Why No Fries with the iPod touch?
After nine months of anticipation, Apple finally released an iPod based on the iPhone form factor and interface. But for reasons unknown, Apple chose to leave off one or two essential applications, and according to the latest rumor, has neutered others.
You get the feeling that if Apple bought McDonald’s they would cut the fries from the combo meals. I hope you didn’t want fries with your new iPod touch!
The iPod touch is a lovely device, and I have to out myself as being wrong. I was among those who said Apple wouldn’t release a device like it within 12 months of the iPhone.
Hindsight is a great thing, and now I can see why Apple might have done so. Certainly there’s a big market for it, but the two devices could cannibalize each other. Which, at the end of the day, matters not to Apple, as they still get a sale. And Steve said as much in a recent interview with USA Today.
However, in markets still waiting for the iPhone—such as Europe and Asia—it will be interesting to see how the iPod touch sells. Personally, I’m having a dilemma over whether to get an iPod touch or wait for the iPhone. And a young woman I spoke to at an electronics retailer said she’d be waiting.
Actually, the more more I find out about the touch, the more I lose interest in it.
I saw one reader comment on a web forum last week that the iPod touch is a PDA. I suspect, though, he’s in for a big disappointment. Apple isn’t pushing it that way, so it’s hard to know if it really is. In fact, Apple’s demo video didn’t even mention iCal or Address Book, two key apps on a PDA. And rumors have it there’ll be no ability to input calendar entries—which is upsetting a lot of people who pre-ordered specifically expecting that feature.
But the big thing missing—the fries if you will—is email. Its absence is the deciding factor in my not buying an iPod touch.
For a device that has internet access, the lack of an email client leaves one speechless. So what if you can do it online through Safari? An offline reader is essential in a portable, internet-connected device. Plus, using a browser, you have to manually check your email. Also, if you have multiple email accounts, using a browser really starts getting cumbersome.
In my part of the world, wireless hotspots are rare, so I wouldn’t be able to use the browser or email much anyway. But if hotspots were available, then I’d be eternally frustrated at having an internet device without email.
Say that again a couple of times: “an internet device without email.” Have you ever heard of anything stupider? A car without seats? A combo meal without fries? A computer without a mouse? A house without a bathroom? An internet device without email?
Possibly, someone will port the iPhone’s email client to the iPod touch, and hopefully that will force Apple to include it.
Unfortunately, this adds to the dilemma. Do I wait for the touch to get an email client? Or just get an iPod classic? And do I then forget about the iPhone?
But if the rumor of the inability to input to the calendar and address book proves true, the decision is easy. No touch. Without those PDA abilities, the difference between a touch and an iPod classic narrows too much to justify the touch.
The interesting thing is, the lack of PDA type functions, such as calendar entry and email, stops me buying an iPod touch in preference to an iPod classic. But the absence of those from the touch wouldn’t influence my decision to buy an iPhone.
I’d buy an iPhone because it’s a phone with iPod features. But I would have bought a touch if it was an iPod with email and PDA features.
With the touch having no compelling features, and already owning an iPod, albeit sans video, I expect I’ll just buy nothing.
Steve was happy to appease the angry mob over the price cut; hopefully he’ll appease the rowdy rabble over the lack of email and calendar entry.
Come on, Steve, mate, give us the fries with that iPod touch.
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Comments
Chris, you have a wonderful way of sensationalizing issues with such comments as “After nine months of anticipation, Apple finally released an iPod based on the iPhone form factor and interface.”
Apple “finally” released the iPhone form factor and interface?
OK, that being said, I do agree that the iPod touch is a bit of a letdown. I hope Apple comes to their senses and releases a mail application, FUNCTIONAL calendar and a few other niceties that the iPhone has. Besides attempting to differentiate the iPhone with the iPod touch… it’s mind-boggling to see them purposefully exclude such features.
Oh well… I’ll wait.
I am very intent on stuffing my pocket with this iPod touch this Holidays. I already have a phone that, for many reasons, I am not ready to chuck to the trash bin.
Having the iTouch, at least, satisfies my yearning for that frisk-sensitive glass surface.
Having no email client and the iCal neutering is a bit disturbing, though. How ‘bout the purported missing Bluetooth support (think wireless keyboard and mouse option) in the iTouch?
