Genre: Portable Music Player and then some
Make: Apple Techie Score: 4 / 5 (almost perfect)
I had never been a big fan of Apple. (There, I said it)
The primary reason for this is that I found the prices of their products leaning too much on the high side. This made their image highly desirable for many because of it's upmarket appeal. That didn't matter much to me because there were quite a number of products in the market that did the same things but whose point of acquisition was much lower.
It wasn't until recently that Apple seems to have stepped down a notch and their pricing made much more sense. Either that, or everybody else started increasing their prices or I was finally earning enough to afford an Apple product. This makes the 4th gen iPod touch my first Apple product.
A number of factors actually influenced my decision to get one of these contraptions. The main reason being is that it is now equipped with a camera that can take decent stills and pretty good HD videos at 720p. Add to that tons of these so called "apps" from the Apple App Store and you have yourself a decent gadget that will give photographers days and days of creative fun. Speaking of apps, it's not just about photography. There are games, notebooks, organizers, calendars, flash cards, and even apps that you probably won't have any practical use for. It is not just a music player anymore, the iPod has become a dedicated personal assistant and mini computer.
I bought it because I can now tailor it to fit my purpose. It is no longer just a gadget. It serves my needs as a portable music player, a photography buddy and personal assistant (one that I can bring home with the wife not batting an eyelash). Plus, at the current price point of the entry level 8GB model, it's already a pretty good deal. I dont't know if that is my honest opinion or if it's just because I can afford to buy one now, but the bottom line is, I like it for what it can do now compared to what it was doing as a music player when it was first introduced in the market. In fact, I like so much, I bought another one for the wife.
It is not without it's flaws of course. The still camera, though good, is not great. My ageing C902 can take better pictures than the one with the iPod touch. The battery life also leaves a lot to be desired. Used primarily as a music player, it's fine, it can last me 2 or 3 days of pure listening enjoyment. However, factor in the use of the camera and the apps, it rapidly depletes the usage to one day. My son played with some games for a total of 1 hour (four 15 minute gaming sessions), I scribbled a few notes and accessed Facebook for less than an hour. The next day, I had to re-charge it early in the morning.
The camera deficit is easily rectified by the apps that support the camera function, but the battery life is just too short for something that has evolved into a mini-computer. Granted, most netbooks only work for a little over an hour, but those are dedicated computers with power hungry processors. As it is, the iPod is a great companion. Improved battery life will definitely have made it perfect.
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