iPod Touch Revelation/Revolution

Now, let me start off by informing you that I am not a big iPod fan. In fact, when it came down to design, features and functionality, I was not impressed at all --the click wheel never did it for me. Especially considering that they weren't the only audio players out there (as many had thought, or were at least convinced by Apple's genius marketing). What the competition had been producing in regards to digital audio players far outweighed that of what the iPods were bringing to the table.

Many of you I'm sure, have already become aware of the iPod Touch that was presented in Jobs' keynote this past week. And keeping in mind my earlier sentiments about the iPod, I welcome a new era in the digital media player age. I am going to have to start off by saying how impressed I am by the direction that Apple is taking with the next generation of music/video players (iPod Classic and nano excluded). Incorporating Wi-Fi into a media player that small, let alone producing a gorgeous and intuitive interface is a milestone in how we will interact with our mobile devices.

Many directly looked at the 8GB and 16GB(flash based) capacity and were disappointed. While it might be a drawback for some users that wish to archive all their music on the device, for me and I'm sure many others, it is appropriate enough. Songs will be downloadable directly to the Touch off of a wireless connection, and ready to automatically upload them to your computer upon connection. Apple has also partnered up with Starbucks to offer you free Wi-Fi from within the shops. So when you hear that song playing over the speakers while sipping on a Grande Caramel Macchiato, reach for the Touch and simply hit the Starbucks logo icon and that particular song is available for download, including countless others. Unfortunately Apple has only announced this for within the U.S and so far I've heard no word of it coming to Canada. Starting Oct 2 in New York and gradually progressing through the months into Seattle, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and eventually reaching Chicago in March of 2008, I wouldn't hold your breathe for any signs pointing to Toronto or Vancouver in the upcoming six months, regrettably probably even longer.

With that said, I believe the Touch is no longer confined to a string of terms that would describe it as a portable media device. With Mac OS X on the Touch, I would hope that all those beautiful and useful third party apps that have been steadily releasing for the iPhone will be available on the Touch as well; truly harnessing its Wi-Fi capabilities. I might be jumping the gun here, but if true, you would have an 8mm thick Pocket PC that natively handles movies and music, and on top of that allows for access to most of your web needs. For me this is a significant factor since I operate mostly through the internet(Gmail, RSS, etc) and see this as massive added value to my purchase. At a CA$329 price point for an 8GB portable media/internet device, this seems like a very competitive product.

Slowly moving on...it seems that with the advent of the iPod Touch, Jobs expresses his distaste for mobile carrier tyrants. The Touch is essentially an iPhone sans the phone part. What does this mean for all those poor souls who wanted the iPhone but weren't able to due to price, or worse yet having to switch from their current carrier to AT&T? That's right, retribution, and Steve's with you. Let's admit, the phone part of the iPhone isn't all that great to begin with. But the interface, and the svelte design is absolutely stunning. So now, everyone is able (or at least has a chance) to enjoy this sexiness. And by Apple making the Touch available before the iPhone in Europe and Canada, carriers are left scrambling to find a better way to please us. Let's hope they listen.

Shipping later this month, the iPod Touch ushers in a new era of design and mobile experience.

Cheque please.