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iSimpsons

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 16, 2011
191
4
Hey guys. My birthday is coming up on the 28th and my parents are thinking of getting me another iPod Touch (I currently own the third generation). I was wondering if I should wait for the fifth generation touch to be released before I buy the fourth generation (which I think is pretty decent). But I don't want to loose out on the fifth gen if it comes with 3G network capabilities!


So, post here to let me know what I should do. Thanks.
 

Firestar

macrumors 68020
Sep 30, 2010
2,150
6
221B Baker Street.
It's probably not going to be a minimal or a major upgrade. Somewhere inbetween. There's no way to tell until they're released. I would guess that they'll be released before or close to your birthday, so wait until later to decide.
 

rikiflamme

macrumors newbie
Jul 29, 2011
7
0
Rimouski, Canada
I don't own an iPod Touch, but since early August I'd like to buy one to replace my Creative Zen. Since August, I'm waiting for the fifth gen to come out, so I would wait.
 

iSimpsons

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 16, 2011
191
4
The thing is, no one knows if there even is going to be a fifth generation. I can't wait forever y'know...:-/ Apple can change their plans with no hesitation, look at what they did with the iPhone 5...


Apparently a few hackers looked into the coding of the iOS 5 post on the apple website and it was said that nothing was found on iPod Touch. I don't really understand it all though...

Anyway, I wouldn't want to wait to long...
 

LeighAnna Jones

macrumors 6502
Oct 7, 2010
276
0
Just so you don't get your hopes up THERE WILL NOT be an iPod touch with 3G CAPABILITIES. That would be a very stupid on Apple's part and on our part as buyers. An iTouch with 3G is practically a smartphone. If you want something purely for 3G that also has all the iPod touch features, you should ask for an iPhone 4 or 5. We aren't even positive there will be an iTouch 5 but it is pretty much confirmed there will be an iPhone 5 hence the case releases and leaks.

If you don't have AT&T, you could probably also get an android (If you're not an utter apple fanatic like some people here)

If you don't want a phone whatsoever or if it's out of the question, I have an iTouch 4G and it's a pretty good device. There is not much they can improve on, except for a better camera and FM Radio or a Vibrate function. They could also add some different materials for the back that aren't so fragile, my iPod's only a year old and looks like it's been thru WW1 & 2 Combined on the stainless steel back (but you can prevent this with a case you should never, ever take off)

So unless you are dead set on any of the things I mentioned above, I would recommend you getting a 4.
 

HobeSoundDarryl

macrumors G5
Just so you don't get your hopes up THERE WILL NOT be an iPod touch with 3G CAPABILITIES. That would be a very stupid on Apple's part and on our part as buyers. An iTouch with 3G is practically a smartphone. If you want something purely for 3G that also has all the iPod touch features, you should ask for an iPhone 4 or 5.

But this argument- as usual- ignores that the cost of this "gift" goes from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars because of the contract. If his parents are thinking iPod touch, they're thinking sub-$400 for this gift. I would doubt that they are thinking iPhone 4 pricing (subsidized) and a big fat monthly cost for the next 2 years.

Personally, I hope for all those people that would like a on-demand 3G option without the 2-year "pay whether I use 3G or not" commitment that the iPad on-demand 3G plan does indeed make the move down into the next-gen iPod Touch. After all, there should be a big crowd who don't want to pay up for an "expensive" contract but would enjoy 3G when needed, yet don't necessarily want to lug along an iPad for that option now. And if iCloud (and iMessage) is "all that", there is some reason to buy into an idea that a 3G iPod could be in the running (for an always accessible iCloud option and always send-receive capable iMessage for iPod Touch users).

So I'll adapt your recommendation as follows:
  • yes, definitely wait to see what comes out (it's just too near now to pay full price for current technology).
  • if the next-gen model has something you want, buy it. If not, you'll probably be able to get the current-gen at a reduced price (and the "gotta have the latest tech" crowd will be dumping the current generation on craigslist & ebay at increasingly competitive prices).
  • if occasional 3G is desirable and the next gen has it, that should be fantastic. If it doesn't have it, consider pitching an iPad 3G instead. Yes, that's going to be a more expensive gift than an iPod Touch, but much less expensive than an iPhone.
  • if you don't mind paying up for 2 years worth of 3G service whether you use it every month or not, then consider an iPhone 3-5

In short, iPod or iPod 3G, iPad or iPad 3G, iPhone might be the priority if total cost is a fairly meaningful consideration. The "just get an iPhone" argument that dismisses that an iPhone has total costs into the thousands is not a very good argument... especially in a case like this.
 
