New iPod Touch and Nano, firmware 2.1 and iTunes 8
Posted by Luca Morandi on September 9, 2008
Apple’s “Let’s rock” event has brought out most of the stuff that was rumored for some time. The main four items mentioned during this event were nothing earth-shattering, but nevertheless nice improvements. As an advocate user of the iPod Touch, I was curious to find out which innovation the second generation Touch and the new 2.1 firmware would bring.
2G iPod Touch
From a design perspective, it looks even more like the iPhone. Silver bezel, volume buttons and tapered design like the iPhone 3G. So it looks nice as expected, and the volume buttons are a great addition to the best media player on the market. It will be very convenient not having to turn on the device every time you only want to adjust the volume. I know that the tapered design feels great in the hand, the original Touch is a bit too thin to hold comfortably for a long period.
The new Touch doesn’t seem to add much functionality, except from the integrated speaker (which wasn’t mentioned by anybody before the event, for all I know). The speaker is a surprise and also the first thing that I would really love to have on mine. And it makes the gap between the iPhone and Touch even smaller. The second added function is audio input on the headphone jack, all new iPods received this functionality. Using an optional headset with mic, the large memory capacity of the iPods is great for audio recording. It’s even more useful on the Touch, since it paves the way for VOIP over Wi-Fi (Apple stated that they won’t block VOIP). So users who hate carrier restrictions won’t need a special modification. For me, it’s less useful.
Some websites speculated that it would have GPS, which didn’t turned out to be true. When the rumors appeared, I took them with a large grain of salt. The iPhone/iPod Touch has (still) no turn-by-turn navigation, so the GPS is only used with Google Maps and location based services. They both require an intenet connection, for which the Touch needs WiFi of course. But how much sense does it make to have GPS if you’re tied to hotspots? Exactly, that was my take on this story as well.
I was disappointed about the memory though, which didn’t went up to a maximum of 64 GB. Now it’s not like I actually need such a large capacity, as I filled about 16 gigs on my 32 GB Touch. No, it’s just obvious to me that if they aren’t able to squeeze in more memory, then we probably won’t see a 32 GB iPhone by next year. Don’t get me wrong, I have great respect for the engineers at Apple for getting so much stuff in such a small package. However, I am liking my Touch so much that I will probably go after the third generation iPhone. But if I do so, 16 GB won’t be enough for my complete music library, movies and applications. And on an iPod, I WANT/NEED my whole music library…
4G Nano
Everything what was predicted about the new Nano was true. Same design as the leaked shots, with the wide screen suited for landscape movie viewing, and the available color scheme. If you think about it, it looks just like the older Nano (except for the bigger screen of course). I haven’t read anywhere before the announcement that the Nano also had a built-in accelerometer, so that’s also sweet for the people who will buy it. If you look at the picture (click to view it at full size), it seems that it uses a different interface then the iPod classic. The latter still uses the traditional interface, whereas the Nano looks more like the Touch and iPhone in comparison.
2.1 firmware
As expected, the new firmware debuted on the second generation Touch. I can’t say much about it, since the details about it on the interwebs are very scharse to say the least (i.e. non-existent). I will report about as soon as I get to update my device. I do know that for current users, the update will cost $9.95. Fortunately, current users who already bought the previous 2.0 update can get the 2.1 firmware for free.
iTunes 8
The genius recommendations functionality was also already out and about in the blogosphere, Apple doesn’t seem to be as tight-lipped as they were before. Or is it just me? It seems very nice, I’m eager to try out how good it works with my music collection. The fact that you can also start a new genius playlist on the go is a major advantage, as the current on-the-go playlist functionality is kind of limited. Last and least, there is a new view for audio and video.
Pictures courtesy of AppleInsider.
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