iPod touch What's the point!!!

[ToothTooth]

I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet, but there are also a lot of people who don't have or want smartphones. I live encased in wifi, and for $300 (I have a 32GB) I have a device with no monthly charge. My phone costs as little as I can possibly get it, and changing to a smartphone would be prohibitively expensive.

You missed it. I already mentioned this very thing earlier in the thread.

Send me the $2,500 that you'll spend on a two year iphone contract and I'll tell you what the point is.

Some of us don't have the want or need for a mobile voice/data plan commitment. My employer issued me a mobile phone and paid my bill every month for three years. It was a free phone that I almost never used, so I gave it back to them.

Personally, I don't like to talk on the phone much but I enjoy the convenience of the iPod to check email, surf the internet, organize my personal calendar, play music, record video, make/receive occasional phone calls via VoIP (SIP application), etc. I also pair it with a tiny GPS receiver and the Navigon app and suddenly the iPod becomes one helluva great GPS navigation device in the car.

 

[akdj]

Children, children everywhere...

To me this is a big one. That transitional age for my son---6 or 7 years old, way too young for a phone at this time---BUT there are a ton of iOS games, educational apps, Netflix, youtube walkthroughs for his game...downloading a couple of videos for flights, the list goes on and on. I got him a 32GB iTouch last fall (after he spent a week in the hospital due to an asthma attack, something that he'd NEVER had before)...after making the deal with him that if he beat each small battle in the hospital (IV's, medication, respiration exercises, et al), he'd win the War!

...he complied, is a very healthy young boy now, hasn't had an attack since. We went right from the hospital upon release to the Apple store, let him pick out his iTouch (color), a case and a $25 app card. I set it up in my name/Apple ID, so he's welcome to any and all apps I've purchased (that are child friendly). He's taken excellent care of it...other than the 'boogers' we've got to wipe free once in a while It's easily his favorite 'toy'....but he's extremely mature with it, realizing it's not a toy...something we explained to him when purchasing it...that it was his first "Big Boy" item and it had to be handled as such.

In this day and age...as another poster mentioned, kids are born 'connected'. Give any 2 or 3 year old an iPad, show them the basics and they're off an runnin'! I think, with the proper apps...these can be powerful learning tools, excellent dexterity 'helpers', and extremely entertaining. Obviously, everything in moderation...but living in Alaska, if we want to go anywhere...flying is our only choice. We leave two or three times a year, this year--we've flown 3 times. I bought a small extra battery pack that fills up the iTouch almost 3 full charges and I can't tell you how invaluable it's been for layovers, long flights, and general boring time-periods. We also have a cabin about a hundred miles north of Anchorage....this road trip is another excellent time for him to be able to play with it.

In my opinion, technology can never be taught to a child too young. It's such a ubiquitous part of our lives these days and I wouldn't be surprised if tablets begin to take over the 'paper' at schools sooner than later.

I still have a Gen 2 Black and white iPod in my truck that lives under the dash with a couple thousand songs essentially hard-wired to my stereo. I've also got 3x160GB Classics that we use as a tertiary backup in our business (we run a mobile audio company)...with a massive backup library in the case one of our computer systems go down. Much easier than burning, maintaining, and transporting a box of 'Best of' CDs everywhere

YMMV....But I've got a ton of reasons, and I, too own an iPhone (as does my bride) and iPad (as does my bride)!

J

 

[Eric5h5]

Show me an iPhone that costs $200 with no contract, plus $20 every 3-4 months for phone calls, and I'll buy it. Otherwise, "what's the point of an iPod touch" should be pretty obvious.

--Eric

 

[Orange Furball]

For those who want to keep their "videos" And music separate from their phone.ImageImageImage

Your pictures don't work. Also please use next time you copy someone else's post!

 

[kaydot]

Touch + Otterbox Defender + Pages = awesome workout assistant. I put my 3 year old Touch through the ringer. I can't afford to have my 4s go down. Once my Touch dies AND the time comes to upgrade my iPhone to the next New iPhone, I'll consider using my 4s as an iPod. There is a certain "yeah, I'm that guy" factor that comes with having the Touch, 4s and iPad.

What's so "that guy" about it? You have a smartphone, iPad, Touch and probably even a desktop/laptop computer (Macbook or otherwise). These are all useful devices and have different purposes. The only one I could see merging is the smartphone to the media player.
If smartphones had decent storage (i.e. 64gigs and bigger) and respectable battery (7 days+), then I could see -potentially- merging them. To someone else's point though, you can't really use your phone and have it in a dock at the same time.

 

[coolguy879]

Then why did you buy one?

 

[Blackberryroid]

What's the point of having a iPod touch when many of us have a iPhone???

Some people have no use for phones. Such as I. I only need Music and 3G. 3G is the only reason why I have an iPhone.

 

[thewitt]

We are deploying nearly 1000 devices in a manufacturing environment where we need an ultra portable app platform, but not a phone...

 

[new-to-mac]

A lot of people i work with have Blackberrys for work so they buy the ipod touch for music, apps and personal emails etc, some of them have an ipad for similar reasons.

Im happy using my iphone for the odd bit of music if i know i can charge it up once i reach work otherwise the old ipod gets a run out, to be honest if i had a Samsung/HTC phone id have an ipod touch as im very intergrated with apps/itunes etc and wouldnt want to give that up.

this is me. i have a company issued BB phone which covers all my calls so i just need a device to put in my personal stuff: music, pics, apps, etc.