I wonder Apple deliberately omit these features to distinctly separate the iPhone from the iTouch rather than just yankin’ the phone module out.
I agree those features are essential, if not critical, to an internet device that is also wireless. I am not just interested in the video iPod capability + multitouch. I want an iPhone sans phone!
...but the two devices could cannibalize each other.
So, it brings me to your analysis here. The iPod Touch is differentiated by not having a phone and a $100 lower price. How much more can you differentiate the two without affecting their main selling points?
Most people think in terms of “How much does it cost me?” to differentiate product X to Y to Z. How do you think Windows become the de facto monopoly in desktop no matter how Mac OS was/is the superior choice?
So, my conclusion is that the iPod touch will have a full email and iCal clients in due time. Bluetooth is another matter though. If the wireless chip in the iTouch does not support BT then we are out of luck. We can only hope Apple changes its mind and will use the same Broadcom chip (more costs) in the iPhone.
Robotech Infidel,
I can forgive Apple for not including a camera and bluetooth. I’ll chalk them up to cost saving measures. What isn’t forgivable is removing features like email and a proper calendar, thus creating an artificial difference between the two.
Apple would rather people buy an iPhone, but they still make far FAR too much money on iPods. They can’t ignore the massive demand for an iPod touch. I’m guessing the iPod touch will outsell the iPhone by a 4:1 ratio. Remember, Apple sells about 500,000 iPhones a month (and it was the launch)... they sell about 3,500,000 iPods in that same timeframe.
Again, Apple wants you to buy an iPhone, but can’t pass up the easy money of the iPod touch.
If you feel the Touch must have e-mail, you should buy the Touch with e-mail over wi-fi. It’s called the iPhone, have you heard of it?
Email, with wi-fi only, is nearly worthless to most people. I’ve had a Palm T|X with wi-fi email for a couple years now, and use it about 2 times a year.
Because for the most part, if I’m near a wi-fi access point, I’m within 50 feet of a computer, which I will walk over to in order to check my email quickly on a big screen, and respond quickly with a keyboard.
There is very little value in a wi-fi only email device. There is great value in a cellular email device, because the times that it’s useful is when you are farther than 75 feet from a computer/wi-fi access point.
Take out EDGE, and you may as well remove email, so you won’t get all the support calls complaining that users can’t check their email because they don’t have access to wi-fi, and didn’t realize that that wi-fi stuff didn’t come with the device. Pretty obvious, and Apple must have taking the 12 seconds necessary to work through the logic.
Now, complain that Apple doesn’t make a Touch with EDGE and a for AT&T into offering a $10/mo unlimited data plan…. that I can agree with, because having a separate phone would let you access the internet over EDGE while you’re on the phone.
To me, the big letdown is storage. You’re complaining about lack of e-mail on an iPod? It’s first and foremost a media player, but the thing only holds 16GB if you get the biggest one. That’s a slight improvement over the iPhone, but for a device that touts such beautiful video, it doesn’t hold very much video, especially when you’re adding your music collection along with it. I can barely hold all of my stuff on my 60GB iPod.
I want the Touch’s interface plus the Classic’s storage at the Nano’s price. That’s the perfect iPod.
Mitchell, I think for a lot of people who - unlike me - expected Apple to release a device like this, and even sooner, it did feel like “finally” to them. But as I said, I was way wrong, this is way ahead of when I expected it. But I do take your point, I could have toned that down.
Remember, Apple sells about 500,000 iPhones a month (and it was the launch)... they sell about 3,500,000 iPods in that same timeframe.
Apple is currently selling at >800k iPhones per month. Your 3,500,000 figure for iPods is high, that would be 42 million per year…
You’re complaining about lack of e-mail on an iPod?
I agree with the premise. I was going to post this comment earlier:
The thing about the iPod touch is it is an iPod.
Basically the future of all iPods (bar very lowest end) is to be ‘iPhone-ised’. That is, the Touch form factor with Classic-class storage. It’s by far more than anything else a matter of solid state storage prices —namely waiting for them to fall.
T, thanks. Your argument makes some sense.
Although, in my part of the world (Australia), we’re not expecting the iPhone until mid-2008. And although I might be able to scrape together the cost of the iPhone, it’s extremely unlikely I could justify the monthly charge. I currently spend about $5 to $10 a month on my mobile, and that’s too much. Being my most optimistic, I’d expect the minimum plan here for the iPhone to be $30/month, but more likely higher.
