iPhone and iPod Touch Updates: The Good and The Bad

While I'm not yet a Mac convert, I've always been an iPod convert. I bought my first iPod in September of 2003 and can't say I complained. Reminiscing, it was a 40GB 3rd generation that I paid $475 for on eBay. It wasn't cheap, and I was fresh out of college, so it put a huge dent in my savings for a good period of time.

But I can't say I was disappointed in that investment. However, I always looked forward to something bigger. When the iPod Touches were announced in November, I ordered one immediately. It came and I have to say it's pretty awesome. I didn't go with the iPhone because I didn't need the iPlan. :) I wanted a PDA with music capabilities. My Treo 755p suits me just fine.

And so when the iPhone jailbreak was announced, I was hesitant. In the end, I caved, but only for awhile. After all, they weren't going to brick my iPod Touch -- it's not a phone. I ran with the hacked iPod Touch for a few weeks until the new iPod update came out. You know, after all that talk, the hacked iPod interface is really overrated. There's not a lot of software there yet. There's certainly not a lot of worthwhile software yet. The coolest thing by far is the game Labyrinth, which is much like playing the real Labyrinth on your PDA. But is it worth the hack? Not to me.

So when Apple came out with the 1.1.2 update, I updated and didn't hack back. And then Apple came out with the announcement that you'd have to pay $20 for another 5 applications: Stocks, Maps, Weather, Notepad, and Mail.

I caved for that too.

It's pretty cool, and the update is sweet. Icons now wiggle when you hold them for a few seconds (if you have one, press the home button to remove the wiggling). You can add your favorite bookmarks to the home page. It's not a bad deal.

The only gripe I have is that early adopters have been slighted -- again. This time, there was a $20 fee for these five applications when they should've really only cost $0. New iPod Touch owners get the applications without paying any extra costs. Why is it that Apple's product investors are getting slammed every time?

Still, beyond that gripe, I anxiously await the time when Apple will allow developers to develop good applications for the iPod Touch and iPhone though. Come on, guys, this baby has potential!

[lasher511]

I too was an early adopter but i really could not be bothered complaining about having to pay the $20 for the apps. What i paid for when i bought my ipod was the ipod minus those apps and i was happy with my purchase. So why should i be unhappy just because something new came out that i diddn't originally get. Early adopters always pay extra and its the price you pay for being one of the first people to own that device.

I also can't wait for the SDK in feb.

[happygeek]

I updated on the day of release, like thousands of others I suspect. I have no regrets as it does make the iTouch a much better device all round IMHO.

However, I did barf a little at the cost (£12.99 in the UK which works out to around $25) as you just know that in a few months, or maybe a year, it will be Apple caving and making the update available as a freebie.

I have not even been tempted by the jailbreak stuff, simply because there is no compelling software out there to make me void the warranty.

[tamar]

It seems that Apple doesn't get it, though. It's the second time that they're really turning off early adopters. Maybe we just shouldn't buy in immediately. There are no benefits for people who do.