting (32GB) does not have the price reduction (only 8G has the price reduction :(). Didn't they say the new iTouch will come with "chips"?
Click to expand...

Nope, it's just the same thing, but in black or white. The only new stuff is software that will be coming out later, which you can update to for free from iTunes.

The new "chip" which is just slang for processor only applies to the iPhone 4S, and it just means that it can do a few things a bit faster.
 
alust2013 said:
Nope, it's just the same thing, but in black or white. The only new stuff is software that will be coming out later, which you can update to for free from iTunes.
Click to expand...

So because I want the black one.... Because I want the one that is 32GB with no price reduction.... There really is no difference in which one I get, because it's... the same? And it wouldn't have mattered if I bought it months ago?

:confused::confused::confused:

And I know I'm being troublesome, but can you explain the iCloud? I don't want to use no iCloud. It sounds complicated. I just want a normal iPod, where I just put music into my iTunes and sync and that's it. Is that the iTouch 4 or 4S?

Edit - Just saw your post about the chip. Thanks! It was confusing me like crazy!!!!
 
There is no iPod touch 4S, just the iPhone 4S. The iPod touch is exactly the same as the one they brought out last year.

You also don't have to use the iCloud feature. I don't particularly want to use that either.
 
alust2013 said:
There is no iPod touch 4S, just the iPhone 4S. The iPod touch is exactly the same as the one they brought out last year.

You also don't have to use the iCloud feature. I don't particularly want to use that either.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I thought iCloud you could use for iPod/iTouch/iPad? That's what it showed in the commercial I think. Didn't want to use it anyway, kinda stalkerish if I take a picture and it goes to my dad's iPhone... :eek:

Thanks for your help! Kinda bummed out now. I waited a year for nothing... Knew I should have bought the iPod months ago.
 
You are actually asking two separate questions - one about hardware and one about software.

As for hardware, we are assuming that this year's iPod Touch 5, released today, has the same internal hardware as last year's iPod Touch 4. We won't know positively until someone actually buys it and takes it apart. The only difference this year is an external hardware change because you can now buy it in black OR white. Last year, you could only buy it in black.

By "chips", you mean the internal processor. All iPods have a processor. This year's new model and last year's model appear to have the same one - the A4which is pretty good. The iPhone released today has a newer and faster processor, the A5.

As for iCloud, that is not hardware, but software. iCloud is part of the iOS5 software release that will happen on October 12th. You can download the software and install it on the iPod Touch 4 or the iPod Touch 5. It will have a lot of new features, but you don't have to use them. iCloud just lets you store pictures, videos, music, and documents. You can download and upload them to the iCloud. Anything you buy from iTunes (music, tv shows, movies) can be stored in iCloud for free. Anything you personally upload - your own music - your own videos and pictures have a total of a 5GB free limit which is fairly large.
 
Techwriter said:
You are actually asking two separate questions - one about hardware and one about software.

As for hardware, we are assuming that this year's iPod Touch 5, released today, has the same internal hardware as last year's iPod Touch 4. We won't know positively until someone actually buys it and takes it apart. The only difference this year is an external hardware change because you can now buy it in black OR white. Last year, you could only buy it in black.

By "chips", you mean the internal processor. All iPods have a processor. This year's new model and last year's model appear to have the same one - the A4which is pretty good. The iPhone released today has a newer and faster processor, the A5.

As for iCloud, that is not hardware, but software. iCloud is part of the iOS5 software release that will happen on October 12th. You can download the software and install it on the iPod Touch 4 or the iPod Touch 5. It will have a lot of new features, but you don't have to use them. iCloud just lets you store pictures, videos, music, and documents. You can download and upload them to the iCloud. Anything you buy from iTunes (music, tv shows, movies) can be stored in iCloud for free. Anything you personally upload - your own music - your own videos and pictures have a total of a 5GB free limit which is fairly large.
Click to expand...

Thanks. And how do I check what iTunes version do I have? Because I currently am using "Windows Vista Home Premium Service Pack 1" and wondering if this is compatible with the iTouch 4. I don't want to buy the new iTouch and then find out I can't even use it. This happened last time with the nano, I found out I had an old version of the XP and could not use it and had to wait months (my dad did not want to upgrade it when my computer was perfectly fine) to finally use the Nano.
 