If as you say “if I’m near a wi-fi access point, I’m within 50 feet of a computer”, then why have Safari on the touch? Wouldn’t you also rather surf the net from that computer?
So won’t Apple get “get all the support calls complaining that users can’t” surf the web “because they don’t have access to wi-fi, and didn’t realize that that wi-fi stuff didn’t come with the device”
Likewise YouTube.
The one hitch in the email, but one Apple must have addressed with the iPhone, is you don’t want the touch (or iPhone) deleting your mail from the server, as you want it to load on your computer when you get home.
I would love the touch to have email as well as web, because then it would free me from my computer when I am at home.
Out on the road, if I had a touch and found free wireless access, the first thing I’d check would be my email.
Now I’m probably not normal, because I have six active email accounts, but checking them with an email client is much easier than with a browser.
You might be right about Apple leaving off the email client because it didn’t want all the support calls, but that is ironic, when Apple prides itself on user-friendliness.
“How can we make this device user friendly?”
“We won’t give it any features that might confuse the user!”
I’m sure Apple should have been able to solve any expected user issues you - and they - foresaw.
Also, I agree with the point of view of the mysteriously named “T.” that a wifi-only email device is next to useless.
Question: How often am I in the vicinity of an open wireless network when I don’t either have my powerbook or a computer I can check email on? Answer: Very rarely indeed.
I am disappointed you can’t enter calendar events on the iPod touch though, if what’s being reported on the internets is true.
That is, the Touch form factor with Classic-class storage.
I doubt it, unfortunately. It’s like waiting on Flash drives in computers to take over disc-based drives. Eventually, maybe, but Flash remains expensive for little storage while disc drives just keep getting bigger, faster, and cheaper.
If they really wanted that much more storage, they could have just made it a little thicker and had a real hard drive in there. But Apple just seems averse to the weirdest little things, like buttons and thickness, that they will compromise other arguably more useful things.
I currently spend about $5 to $10 a month on my mobile, and that’s too much.
That is astonishing!
Beeb, I knew someone would bring up the storage argument. I did think about addressing it in this piece, but realised I could then start going on about every single thing people might be peeved about.
I’d like the extra storage too, but because I use my iPod 30GB as an external hard disk. That way I work on my files at school and home from the one source.
I think if anything, I’ll end up with an iPod classic. But your perfect iPod does sound rather perfect!
You’re complaining about lack of e-mail on an iPod?
No, actually. I’m complaining about a lack of email client in an internet connected device.
Benji said: Question: How often am I in the vicinity of an open wireless network when I don’t either have my powerbook or a computer I can check email on? Answer: Very rarely indeed.
So why have Safari and YouTube on the touch??
That’s my point, Safari is no more useful or useless than email given the limited availability of access.
T says it’s about dumb users who, when away from access, can understand why they can’t surf the web, but are too dumb to understand why they can’t check their email, and he might be right.
Apple wants you to buy an iPhone, but can’t pass up the easy money of the iPod touch. -Mitchell
I disagree in the regards that the iTouch will cannibalize the iPhone. Different consumer circumstances dictates whichever of the two they will walk out with, as in my case above.
So, the missing email & iCal features were necessitated by a bigger reason. Namely, I think T almost hit the nail by the head with Take out EDGE, and you may as well remove email… Hmmm. You know a lightbulb is flickering in my dumb noggin that’s cracklin’ “the Touch is an iPod…the Touch is an iPod..the iTouch is (we get the hint already).
So, the iTouch is meant to be used as an advanced iPod. Do the usual routine - hiking, walking, biking, etc. without the need to check-up on your email or calendar schedule. The big multitouch screen is <u>then</u> just a teaser for the world to migrate to an iPhone one day.
But I doubt that is the case here. Apple’s vice president of Hardware Product Marketing, Greg Joswiak confirmed the iTouch and the iPhone are basically identical hardware and software. The iTouch is meant to carry and support exactly the same apps as the iPhone.
I want the Touch’s interface plus the Classic’s storage at the Nano’s price. That’s the perfect iPod. -Bbx
Ummm…Not in your life. -Stevie J.