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sracer

macrumors G4
Apr 9, 2010
10,271
12,994
where hip is spoken
The thing is, no one knows if there even is going to be a fifth generation. I can't wait forever y'know...:-/ Apple can change their plans with no hesitation, look at what they did with the iPhone 5...


Apparently a few hackers looked into the coding of the iOS 5 post on the apple website and it was said that nothing was found on iPod Touch. I don't really understand it all though...

Anyway, I wouldn't want to wait to long...
I was previously skeptical that a new/updated iPod Touch was going to made available, but after visiting Best Buy, Target, and Ross stores, I now believe that a new iPod Touch is going to soon be released. These stores ALWAYS have tons of iPod Touch cases, but today Ross didn't have any, Best Buy and Target only had a handful.

I recommend waiting a few more weeks. If/when it is announced, you can decide if the new model (or current) one is better suited for you. If the 5G model is less desirable, then you can still run out and get the current model.

(when the touch Nano was released, there was a flurry of people scrambling to get one of the the previous 5th gen models)
 

Crigger540

macrumors member
Jun 16, 2010
96
2
The Old Dominion
Just so you don't get your hopes up THERE WILL NOT be an iPod touch with 3G CAPABILITIES. That would be a very stupid on Apple's part and on our part as buyers. An iTouch with 3G is practically a smartphone. If you want something purely for 3G that also has all the iPod touch features, you should ask for an iPhone 4 or 5. We aren't even positive there will be an iTouch 5 but it is pretty much confirmed there will be an iPhone 5 hence the case releases and leaks.

If you don't have AT&T, you could probably also get an android (If you're not an utter apple fanatic like some people here)

If you don't want a phone whatsoever or if it's out of the question, I have an iTouch 4G and it's a pretty good device. There is not much they can improve on, except for a better camera and FM Radio or a Vibrate function. They could also add some different materials for the back that aren't so fragile, my iPod's only a year old and looks like it's been thru WW1 & 2 Combined on the stainless steel back (but you can prevent this with a case you should never, ever take off)

So unless you are dead set on any of the things I mentioned above, I would recommend you getting a 4.

There IS going to be a 3G Ipod and with it you will have the option of a 50 dollar prepaid data plan.
 

Invincibilizer

macrumors 6502a
Aug 18, 2011
769
2
I was previously skeptical that a new/updated iPod Touch was going to made available, but after visiting Best Buy, Target, and Ross stores, I now believe that a new iPod Touch is going to soon be released. These stores ALWAYS have tons of iPod Touch cases, but today Ross didn't have any, Best Buy and Target only had a handful.

I recommend waiting a few more weeks. If/when it is announced, you can decide if the new model (or current) one is better suited for you. If the 5G model is less desirable, then you can still run out and get the current model.

(when the touch Nano was released, there was a flurry of people scrambling to get one of the the previous 5th gen models)

That is exactly what I plan to do!!!!

Still waiting for 5g ipod touch, if it comes with 3G only, I will snatch a 4G one instantly. If the only upgrade is white and no internal upgrades :( Still going to buy the 4g one since I bought multiple cases and screen protectors already.

Any decent upgrade to camera and RAM will push me towards 5G ipod touch.

Still doubt an iPod touch with 3G but it seems possible after it was first reported in July. I'm just hoping if a 3G one come out there will be a choice of 3G or non 3G since not everyone wants a contract.
 

TheGenerous

macrumors 65816
Nov 14, 2010
1,096
405
I'm an Austronaut
Ever considered keeping your iPod Touch and instead getting a COWON?
in terms of audio quality, the koreans are legendary.
Perhaps, get good headphones instead of a newer player.
 

Lesser Evets

macrumors 68040
Jan 7, 2006
3,527
1,294
The chances of a new iPod being released on or just days after your birthday are huge.

Tell your parents to give you Apple gift cards in the amount of a current iPod Touch, so you can go and buy one when they are unleashed within the next couple weeks.
 
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HobeSoundDarryl

macrumors G5
I'm just hoping if a 3G one come out there will be a choice of 3G or non 3G since not everyone wants a contract.

The perception is that a 3G ipod would have the "use (3G) only when you need it" plan like the iPad and not the "pay for it whether you use 3G or not" plan like the iPhone. If it comes with a contract, then it is an iPhone. If it comes with an option to use 3G on demand, then it offers the iPad "connect anywhere" benefit (but only when you really need 3G) in a tiny "fit in your pocket" package.

