Accessories Zune 80gb
Ipod 64Gb Touch : The Only Note Worthy New Feature
Not sure why Amazon says I’m reviewing the iPod 32GB touch. I definitely have the iPod 64GB touch (and a hefty $400 credit card charge to go along with it)
This was an interesting purchase. After basically owning (among my family and myself), darn near every version of iPod ever made (gen 1, 2, mini, video, Nano, gen 1 touch, classic), I found myself back in the market around mid-August when my 1 1/2 year old iPod classic bit the dust. You know the drill… everything is happy-go-lucky and then one day your iPod displays no backlight and a sad face icon, never to be played again.
Well, after my iPod touch gave up the ghost, I thoroughly examined the full crop of competition. I will say that I was impressed with the Zune HD pre-release specs, especially the HD video out capability. At the time, Archos had not yet released much info on the new 5 tablet coming soon, so I didn’t want to risk waiting on that. Creative also has a new player, the X-Fi2, but like the HD, it maxes out at 32GB.
Knowing Apple had a big event planned for September 9th and media reports that the invite referenced music, I anticipated new iPods were on the way and eagerly waited to see how Apple would respond to the increasingly stiff competition. When September 9th arrived, I fired up every live blog, tweet, and report from the Apple event.
I waited and waited and waited some more, but aside from the announcements about the price reductions (in response to the Zune) and the iPod 64GB touch, it was pretty anti-climactic. Honestly, this was my least eagerly purchased iPod in a while. So, the lack of any real groundbreaking news from Apple only made my choice more difficult. After mulling it over for a while, I eventually decided on the iPod 64GB touch because I wanted the largest flash-based player I could find. (I’ll admit the premature demise of my iPod Classic had a lot to do with my decision to insist on flash memory). In the end, simple capacity won out.
At first glance, it looks just like the touch gen 2. Form factor, user interface, everything looks just like the touch gen 2. They pack double the memory into the same size player as the touch 32GB model. The headphones are basically the only thing different in appearance from gen 2 and contain the built-in mic for the new addition of voice control. The only downside to voice control is that it would have been much better if they offered a jack for you to use your own headphones.
If you plan to use the feature, (or any other apps that use the mic), you’re stuck with apple’s buds until the 3rd party accessory makers catch up. I don’t plan to use it because it seems more of a gadget than anything else.
The body is amazingly slim, especially for a iPod 64GB touch. same size as iPod 32GB touch except they crammed double the flash storage into the tight quarters. With that much memory crammed into such a tight space, I’m interested in seeing if heat ever becomes a factor.
By now, everyone has seen the commercials, drooled over a friend’s Touch iPod, or visited a store to play with a Touch iPod, so I’ll spare you the more boring details about features like mail, notes, voice memos, calendar, etc, and cut to the nitty gritty:
Screen: Simply gorgeous as usual. Rich lush colors for viewing photos, videos, web browsing and anything else the Touch iPod offers. Much larger and sharper than the Classic. Vivid, bright, and clearly one of the best offered. Can be viewed horizontally or vertically. The screen automatically rotates with you when you rotate the iPod.
Wi-Fi: Great performance. Setup is very simple and compatible with most Wi-Fi security protocols. Someone else said it best, the Safari browser is fast and responsive. It is NOT like surfing a web on a cell phone. Everyone promises 3G this, Edge that, super fast this, but cell phone browsing is like watching paint dry. Not so with the iPod as it uses your fast Wi-Fi connection, not pokey cellular service. The large screen also makes for a more practical browsing experience. The finger controls are just as outstanding as they’ve always been. The Touch iPod also has maps and locator service, but it’s rudimentary at best. It’s not true satellite based GPS, or even cellular triangulation (I always wanted to say that) mapping. It establishes your position similar to cell tower triangulation; however, it uses available Wi-Fi hotspots instead of cell towers. If you live in a modern wired town, cool. On the downside, if you ever get lost in the wilderness with this thing… well… just be glad it holds a lot of music and apps.. you’ll need it..
Bluetooth: Wonderful for cordless headphones. That’s the best benefit. No clunky dongle to attach. Some folks are upset that they can’t connect to a PC or cell phone with it.. Frankly, as long as it works with cordless headphones, speakers, and other iPods, I’m happy and don’t consider it limited.
Capacity: Yes! Finally, after years of waiting, a iPod 64GB touch. Seriously, iPod 32GB touch is not remotely close to a power-user’s needs. I own over 500 Cd’s from over 20 years of collecting, all ripped to MP3. This is in addition to store-purchased MP3’s, movies, and pictures. I like to keep a few movies onboard as well as pics because you never know when they might come in handy. iPod 64GB touch is still a little low, but at least I can fit the majority of my media on it. When they go 80GB or higher, they will have found the sweet spot. I realize flash memory isn’t cheap, so I’m curious to see the price point as capacities increase even higher.
Sound quality: While Apple is far from the best sounding MP3 player, they are also far from the worse. Frankly, the first thing I normally do when I buy a new player is chuck the headphones. Microphone and remote aside, this is no exception. I’d rather have a pair of powered headphones delivering true rich fidelity than the uncomfortable sit-in-your-ear-cavity-ready-to-pop-out-at-the-slightest-bump buds traditionally supplied with iPods. Even then, Apple pretty much provides the same sound enhancements they’ve always provided. I keep things flat because the EQ continues to rely on distortion to tweak the sound. It’s better to just listen to it without all the distorted “enhancements”.
The touch screen seems every bit as responsive and quick as it’s always been. As for the new and improved processor, I don’t see a world of differences in speed between this and earlier gen touches. I’m sure performance is enhanced; I just don’t see it on a truly noticeable level. It’s still a lot quicker than navigating with the click-wheel on the hard-drive Classic.
As for the apps, I know this might irk some folks, but I have absolutely no intention of using apps. I simply don’t buy my personal media players for that reason. I’m sure they’re great time passers for flights and such, but honestly, it was my least sought option. Just a personal preference.
Overall, I’m happy with my purchase. I would still like increased capacity and more audio/video support from Apple (Where is support for WMV, WMA, Flac, Ogg??? Even the Zune will play AAC). Also, a radio is so long overdue it’s ridiculous. But I guess the hope for these features will keep me glued to the blogs and tweets again when Apple has its next big iPod event next year.
One thing’s for sure, increasingly stiff competition from excellent contenders like the new Archos 5 (simply awesome), and the Zune HD will hopefully keep Apple on their A-game, which can never be a bad thing.
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