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iPod touch Why the new iPod Touch will have GPS and 3G

or they are doing that they did with the first touch and having it look like the iphone as they did with the first one?? I will laugh at this thread when they tell us whats gonna be or not be in the new touch....... living in a dream world expecting 3g in a media player
 
I keep hearing rumors about how the new touch will have GPS, 3G, a camera, a microphone, speakers, dedicated volume/mute buttons... people, it isn't an iPhone!

They MIGHT add GPS just to get basic feature parity (for the Apps that use it) but c'mon, this is like the people complaining the MacBook doesn't have a backlight keyboard, dedicated GPU, and a bigger screen.

Be realistic, Apple isn't going to cannibalize iPhone sales. They'll gimp the iPod touch just as they do the MacBooks. 'Called profit margins.
 
I have no idea why some people think a full featured iPod Touch would steal iPhone sales. Apple was ingenious to release the Touch to snare buyers that already had a cell phone but wanted the touchscreen interface and related applications for their media. No one will buy an iPhone that doesn't need a phone. They were never going to. Apple will hook them with a Touch, assuming it's has it's own value to them. When their current cell phone plan expires, many will THEN upgrade to an iPhone. It's already happened. It will continue to happen that way. The Touch they bought will be sold or passed down to another family member which may eventually lead to another upgrade to iPhone. I know Apple won't put every iPhone media feature into the Touch, but there is no conceivable way putting one too many iPhone features in there is going to lose Apple an iPhone sale.
 
I'd put money on GPS coming with the new Touch. iPods need to continue to offer ever increasing value or sales growth will start to decline rapidly, especially for a high-end unit like the Touch. Adding the chips and data for GPS is very inexpensive for a huge gain in perceived value and, given the new case, fitting the new antenna is a no-brainer. They can just use the antenna that they use in the (soon to be) identical 3G case.

I keep wanting to pull the trigger and buy the old Touch because I prefer its solid feel to the plastic cases that are on their way, but knowing that GPS is coming, I just can't justify it.

As for 3G, data streams are just too expensive to add this feature now. When cellular data is cheaper than air, maybe, but not now.
 
4DThinker said:
I have no idea why some people think a full featured iPod Touch would steal iPhone sales. Apple was ingenious to release the Touch to snare buyers that already had a cell phone but wanted the touchscreen interface and related applications for their media. No one will buy an iPhone that doesn't need a phone. They were never going to. Apple will hook them with a Touch, assuming it's has it's own value to them. When their current cell phone plan expires, many will THEN upgrade to an iPhone. It's already happened. It will continue to happen that way. The Touch they bought will be sold or passed down to another family member which may eventually lead to another upgrade to iPhone. I know Apple won't put every iPhone media feature into the Touch, but there is no conceivable way putting one too many iPhone features in there is going to lose Apple an iPhone sale.
Click to expand...

Thank you. Some people just don't get the simple statement I have in my sig. You do. :)
 
GPS and BT are the only two "big" features that are even remotely likely. 3G isn't going to happen. 3G = cell phone. iPod != phone.

I can see GPS to get the touch working with location aware apps, that makes sense from both Apple's, developers, and users prospectives. I would think that they would make a better GPS antenna and better GPS chip to get "real" GPS positioning, since it won't be able to rely on cell towers for added precision.

I can see BT for some new Apple branded stereo wireless headphones and tethering to other cell's to get mobile data for apps.

Aside from those big features, I can see a volume rocker button and a speaker being added. Speaker would be useful for all the iPod games being release, along with the obvious YouTube and other video watching stuff, and better alarms with your iPod.

A vibrating motor would be something in the realm of possibility as they could use it to add some haptic feedback to the interface.

Camera would be completely useless since it sucks compared to any other pocket sized camera and you don't have 100% of the users connected to the internet 100% of the time so there's no instant sharing making it worth using.

But 3G is just a complete impossibilty. If you have a 3G chip/antenna in the device it's a phone, just without a mic. There's absoultely no reason to do it. You have to have a data plan from a cell provider, and all the same electronics so there's no distinction between that device and a phone other than a $.25 microphone. It just makes no sense. Please stop trying to convince yourself.

Now, once the 700mhz spectrum is up and running as a highspeed wireless data only network I can see an iPod with that, but we're looking at 3+ years down the road.
 
mrgreen4242 said:
GPS and BT are the only two "big" features that are even remotely likely. 3G isn't going to happen. 3G = cell phone. iPod != phone.

I can see GPS to get the touch working with location aware apps, that makes sense from both Apple's, developers, and users prospectives. I would think that they would make a better GPS antenna and better GPS chip to get "real" GPS positioning, since it won't be able to rely on cell towers for added precision.

I can see BT for some new Apple branded stereo wireless headphones and tethering to other cell's to get mobile data for apps.

Aside from those big features, I can see a volume rocker button and a speaker being added. Speaker would be useful for all the iPod games being release, along with the obvious YouTube and other video watching stuff, and better alarms with your iPod.

A vibrating motor would be something in the realm of possibility as they could use it to add some haptic feedback to the interface.

Camera would be completely useless since it sucks compared to any other pocket sized camera and you don't have 100% of the users connected to the internet 100% of the time so there's no instant sharing making it worth using.

But 3G is just a complete impossibilty. If you have a 3G chip/antenna in the device it's a phone, just without a mic. There's absoultely no reason to do it. You have to have a data plan from a cell provider, and all the same electronics so there's no distinction between that device and a phone other than a $.25 microphone. It just makes no sense. Please stop trying to convince yourself.

Now, once the 700mhz spectrum is up and running as a highspeed wireless data only network I can see an iPod with that, but we're looking at 3+ years down the road.
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Agree with you about the 3G part. 3G=iPhone. It's part of a contract, and we don't want a contract.

