Previously I had stated that I wouldn't be buying the Ipod Touch upgrade for $20.00. But I have to report that being one of a weak disposition when it comes to matters of technology have since handed over my $20 to Mr Jobs.
Was it worth it?
Well all the features (Google maps, email etc) ar cool and work beautifully, but they don't give me anything that my Blackberry doesn't already have and I'm limited to WiFi only. So for me no it wasn't worth it.
On the other hand it did leave me wanting more from my Blackberry which leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to web browsing and apps, but still rules for email.
But yesterday Apple fans around the world brought down engadget.com as they blogged live from the Apple press conference at MacWorld.
What is really amazing about the Apple press conference is that they announce products and technologies that are available on the day of the announcement and not 6 months later, for this you have to love them.
On the other had I didn’t see anything that exciting.
First some new apps for iPhone and iPod Touch – which is cool, but I as a Touch customer have to pay $20!!!! I need to ask why? When it is free to new customers – No Thanks Steve I’ll wait for the SDK and some 3rd party products.
Second a great update to Apple TV – This is a big step in the right direction but no change in the HW resolution (not yet 1080p) and some restrictions on sharing between ATV, PC and iPod. I’m going to sit this one out for a while and try out Mediashare, VOD and PPV on my HD DVR.
MacBook Air – Wow this is THIN, but at almost $2,000 for the privilege I think I will go ahead and order my wife a Dell Inspiron 1525 for under $1,000 Sorry Apple I wanted to buy, but I just can’t.
But don’t worry I’m still looking for a new desktop and you are still in the running.
I think the I-Tunes store is just great, it works, it has a large selection and Apple set the benchmark for music download pricing - but there is just that DRM niggle, well move over Apple there is a new game in town Amazon MP3 downloads .
Amazon goes that bit further than the iTunes by adding or should I say removing DRM and also reducing the price.
Amazon MP3 has a huge selection of DRM-free MP3 music downloads. They claim over 2 million songs from more than 180,000 artists represented by over 20,000 major and independent labels and if they don't have it for download you can still order the CD, something you can't do on iTunes!!
Most songs are priced from 89 cents to 99 cents, with more than 1 million of the 2 million songs priced at 89 cents. The top 100 best-selling songs are 89 cents, unless marked otherwise. Most albums are priced from $5.99 to $9.99. The top 100 best-selling albums are $8.99 or less, unless marked otherwise. In general I have found the prices to always be less than iTunes
Want to find see what they have are some quick links....
It is pretty simple - first browse the store just like any other Amazon store, you also have a bunch of searches available (most popular, latest release etc), when you find the download you want you can also listen to a 30sec sample.
Found the one you want? then using Amazon 1 Click you buy the song and the Amazon MP3 Downloader does the rest and will also add the song to iTunes or Windows media player.
What's not to love, want to give it a try? then you can download this FREE Apples in Stereo Song.
Don't like that here are some of my favorites that I found in the store
The price of AV cables is crazy, I'm not sure who ever decided that gold plated cables were required but they a marketing genius, so in the interest your wallet my suggestion of the day is........
Before you spend $50 on you next cable CHECK EBAY! In fact before you rush to Radioshack to buy any cable or charger CHECK EBAY.
You should be able to buy the same cable for under $10, often including shipping.
I'm keen to add accessories to my IPod Touch, but I'm being held up by back orders, I guess that is the problem with a new generation of music players.
My first purchase was a Aux Audio cable, for those of you that don't know this is a cable that plugs into the base of the Ipod Touch using a connection similar to the USB cable that comes with the unit and the other end is 3.5mm jack that plugs into my Jeep's stock head unit. The sound quality is perfect and I bough the cable on Ebay for $5.00 from this seller.
Next I wanted a case, a charger and a car holder.
Proclip USA has every car holder a guy could want except one for the IPod Touch or iPhone, but in an email they explained that they should have unit available in November - I'm writing this on 11/29 and so far no news from ProClip.
Next I ordered an ILUV I108 Universal USB Power Adapter and a Griffin Technology 8167-ITCLR iClear Crystal Clear Case from J&R Music but both have been on back order for nearly 4 weeks, so I regrettably canceled the order.
So I already posted that I love my Ipod Touch but that wasn't the full story.
I had pre-ordered my (engraved) 16Gb Ipod Touch ahead of the 9/28 shipping date and when it arrived (directly from China) my wife hid it until my birthday in mid October. So when I opened it the pent up enthusiasm for this device was huge, it was my first Ipod and I was ready to roll.
However immediately I noticed that the left side of the screen was not responsive, if I tried to select Safari or playlist or even type "Q" or "A" it took multiple touches and even then would not always work - so what to do....
My first resource as always was the web and I searched and posted in a couple of forums, with the feedback I received I then...
Did a hard reset
Did a soft reset
Fully charged my Ipod
Re-installed the SW
But with no success the left side of the screen was still poor, it would seem that it would be temporarily improved but then it would revert to being useless again shortly after.
Finally I caved and called Apple support, they asked me to do all of the above again which surprisingly didn't help and then agreed that it could be returned, they sent me a return box and I sent it off. I had initially been reluctant in calling Apple based on the number of horror stories I'd read on line but the call was quick and easy. However after sending off my unit I was worrying again - what would happen when they tested my unit? would they agree it was faulty? what about my engraving? etc etc
I needn't have worried 1 week later a brand new Touch arrived (directly from China) and it worked perfectly - a big relief.
Note: My original was a week 39, and the replacement a week 42 unit.
OK, so I guess I'm the last person to get a an Ipod (or generic MP3 player) in North America. To be honest it surprises me that I have held out so long.
So why did it take so long?
I've been listening to digital music for several years when traveling, first on a discman and more recently on my laptop (which I never seem to travel without).
I've been burning CD's for my Jeep for about 5yrs
I hardly ever use public transport or are another situation when I would listen to a personal music player.
So were these good excuses? in retrospect no. Nothing has changed in my life but I love my Ipod, this isn't probably a revelation to all you early adopters, but I'm not sure why I waited. I have 16Gb of music with me at all times, which is about half my music collection, but plenty to carry around, add to this the sound quality when plugged in to my Jeep or through the headphones and the experience is great.
Add to that some great features that I truly enjoy;
Automatic playlists - my favorites are one for "live" tracks and "best of" albums
Podcasts - What a wealth of content from some of the great broadcasting orgs, think BBC, PBS etc.
The OS - it's beautiful
WiFi browsing
I did have some hardware issues and can suggest some other feature enhancements but that is for another post.
But overall I'm a happy Ipod camper and if like me you've been holding out all I can say is go for it.