I am running an older version of Windows XP, and my iPod Touch 3 works fine. The new iPod Touch 4 or iPod Touch 5 (whichever you purchase) will work on Vista. If you purchase the iPod Touch 4, you will need to download and install the iTunes software. Your new iPod Touch 4 will have a cable that you use to sync as you said. Once it is sync'd and recognized, you can view all the information - how much free space you have available, as well as what software version it is running. It will be running iOS4 since iOS5 isn't out yet.

They say that the new iPod Touch 5 which will have iOS5 pre-installed. iOS5 does not need to be sync'd to a computer. When you get it and turn it on, you can set it up wirelessly. You can Google iOS5 for details. Also, if you have a lot of questions and are concerned (don't blame you), get into an Apple Chat room at the Apple Store or email them, or just call. They are very nice. I just bought an Macbook Air and I asked tons of questions first.
 
Invincibilizer said:
What if it has oleophobic screen and an upgraded ambient light sensor?


Still 4G?
Click to expand...

Firstly, it won't.

Secondly, even if it did; if you think these changes constitutes a next generation device, you must be a pretty affable, easily pleased chap.:D
 
Techwriter said:
You are actually asking two separate questions - one about hardware and one about software.

As for hardware, we are assuming that this year's iPod Touch 5, released today, has the same internal hardware as last year's iPod Touch 4. We won't know positively until someone actually buys it and takes it apart. The only difference this year is an external hardware change because you can now buy it in black OR white. Last year, you could only buy it in black.

By "chips", you mean the internal processor. All iPods have a processor. This year's new model and last year's model appear to have the same one - the A4which is pretty good. The iPhone released today has a newer and faster processor, the A5.

As for iCloud, that is not hardware, but software. iCloud is part of the iOS5 software release that will happen on October 12th. You can download the software and install it on the iPod Touch 4 or the iPod Touch 5. It will have a lot of new features, but you don't have to use them. iCloud just lets you store pictures, videos, music, and documents. You can download and upload them to the iCloud. Anything you buy from iTunes (music, tv shows, movies) can be stored in iCloud for free. Anything you personally upload - your own music - your own videos and pictures have a total of a 5GB free limit which is fairly large.
Click to expand...

Wow, that was the first post that made any sense in this thread. Holy #$&*! One correction is the iOS5 and iCloud will run on the 3rd gen iPod Touch, as well as 4th. There is no iPod Touch 5 (they are still selling the 4).

feather said:
Thanks. And how do I check what iTunes version do I have? Because I currently am using "Windows Vista Home Premium Service Pack 1" and wondering if this is compatible with the iTouch 4. I don't want to buy the new iTouch and then find out I can't even use it. This happened last time with the nano, I found out I had an old version of the XP and could not use it and had to wait months (my dad did not want to upgrade it when my computer was perfectly fine) to finally use the Nano.
Click to expand...

You are making almost no sense. Any halfway modern OS works fine with iTunes. On XP, it is absolutely NUTS not to be on the latest Service Pack and fully patched, due to the security vulnerabilities out there. I have an old machine that still runs on XP, fully patched SP3, and it works fine with iTunes. If your iTunes is out of date, you can run the Apple Software Updater, and it will update all the Apple software on your machine to the latest version to work with a new iPod or iPhone.

The four generations are:

1. iPod Touch or ipt
2. iPod Touch 2nd Generation or ipt2G
3. iPod Touch 3rd Generation or ipt3G
4. iPod Touch 4th Generation or ipt4G

3. and 4. are compatible with iOS 5 and iCloud. 4 has been on sale for about a year, and will continue to be on sale, now available in white. 3 was available for about a year before that. The current model is usually just referred to as the iPod Touch, with no generation mentioned.

They correspond to:

1. iPhone
2. iPhone 3G
3. iPhone 3GS
4. iPhone 4
5. iPhone 4S

Note that there is no iPod Touch equivalent to the iPhone 4S. The original iPhone is often incorrectly called the iPhone 2G, because it has 2G cellular connectivity. It is actually just the iPhone or "Original" or "1st generation" iPhone.
 
feather said:
The only difference is that 4S is white, right? And that it has a chip?

What is the purpose of the chip and I heard that the new iTouch 4S will run on "iCloud". What does that mean?

I'm not a techsavy person (as you could see) and looking to purchase which ever one is easy to use for a newbie :p
Click to expand...

Ok nooby, first off, you are asking about an iPod vs an iPhone. If you want to be able to talk everywhere there is a cellular signal, go for the iPhone. If you just want to be able to talk on WIFI then go for the iPod Touch 4g.

