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Mossberg: iPod touch pleasing, but hampered

updated 10:40 am EDT, Thu September 20, 2007

Mossberg on iPod touch


Famed columnist Walt Mossberg has put the iPod touch through its paces, delivering a mixed review. He praises some aspects of the new device, mainly its attractive namesake interface, which replicates that of the iPhone while offering some unique additions. These include double-tapping the Home button to bring up music controls at any time, or double-tapping the keyboard's Space button to insert a period, a common feature of BlackBerries but not the iPhone. Mossberg also favors the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, which lets users buy tracks anywhere with Wi-Fi access, and have them synched with iTunes after returning to a computer.

Music, video and web-browsing (including YouTube) are described as operating "perfectly," but Mossberg complains that the software on the Touch is needlessly limited, and should be able to exploit many more features found on the iPhone. The Touch lacks a dedicated e-mail program, for instance, and Mossberg accuses Apple of deliberately crippling the Touch so that it would not compete with the iPhone.

Also noted is that while Apple claims the Touch can play music for 22 hours straight, Mossberg's sample units lasted just 17 hours, with video performance similarly sub-par at four hours instead of the marketed five. Normally, Mossberg says, iPods often exceed Apple's battery specifications.

His players have not, however, experienced any of the reported issues with defective screens, in which images are darker than intended. Mossberg comments that Apple claims to be fixing the problem, and that it only ever affected a small number of shipping iPods.


by MacNN Staff

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  1. Flying Meat

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    Joined: Jan 2007

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    09/20, 11:48am | report spam | Reply |

    i'm still baffled

    How can they provide wi-fi apps like Browser and iTunes store access, but not mail?

    That is such an obvious exclusion that you can't help but think the worst about Apple for it.

    Smooth one, Steve.

  1. cblackmo

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    09/20, 12:41pm | report spam | Reply |

    logic vs. whim

    First of all - cheers to macnn for an article free of annoying grammar and spelling mistakes!!

    I think it's a bit unfair to accuse Apple of crippling the iPod touch as some kind of trick to protect iPhone sales. It's just a logical decision. Apple has the dilema of providing customers with two products that are increasingly converging while staying true to their product matrix - making sure the iPod touch remains an iPod. So of course it won't have features that the iPhone (or most other smartphones) has - news flash - it's not a smartphone.

    It doesn't help Apple's case that the two devices share the same design platform. But I suppose it's a good thing that they do such a good job of raising the bar, people forget where the old bar used to be.

  1. testudo

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    09/20, 12:55pm | report spam | Reply |

    Re: I'm still baffled

    Because that's what Apple does. Its business model is defined by making specifically tailored products for specific markets. They hope they get more people up-ticking their products. So if you want an iPod touch, but also want mail, or a camera, or Google Maps, they hope you're desire for that one extra item is enough to push you to the high-end model.

    They do it with all their lines. If you want a MacBook, but want a 15" screen, they hope you're desire for the screen size will offset you lack of desire to fork over another $1000 and buy the bigger model (since Apple is like the only laptop manufacturer that doesn't make an affordable large-screen laptop).

    Or if the iMac is the perfect beast for you, but you want a replacable graphics card, here's the MacPro and another $1500 to the rescue!

  1. chadpengar

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    09/20, 01:21pm | report spam | Reply |

    re: @ testudo

    Your examples testudo don't work. The Macbook Pro is an upgrade to the Macbook. The iPhone is NOT an upgrade to the iPod Touch. The iPhone requires a service plan which disqualifies it as an upgrade path using your logic.

    Tey really are artificially limiting the iPod Touch and it should have those other internet things on it that are missing. It is not going to cannabalize too many iPhones due to the need to buy a service plan with the iPhone.

  1. alansky

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    09/20, 01:56pm | report spam | Reply |

    Mixed review???

    I would hardly call Walt Mossberg's review "mixed!" That's a gross distortion of what he actually said, which was this:

    Apple's new iPod touch "is a great media player, and the iPod remains the best end-to-end portable solution for playing and purchasing music and video..."

    If you insist on stoning Apple, MacNN, you could at least have the guts to admit it.

  1. MacnnGregor

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    09/20, 02:01pm | report spam | Reply |

    Its the economy dummy.

    Simple idea:

    1. The iPod of any stripe is a media player, not a communications device.

    2. The iPhone is a communications device that also plays media.

    Once you admit to that, then both lines can evolve accordingly. Make a choice based upon what you need.

    I would agree that the iPhone needs to be open to other contracts or availble to be a communications device sans the phone part, but that still doen't mean Apple should confuse the two separate functions.

    Maybe when the telecom industry gets sorted out more and all of the infrastructure has somehow been paid off, there will truly be only one device that does it all and does it inexpensively, but it is the industry and not the consumer that is keeping things up in the air and causing such wierd hybridized devices and service contracts that we see now.

    I'm sure Jobs would rather just have one line of iPods and let us pay for all the services and media on it, but the industry is not so simple.

  1. testudo

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    09/20, 03:37pm | report spam | Reply |

    Re: logic vs whim



    I think it's a bit unfair to accuse Apple of crippling the iPod touch as some kind of trick to protect iPhone sales. It's just a logical decision. Apple has the dilema of providing customers with two products that are increasingly converging while staying true to their product matrix - making sure the iPod touch remains an iPod. So of course it won't have features that the iPhone (or most other smartphones) has - news flash - it's not a smartphone.

    I don't buy it. What's this magical delineation between smartphone and music device? I mean, they added a browser. Once you've done that, its a communications device. So then saying "Oh, its not really a communications device, its just for browsing", then why have a keyboard. Or why have the ability to edit contacts? Why NOT Google Maps? What is so special about the iPhone and its 'communication' needs that makes Maps an obvious inclusion, but the iPod not?

  1. Flying Meat

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    09/20, 04:20pm | report spam | Reply |

    re: re: baffled

    I'm not buying it (literally).

    If you provide web services like browsing and iTunes store purchase access, there is NO legitimate excuse for excluding a mail service too.

  1. ender

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    09/20, 10:17pm | report spam | Reply |

    events

    I can accept removing Mail as a differentiator between the touch and the iPhone. That's a pretty significant jump in functionality from previous iPods. But iPods have had contacts and calendars for years. Now they've made a minor improvement to that existing functionality by allowing you to add/edit contacts. But to then not allow add/edit of events in the calendar? Arbitrary, confusing, inconsistent, and just plain stupid.

  1. lurkerdude

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    09/21, 02:25am | report spam | Reply |

    yeah really

    There's no reason for any artificial differentiation like adding/removing software components. The differences are already significant enough IMO. What does a $399 iphone have? Camera, phone, bluetooth and sms. What does a $399 iPod Touch have? Twice the capacity.

    Personally, the music capabilities of my iPhone are probably what I use the least. I've even used that stupid Weather widget more (the music player does beat out the calculator though). And even though EDGE is kind of crappy, if I don't have that, then I don't use most of those features.

    I really doubt putting the email widget or anything else in is going to confuse people are undercut phone sales. Apple should reconsider.

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