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January 2008
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Why the iPod touch Makes the iPhone Irrelevant
Posted 09/19/2008 at 4:35:00am | by
Leslie Ayers
Have you had a chance to touch the new iPod touch? It's a beautiful gadget--slim, shiny, with the comfy, curvy feel in your hand like it just belongs there. When you're holding the iPod touch, it's impossible to be jealous of fellow subway denizens clutching Nintendo DSes, Sony PsPs, or for that matter, iPhone 3Gs. Because even though it's not a smartphone, the touch is a portable entertainment and communications device par excellence. It does the Web. It does email. It does IM.
For those of you saying, "But I don't want to carry two devices,” I can't hear you. But it's not because I didn't consider your argument--you're just too far away from my desk. Guys in particular who don't want to be bothered by the need to carry a bag or backpack in which to stow a cell phone for calls and texts and the iPod touch for portable entertainment, Web browsing, and social networking, are probably shaking their heads at the audacity of a woman, who, I admit without shame, does carry a purse large enough for both devices on her person at all times, a la Estelle Getty on The Golden Girls. But come on, guys, if you have a job, you probably have other stuff to lug--in a backpack, briefcase, or whatever. So here are five other reasons the touch blows the iPhone 3G out of the water:
1. COST: The most expensive--that is, highest-capacity, touch will set you back $399 $299, plus $10 every few months for the inevitable Apple software update, which all touch owners should fight tooth and nail with an email campaign, picket lines outside One Infinite Loop, a sit-in at one of the flagship Apple Stores--something.
In the United States, the highest-capacity iPhone 3G costs $399 $299 up front (if you're eligible for the subsidized rate from AT&T) and almost two grand over its lifetime for the two-year AT&T service contract.
2. FORM FACTOR: Not having to squeeze all those extra chips for GPS and 3G wireless, not to mention a camera into the touch allowed Apple to pack it in to a superskinny, supersleek case that weighs a mere 4 ounces. Sorry, but the iPhone 3G looks--and feels--downright obese in comparison.
3. SOUND: Now with a built-in speaker and volume control, the touch is the only iPod that doesn't force you to use headphones to hear your music or the sound that accompanies video content.
4. APPS: The touch comes loaded with most of the same stock apps that the iPhone has: Safari, Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Stocks, Maps, and Weather, and most third-party apps that work on the iPhone work on the touch, except those that call directly on the iPhone 3G's GPS chip. That includes hundreds of games, productivity apps, language apps, and so much more.
5. BATTERY LIFE: The touch kicks major iPhone butt when it comes to charge life. We normally don't expect anyone to take Apple on its word when it comes to battery life figures for the its products (it claims 36 hours of audio playback and 6 hours of video for the touch), but we proved Apple right in this case by testing the touch's charge life in the Mac|Life lab. In our tests, we squeezed almost 39 hours hours of audio and 6.5 hours of video playback out of our 16GB touch--proving that Apple doesn't always fudge when it comes to published performance claims for its products. However, Apple does claim about the same number of hours for audio and video playback for the iPhone 3G. But since the phone's other features suck up more juice--as any iPhone 3G owner can attest--the iPhone 3G's battery life pretty much blows, especially compared to comparable smartphones, and also compared to the touch. You can quote us on that.
COMMENTS:
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not in small-town USA
Submitted by frankly on Thu, 2008-09-25 09:05
I agree that the new touch is very nice. However, you don't have the Internet in your pocket if you don't have the phone built in as well. Perhaps in San Francisco you have ubiquitous wireless but in most of the country we don't. So I would be relegated to enjoying some of the best parts of my touch while at work or home. When I leave either of those places I would be without the Internet, which is when I need it most because when I'm at work or home I have access to my computer anyway.
UPDATE:
This is in response to the ONE person who thinks there is enough WiFi coverage to make the touch a viable alternative. As many others have pointed out, that is a ridiculous statement. I don't care how many wireless locations you have in your small town. If you look at the overall square miles of your town and then subtract out the square miles covered by all of the wireless access points you will be left with a TON of uncovered area. Now perhaps AT&T doesn't work in your area so it wouldn't matter anyway. However, for those of us that do have AT&T in our town there is NO WAY that the touch will give you even 10% of the same coverage area simply by using WiFi.
Submitted by riptorn41 on Fri, 2008-09-19 09:47
I live in the largest town in my area (a whopping 10,000 people) and between my home, work and the towns tiny wireless service, I can still be within minutes of a sync. Add in coffee shops, hospitals, malls and other places that now offer wireless, and I can't help but totally agree - I don't have to deal with AT&T's gouging and spotty service in our rural area, but I still get all the awesome features.
Submitted by APM on Fri, 2008-09-19 10:11
...because it is an ALL-IN-ONE device!! Shouldn't you be posing the question, "Why the iPhone Makes the iPod Touch Irrelevant?"
Submitted by taroliw on Fri, 2008-09-19 10:16
I live and work in the SF Bay Area, and I can tell you that in the real world there is no such thing is ubiquitous WiFi. Even in locations where WiFi exists (like my office) it still isn't always "available" (I have to connect via VPN to access our work WiFi and iPhone/iTouch VPN client isn't supported). Furthermore, if you actually are someone who wishses a truly converged device, how are you planning to get telephone calls on your iTouch? Oh, I thought so. And even if you did get a VoIP client, be careful not to wander too far from that access point! ;-)
As with all things new, the Touch has generated excitement for it's form factor. But there are bits that go into the iPhone 3G that realistically prevent it from fitting in that same form factor. Can't do much about that. Oh, and as for battery life, the reviewer should update their expectations as of iPhoneOS 2.1. I previously wasn't leaving 3G turned on because of battery performance, but now I leave it on all the time and can go over a day (with mixed data, wireless, and phone usage) without charging. Further, if you turned off all the radios, I'm sure you could get similar batter performance to the Touch... it's like comparing apples an oranges when we're using the devices for what they're capable of...