A camera might be very mildly useful, but I guess I agree with you there as well.

But bluetooth and GPS would be very useful. And we need those volume buttons, and external speakers as well.
 
No way to 3g

I believe that 3g will not be put into the new ipod touch. GPS, yes. it wont have a 3g chipset because then people would have to have a service provider. plus then this could break the contract between att and apple because if it has gps you bet its gonna have a built in speaker for turn by turn directions (i hear tomtom is coming out with preloaded maps for the gps feature) and chances are they might throw in a mic because they already have the speakers for gps why not let the ipod users use voice recorders and guitar tools. there for the hackers of the ipod could get the coding for the phone portion of the iphone and you would be able to give the ipod the phone capability as long as you have a wireless carrier therefore breaking the contract with apple and att. thats why it wont have a chip set.
 
blaqkandwhite3 said:
I believe that 3g will not be put into the new ipod touch. GPS, yes. it wont have a 3g chipset because then people would have to have a service provider. plus then this could break the contract between att and apple because if it has gps you bet its gonna have a built in speaker for turn by turn directions (i hear tomtom is coming out with preloaded maps for the gps feature) and chances are they might throw in a mic because they already have the speakers for gps why not let the ipod users use voice recorders and guitar tools. there for the hackers of the ipod could get the coding for the phone portion of the iphone and you would be able to give the ipod the phone capability as long as you have a wireless carrier therefore breaking the contract with apple and att. thats why it wont have a chip set.
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You're right. It will have GPS but not 3G. 3G? Not a chance.
 
GPS and a speaker are all I need to plunk down my $300. How likely do I see that as being? Extremely. If Apple wants games to take off on the iPod touch (which they do) they need to make it more like a portable game system. It seems like location centric Apps are a big hit and I can imagine them including GPS to facilitate that.

Bluetooth would be nice for syncing PIM data but I don't see that happening.

I'm pretty sure these new iPod touch models will support Nike+.

Essentially, the "touch" card has been played and Apple's competitors are using it too. How do they make the iPod the premier player? Load up the features and drop the price.
 
tuffluffjimmy said:
I could say the same about you people and your rick rolling.
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What do you mean you people?

tropicthunderposters.jpg
 
Michael CM1 said:
What you are suggesting is selling a frickin' iPhone. There is no 3G data-only chip out there that I know about.
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Maybe 3G isn't what he's talking about. He might be talking about something like EVDO (here in the States, EVDO is UBIQUITOUS, and it's faster than greased lightning!).

I want a device like this because every time I want to use the Internet on the run, I'm almost NEVER in Wi-Fi range.

BJ
 
BJWanlund said:
Maybe 3G isn't what he's talking about. He might be talking about something like EVDO (here in the States, EVDO is UBIQUITOUS, and it's faster than greased lightning!).

I want a device like this because every time I want to use the Internet on the run, I'm almost NEVER in Wi-Fi range.

BJ
Click to expand...

But that's cellphone service. Apple sells a cellphone. It is called the iPhone.
 
BJWanlund said:
Maybe 3G isn't what he's talking about. He might be talking about something like EVDO (here in the States, EVDO is UBIQUITOUS, and it's faster than greased lightning!).

I want a device like this because every time I want to use the Internet on the run, I'm almost NEVER in Wi-Fi range.

BJ
Click to expand...

That would be stupid. They sell iPods worldwide! Why would they tie it to a service that's mostly only in the US? and not even everywhere in the US. Try again: there will be no cellular services for any iPod besides the iPhone. When will people finally get that!?
 
While GPS does seem reasonable 3G is one of most un-realistic rumors i've heard.
The whole point of the touch was to have an iPhone without the data and voice plans. 3G costs money and would defeat the purpose of the iPod Touch.
 
K3mp said:
3G costs money and would defeat the purpose of the iPod Touch.
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I'm not sure how the purpose of a Touch could be defeated by an omnipresent network connection, but I agree the Touch is unlikely to get one.

That said, I'd LOVE IT if they could figure out a way to do it, without adding a monthy fee. The Amazon Kindle comes with EVDO, and no monthly fee. I bought one for my wife. Amazon offsets the data connection costs with profit from the sale of ebooks purchased through that connection.

Make a Touch with free data-only EVDO (offset by iTunes/Apps sales), Bluetooth that does stereo audio AND connects to a Mac (or portable Targus/Palm) bluetooth keyboard, GPS for all the location-based apps, and they would sell more iPod Touch's than iPhones.
JMHO
 
One of the main selling points of the iPod Touch was to have an iPhone without a service plan. If Apple where to make 3G free why not do it on the iPhone? If somebody wants or needs to have a mobile connection like 3G they should get an iPhone.
 
K3mp said:
One of the main selling points of the iPod Touch was to have an iPhone without a service plan. If Apple where to make 3G free why not do it on the iPhone? If somebody wants or needs to have a mobile connection like 3G they should get an iPhone.
Click to expand...

Exactly! See my sig.

GPS fits perfectly with the idea of the Touch being a personal media device, PDA, and web browser. GPS is definitely the most likely addition. A camera kinda does as well, as does a camera.
 
Yeah...

K3mp said:
One of the main selling points of the iPod Touch was to have an iPhone without a service plan. If Apple where to make 3G free why not do it on the iPhone? If somebody wants or needs to have a mobile connection like 3G they should get an iPhone.
Click to expand...

How would 3G be free? That's AT&T's call, not Apple's. That would never, ever happen.
 
Conclusion:

iPod touch will not have 3G. May possibly have GPS and volume control.

We will know on the 9th.



*Lights dim, mod closes thread, curtain falls. People begin to stop beating a dead horse.*
 
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