Contrary to what most people may think, Apple did not invent the portable media player. In fact, several mp3 players were already released by other companies before Apple even unveiled the very first iPod. Nevertheless, Apple’s iPod has been so much of a success, and their marketing so thorough that for years, people have been thinking that the iPod was the first and only mp3 player in the market.
The iPod, although not the first of its kind, has nevertheless propelled Apple into the top ranks of the industry. Spanning a total of almost ten years in the market, the iPod has already seen several major upgrades and revisions. Every major refurbishment is called a generation. To date, the iPod has five models: classic, mini, nano shuffle and touch. Each model has been upgraded several times. Only the latest generation iPods for each model are available in the market today.
The iPod Touch is the latest model in the iPod’s line. Spanning four generations, the iPod Touch is as close to perfect as any portable media player could get. But would it be enough for the discerning owner? We’ve recently put one under scrutiny to find out whether or not the iPod truly lives up to its dominance in the market. We will be reviewing the iPod Touch as end users, therefore focusing on the factors that would most affect the iPod Touch’s performance and appeal to regular customers.
iPod Touch Hardware
After almost a decade of development, one can hardly expect the iPod Touch to be just a portable media player. In fact, several users have touted the iPod Touch to be anything and everything but a phone (we have the iPhone for that).
The fourth generation iPod Touch does not seem to have any major facelifts deviating from the standard Touch design. The device retains its previous build, glass front and metal back, despite the iPhone 4′s departure from the classic design with its glass-sandwich innovation. The iPod Touch, however, is thinner than previous generations and even the iPhone 4 which has been touted to be the thinnest iPhone in the line. The general setup and location of the usual buttons remains the same save for one exception: The iPod Touch now sports a camera on the back and another one on the front, both allowing owners of the latest iPod Touch to take advantage of the FaceTime application readily available in the market
The Insides
The iPod has been tinkered and tweaked almost incessantly ever since its inception. The latest iPod Touch is a far cry from the very first iPod released by Apple. With the A4 processor powering the device, it is capable of several functions that even Steve Jobs himself couldn’t have predicted possible on the iPod a decade ago. The fourth generation iPod Touch packs the same processor as the iPhone four and the original iPad allowing for similar performance on what is supposed to be just a portable media player.
The iPod Touch still doesn’t have an internal GPS chip, much to the chagrin of iPod fans. Apples reluctance to add GPS support on the iPod Touch has been puzzling to most as there are already several apps that would be able to take advantage of this feature. The device’s processing power proves capable enough to handle any GPS related application, making the iPod Touch one function less without any clear reason.
The iPod Touch’s camera proves itself capable enough, but not on the iPhone 4’s level. The guys at Apple have attributed the lower end camera to a lack of space. The iPod Touch’s super slim design practically prevents any better camera to be installed. It is, however, sufficient enough to be used for FaceTime and other video and camera related applications so no one is really complaining too hard—it is after all, the first iPod to have a camera.
Software
The fourth generation iPod Touch comes bundled with Apple’s iOS 4 operating system. If you’ve used an iPhone before, particularly the iPhone 4 (as it comes with the same operating system), you’ll see no difference in performance. Tests have shown the iPod Touch’s performance with this OS to be in top shape. Playing games is faster than ever without any of the occasional lag suffered by previous releases. Multitasking on the device, with its powerful processor, works like a charm—a very welcome selling point as switching from playing music to whatever else the iPod Touch is capable of doing is done effortlessly and without any hitches to performance.
Now with cameras, the iPod Touch can take advantage of several apps available in the market that would take advantage of this nifty addition. One such app is FaceTime. The major difference between this application on the iPod Touch and the iPhone 4 is that it uses your email address in order to place calls, instead of the regular phone number.
Games on the device are better than ever. With the more than capable processor, the iPod Touch’s gaming performance skyrockets, particularly compared to its predecessors.
Conclusion
The iPod Touch comes from a long line of portable audio devices developed for almost a decade. It is not surprising that is the top performing, if not the only, competitive portable media device on the market. With a decade’s worth of development, the iPod Touch has really only a few serious flaws—no GPS would be one.
However, despite the lack of a GPS function, the iPod Touch is foremost a portable audio device, and it has proven to be an excellent one. The iPod Touch also comes bundled with several other functions that almost make this an “all in one” device. For the discerning critic, the iPod Touch may have some flaws, but it still isn’t enough to bring it down from its pedestal.
The iPod has always dominated the market ever since the first generation devices were released. With this latest generation in the latest model of the iPod line released, Apple once again secures their hold on the market.
Recent Comments