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New Apple iPod Touch MP3 Player ReviewSince the introduction of the first iPod many years ago, it seems Apple has made it a yearly ritual to announce to versions and updates to the iPod family just in time for the Christmas shopping season. Apple's most recent product announcements have brought a few changes to the iPod lineup. First, the original large hard-disk based iPod is now called the iPod Classic and can hold up to 160GB of music and video files -- it sells for $349 or $249 for the 80GB model. Apple also changed the form factor of the iPod Nano while boosting capacity. It is now more square shaped than rectangular, with a wider video-enabled screen. The 8GB model sells for $199, the 4GB model for $149. But the real news was the release of the new iPod Touch, which is basically the iPhone without the "phone" - just a big huge touch screen for playing all your favorite music and video clips, and of course the built-in WIFI enabled web browser. Below we will take a look at some of the specs of the iPod Touch in anticipation of its release at the end of Sept.
iPhone or iPod Touch?The iPhone became a national phenomenon this year, becoming a breakthough product for Apple as they attempt to move into the cellphone marketplace. Though they sell iPods by the tens of millions, the market for cell phone handsets is even larger, and of course phones come with a nice monthly service charge, meaning ongoing revenue every month instead of just an upfront sale -- something most companies crave. Apart from the improved voicemail interface on the iPhone, what really set it apart was its large touch screen and full Safari web browser built in, allowing you to access the internet either through the wireless phone network or through a WiFi network for even higher speeds. The iPod touch basically strips out the phone functionality (and camera) and leaves you with an awesome portable media player and wireless web browser. If you haven't used an iPhone, we suggest you stop by an AT&T store or Apple store and play with one. The touch software interface really is amazing and it is so revolutionary that it is fitting to call this new MP3 player the iPod "Touch". And in terms of size, we're talking about the same size as a deck of playing cards, but less than 1/2 as thick.
iPod Touch Specs and Features - PicturesIf you are iTunes fan, you will be happy to know that your iPod Touch can now connect, browse, and purchase songs wirelessly from the iTunes storefront - no need to sync or connect to your PC, though when you do synch, anything you have bought will be added to your PC library as well, keeping your files up to date. The iTunes store you see when you connect wirelessly is a specially formatted one for the iPod Touch screen, a little different that what you experience when using iTunes on your PC. Apple also announced a special parternship with Starbucks to allow customers there to access iTunes via the Wifi networks at Starbucks, and purchase the music featured in the Starbucks stores. You can browse through your music collection on the iPod Touch either through an alphabetical listing or through the Cover Flow visual interface, as if you are scrolling though a rack of CDs. It takes a while to get used to not having the buttons and scroll wheels of the old iPods, but the touch screen interface allows you to flick your finger up or down to quickly move through large collections of music, or just tap a letter of the alphabet to quickly jump to particular artists. And the visual interface lets you easily drag back and forth to a point in a song, bring up a listing of all track on an album, and much more. The 3.5 inch display is also great for playing videos, movies, TV shows, etc. And it makes for a great portable photo album as well, letting you easily browse, display, and zoom in and out on your photo collection to share with friends or family. Here are the technical specs for the iPod Touch:
How much does the iPod Touch cost?The 8GB iPod Touch will retail for $299 and the 16GB iPod Touch will retail for $399. You can preorder the Touch at the Apple website now, or pick it up Sept. 28th at any Apple Store when it is officially released. Of course all electronic retailers online and offline will carry it as well.
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