An iPod with WiFi is still just an iPod, though perhaps the Touch is significantly more than other iPods... it is not an iPhone. After all, just because they run the same OS doesn't make them equivalent... if that were the case, one might take to calling a Touch and Mac! ;-)
GPS
Submitted by mrreet2001 on Fri, 2008-09-19 10:55
Until the Touch gets GPS a lot of apps are going to be broken for the touch.
Submitted by hawkwood on Fri, 2008-09-19 13:28
The iPhone is a better device than the new iPod Touch, mainly because of the integration. The camera, GPS, and 3G give the ability to snap, geo-tag, and upload photos on the fly. There is currently no way to get photos from a digital camera on to the iPod Touch without syncing to iPhoto. If there were, then it would also have to be a GPS camera for the geo-tagging. I could live with waiting to get to a hot spot to upload, but those other features make the iPhone very attractive.
The only differences between the new and old Touches are the vol +/- buttons and the speaker. I have heard (TWIT or MBW) that the new iPod Touch's speaker has very poor sound quality, and I would rather the two other physical buttons be play/pause and skip track.
PS. I have an 1st Gen iPod Touch, and not an iPhone.
Pa-lease!
Submitted by yensid on Fri, 2008-09-19 13:34
What a pointless article. These are two different devices that serve two different purposes. Saying one is better than another is as helpful as saying dirt roads are better than paved ones. They both have their uses and fill the needs of their users just fine. Neither is better than the other. They are different.
Substance please.
Submitted by Jeffois on Fri, 2008-09-19 13:47
Keep in mind also, that you can't simply say that the iPhone costs more than the Touch because of monthly service unless you face the scenario of either having an iPhone or no phone at all. If you will have cell service anyway, than part of (though clearly not all of)the cost of the monthly service would be part of your montly budget anyway.
Seriously??
Submitted by ronaldbe on Fri, 2008-09-19 18:28
The only reason I bought the iPhone was because I wanted to stop carrying 2 devices otherwise I would've kept my BlackBerry. Plus when you add in a cell phone and the largest iPod Touch and the $10 every few months for the updates we get for free you are not far behind us in price. Oh and the 16GB 3G is $299 not $399. You sound like every other iPhone hater out there that goes and spends more on a device that does half as much...
Two Devices?
Submitted by rsalermo on Sat, 2008-09-20 13:09
I purchased the iPhone so I wouldn't have to carry a phone a handheld device like a (Palm/Ipaq/etc). The iPhone fits all my needs in one device. For now, I will stick with this device until something better comes along.
Submitted by MacUser4Life on Sun, 2008-09-21 10:38
Not just when I can find a wifi network. The iPhone/iPod Touch has the best mobile web-browsing interface IMO. I don't want to be stuck needing an internet connection. Maybe if you're in a big city with lots of wifi but out in rural New England the closest wifi is the nearest McDonalds and personally I'd rather not have to sit outside McDonalds every time I have to check my email.
Submitted by ChristianSchilling on Mon, 2008-09-22 09:34
iPhone 3G 16GB is 299.00 not 399.00 in the US through ATT, if you are a new customer. What planet do you live on? If you are going to write for Maclife for God's sake get your facts straight at least.
iPod Touch 32GB is $399.99
Submitted by KProkop on Mon, 2008-09-22 13:32
The most expensive, highest capacity iPod Touch is $399.99, not $299.99 as the article states. The iPod Touch 32GB is the most expensive at $399.99.
Finally the iPod is getting there!
Submitted by Rgator on Mon, 2008-09-22 23:55
As for a phone, I have exactly what I want and need, a darn good cellular plan and service that I think is unequal by AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon. For over seven years now I have been a very pleased customer of CricKet. When everyone else is dropping calls in Denver Metro, my signal is strong. Within a couple days of iTunes first coming out, I was using it and back then maxing it out. Today I have over 4 terabytes of Apple LossLess files, but I have never owned an iPod! The Touch is really getting close to an iPod that I want to buy. My Motorola SLVR 7 gets me by when I need it on the net, but all it is to me is a super reliable cellular phone and service for me. I do not need to combine a phone with the features of an iPod Touch. But I would like to see GPS on the next model.
Submitted by rigved123 on Wed, 2008-11-26 08:09
awesome article
similar -
Free iPod Touch Movie and Music Downloads at -
MAC HEADS SMACK BACK
Submitted by Apple Samurai on Mon, 2008-12-01 22:54
MAC HEADS SMACK BACK HEADS!!!
I'll tell you why I think iPod Touch 2G is better than iPhone 3G: If your credit is not all that hot you have to pay up to $750 just for a deposit to at&t!!! That damn near makes the iPhone a $1000 device!!! I'd rather stick with MetroPCS and get a Touch. No use in paying all that $$$ for no phone. But I guess we cant all have good credit. Sorry
Submitted by sunshinewing on Fri, 2008-12-26 01:41
i need it thankyou
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