If it plays out that way, it does NOT come with a contract. Instead, you can buy 3G on the fly, only when you need access that way. For some, this is an ideal solution vs. spending thousands on an iPhone and/or lugging along an iPad everywhere.
 

rowley

macrumors 6502
Dec 16, 2008
408
1
London, UK
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-gb) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

I just picked up a 4g 8th for £100 today.
I telly don't think they can improve on it other than a speed boost.
They've already confirmed that touch 4g will run ios5, so I'm golden.
 

forcetactic

macrumors 6502
Jul 30, 2010
478
7
If you want an iPod touch with 3g capabilities, just get the next gen iPhone IF you already own a phone. It'll most likely be the same price you will be already paying for 3g on iPod touch.
 

rattler

macrumors regular
Jul 18, 2011
137
31
I would wait until the 5th gen is announced. Even though it'll probably be a minor upgrade (A5 processor and more RAM) it would be worth it as the current A4 chip is pretty slow. My unjailbroken 4g touch is always lagging when playing games and it gets really annoying.
 

HobeSoundDarryl

macrumors G5
If you want an iPod touch with 3g capabilities, just get the next gen iPhone IF you already own a phone. It'll most likely be the same price you will be already paying for 3g on iPod touch.

But again, that's not how the rumor goes. The rumor is that the iPad 3G plan may be available on the next iPod. If that's true, you can get 3G data for a lot less than the (always) 3G costs (every month) of the iPhone. Furthermore, if it is just like the iPad option, you only pay for it when you need it. So, for example, if someone gets by just fine most of their time with wifi connections but only occasionally finds themselves in a spot where they need 3G, they can buy a little 3G access for those spots but use wifi the rest of the time. That would be a LOT cheaper than an iPhone option- especially where the iDevice user is mostly a data user and not much of a phone user (i.e. lots of teenagers, the occasional business traveler, etc).

I, for one, pretty much just use the data side of things now with VOIP as my method of calling when I need to make a call (not that often). That's not every day or every week or even every month for me... just occasionally, often connected to traveling for business and finding myself in spots where free wifi is not readily available. I've got by on mifi options in the past but this iPod rumor would effectively build the mifi into the iPod's body. That plus the iPad on-demand 3G plans would be very appealing for my kind of situation.

On the other hand, an iPhone would require paying big for 3G every month even when I probably wouldn't use 3G for most months of the year. If the OP has only occasional needs for 3G- if at all- he might want to wait these few days/weeks to see if this rumor proves out. If not and on demand 3G (not a monthly contract whether you use 3G or not) is important, he might pitch the parents to buy him an iPad 3G. For my own needs, I'd probably go iPod 3G, iPad 3G, then iPod or iPad wifi + Mifi. iPhone for low volume 3G needs just doesn’t make sense to me.

For those who argue against the idea because it would undercut iPhone sales, Apple will never get my money for an iPhone while AT&T, Verizon, etc have those kinds of prices of the contracts. So, if there are many people like me, this would be a way to sell a bunch of iPod 3Gs. But even if there isn't a lot of people like me, the parents of the teenage crowd (who really wants to anytime text but rarely wants to call) that don't want to pay the big monthly would probably be all over a $25/month data plan on an iPod 3G. Otherwise, those parents probably aren't buying their kiddies an iPhone anyway. So again, Apple can sell a bunch of units to people who aren't going to pay up for the AT&T or Verizon toll on the iPhone. I suspect there are a lot of those kinds of people (really wanting the niceties of all of "the rest" of the iDevice experience, but only needing a minimal cost 3G option so Junior can text anytime and occasionally voip/facetime/skype when they want to actually speak to someone).

The key here is lock-in. If you allow the rest of the crowd (those not willing to pay the duopoly tolls "as is") to still get some kind of cheap 3G on this iPod, all those apps they eventually buy somewhat locks them into an Apple-only solution in the future. It's not like you invest in lots of apps over time and then rebuy them when you switch to/from Android. Apple would do well to soak up this "tighter" group that way rather than having them go with cheaper alternatives now and getting somewhat locked into other systems/solutions. One side effect of app stores is that app collections do motivate a person to stick with a platform rather than hopping back & forth. Lock Junior in now and then in a few years when he/she has more money to burn such that they choose to bend over for the duopoly, they still stick with Apple and buy the iPhone 7 or later. Those that never accept the duopoly pricing would still stick with iPod 7 or later too.
 