I use MagicJack and Talkatone apps (both free) and the sound quality is no different than a cell phone. Just great. You can text and talk all you want for free. In the beginning I was unsure but now I am sold on it. I prefer talking on my iPod Touch. Going to ditch my cell phone as soon as the contract expires. In my opinion, cell service rates are outrageous for what you get. Plus I don't agree with Verizon's or AT&T's retention periods for text message content & detail, call detail records, IP session & destination information, and cell towers used.
 
baypharm said:
Ok nooby, first off, you are asking about an iPod vs an iPhone. If you want to be able to talk everywhere there is a cellular signal, go for the iPhone. If you just want to be able to talk on WIFI then go for the iPod Touch 4g.

I use MagicJack and Talkatone apps (both free) and the sound quality is no different than a cell phone. Just great. You can text and talk all you want for free. In the beginning I was unsure but now I am sold on it. I prefer talking on my iPod Touch. Going to ditch my cell phone as soon as the contract expires. In my opinion, cell service rates are outrageous for what you get. Plus I don't agree with Verizon's or AT&T's retention periods for text message content & detail, call detail records, IP session & destination information, and cell towers used.
Click to expand...

Wifi and the iPod Touch is not a replacement for a cell phone. Try getting a signal in a random store, the back woods, or anywhere else there isn't wifi. People have cell phones for a reason.
 
BiggAW said:
Wifi and the iPod Touch is not a replacement for a cell phone. Try getting a signal in a random store, the back woods, or anywhere else there isn't wifi. People have cell phones for a reason.
Click to expand...

OMG....you're just too funny....
 
Apple decided to just make it white and call a day.

See you next year.
 
baypharm said:
OMG....you're just too funny....
Click to expand...
Where do you live that you have so much wifi available that you don't have to worry about this, to the point that you LAUGH at someone who points out that wifi isn't everywhere? I live in Phoenix, which is a very big metropolitan area. Yet I rarely run across open wifi here - the only places that have it are the known ones like Starbucks, McDonald's, etc. Meaning that if I were to rely on a wifi device as my "phone," I'd be SOL most of the time.
 
malnar said:
Where do you live that you have so much wifi available that you don't have to worry about this, to the point that you LAUGH at someone who points out that wifi isn't everywhere? I live in Phoenix, which is a very big metropolitan area. Yet I rarely run across open wifi here - the only places that have it are the known ones like Starbucks, McDonald's, etc. Meaning that if I were to rely on a wifi device as my "phone," I'd be SOL most of the time.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I want to know too. I'm in college, and we have an enterprise-grade Cisco Aironet wireless network with several thousand APs, and I would still be SOL a lot of the time without a regular cell phone. I could see using those apps to save minutes if you're a big talker or have GoPhone or something, but they're just not going to work all the time.
 
I am also on a college campus where not having wifi is a rare occurrence. I use my iPod touch for texting and calls through google voice when I have wifi, and I keep a cell phone on a very low plan for everything else. With the volume of texting I do, it saves me enough money such that I can afford to buy a new iPod Touch every 10-11 months with the money I save. That being said, I haven't bought one since 2009 since I thought the 4 was not that much of an upgrade over the 3 save the camera (which I have a phone still for, remember). I was planning on upgrading this year, but since there is nothing to upgrade to, I'm going to pass on it and maybe look at a Kindle or something else if I need a new toy.

This year is also kind of unique for me since my school gives me money to get an iPod, but since I already have one, I'll go do something else with it!
 
WuLabswuTecH said:
I am also on a college campus where not having wifi is a rare occurrence. I use my iPod touch for texting and calls through google voice when I have wifi, and I keep a cell phone on a very low plan for everything else. With the volume of texting I do, it saves me enough money such that I can afford to buy a new iPod Touch every 10-11 months with the money I save. That being said, I haven't bought one since 2009 since I thought the 4 was not that much of an upgrade over the 3 save the camera (which I have a phone still for, remember). I was planning on upgrading this year, but since there is nothing to upgrade to, I'm going to pass on it and maybe look at a Kindle or something else if I need a new toy.

This year is also kind of unique for me since my school gives me money to get an iPod, but since I already have one, I'll go do something else with it!
Click to expand...

I had a friend who was using his iPod for texting since his phone plan didn't have it at the time, and it was so unreliable, since we never knew if he was connected to wifi or not. There really is no substitute for an actual cell phone, although the ultimate would be T-Mo with UMA, since then you'd also have service in the basement where cell signals don't go.

I thought about switching to GV to have texting over wifi and 3G, but it just doesn't work that well, so I stuck to regular texting.
 
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