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Mr. Retrofire

macrumors 603
Mar 2, 2010
5,064
518
www.emiliana.cl/en
No 3G/4G support until 2015

3G data transfer support on the iPod touch 5G would require:
a) More efficient 3G chips.
b) Much better battery technology.
c) A complete redesign for the antenna.

3G data transfers require more power than ordinary voice calls, because they use the Internet Protocol (IP), IIRC. This is no problem on the iPad + 3G with the large battery, but it is a problem on the iPod. Yes, 3G would be possible on the 5G iPod touch, but at which cost?
 

HobeSoundDarryl

macrumors G5
3G data transfer support on the iPod touch 5G would require:
a) More efficient 3G chips.
b) Much better battery technology.
c) A complete redesign for the antenna.

Have you not seen mifi modems? Tiny. Access 3G data just fine and then also blast it back out as a wifi signal. Last for a good number of hours. Retail for around $100. Do they not use efficient 3G chips (and have for the last few years)? Do they require much better battery technology (I bet the battery in the iPod Touch now is better)?

I'll grant you "c", but a redesign is often fundamental to hopping from one generation to the next. If Apple's reasoning is connected to making their iCloud as accessible on iPods as it will be on 3G-connected iDevices, they'll have to redesign the iPod to build in 3G tech anyway. And there are some rumors of a slightly bigger model (bigger screen), which creates the opportunity for added space and a bigger battery.

Yes, 3G would be possible on the 5G iPod touch, but at which cost?
If you look to the iPad as an example, Apple chose to offer with & without (3G) models. Why not do the same here? If so, that could also be a general example of "with 3G" pricing relative to current iPod Touch pricing (noting what happened in pricing when they went from gen 1 iPad to the gen 2 "redesign").

Similarly, again, look to the pricing of mifi modems. Strip away their parts that wouldn't be needed (for example the outer case since the iPod's outer case would cover that). If one can buy a whole, stand-alone 3G data device for $100 retail (sometimes one sees $79 and even $49 retail), I would think Apple could build in the underlying tech for not much more than the implied costs involved in making whole mifi modems. Then, those that don't care could buy the "without 3G" iPod and those that might want it could buy the "with 3G" option... just like on the iPad.

On the iPad "with 3G" adds $130 to the price. If an Ipod Touch 5G was available with a "with 3G" option for those interested (and data options that matched the no-contract options of the iPad), I, for one, would opt for the extra $130 to include the 3G flexibility. I'm not saying it should be forced into EVERY iPod but in my own case, +$130 for a 3G option on a gen 5 would get my money in the next month or two; no 3G and the money most likely stays in my pocket. If I am not a one-man market, there's probably a nice little pocket of opportunity there for Apple... those that don't want the total cost of thousands for an iPhone but could use the occasional 3G access via an iPad-like "use it when you want" 3G plan on a tiny device that fits in one's pocket.

I'm hoping Apple is thinking "iCloud on everything" so they include a 3G option (hopefully choosing to make it available for less than +$130 to entice more people to have iCloud-anywhere access); but I bet the big selling point (probably unstated) would be the on-demand, "cheap" data-only plan hooked to a portable iDevice which seems like it would be perfect for all those "text anytime" teenagers with parents that don't want to pay the full voice+data toll that comes with an iPhone. In my own case, I'm not that teenager, but I do have an occasional need for 3G access (certainly far from enough to ever buy an iPhone). In the past, I've spent my money on other company's technology to buy mifi modems etc. If Apple would rather have that kind of money instead, they build that mifi right into the next iPod Touch.

There are an awful lot of teenagers hungry for an iDevice but not the AT&T or Verizon monthly toll. They want to text but not much voice, though AT&T & Verizon forces the voice plan cost to get the data plan. If the parents balk, the kid ends up with Android or less. If Android, they accumulate Android apps while they are teenage poor. When they can pay up for their own "real phone", they would be faced with a choice of iPhone 7 or 8 and re-buying a bunch of their favorite apps again or sticking to the platform where their app investment already works. Thus, even though this penny-pinching market might not seem ideal for the short-term, the availability of app platforms does make it a longer-term upside market. Apple should get it rather than giving it to Android or others. A few years from now, those poor teenagers are prime candidates to pay up for the next-next-next gen iPhone. Already being locked into iDevice apps would practically insure that they buy Apple in the future.
 
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