Apple released three new iPods yesterday - a widescreen video iPod Nano, a gigantic iPod Classic, and an iPod Touch. The iPod Touch is essentially an iPhone without a phone/data network, and with the newly added functionality of wireless iTunes when a wireless network is available.
At first glance I was extremely excited about the iPod Touch. It is an iPhone with a bigger hard drive, a slimmer (under a third of an inch), lighter figure (4.2 ounces is lighter than my camera), full screen video, and wireless browsing via Safari web browser. Do I run out and buy one as soon as its on the shelves?
But then I started to think. $399 plus tax and insurance, will probably run close to $600 all said and done. I don't buy music from iTunes though, so wireless iTunes means nothing to me. I don't even have new mp3's anymore since I am hooked on Rhapsody, so 16gb isn't that important to me. And wireless browsing without guaranteed access due to lack of wi-fi in many areas means I can't keep up on RSS feeds the way I want to throughout the day. So what am I really getting out of this?
If I buy the iPod Touch it will be the smallest version, probably without a rebate, and I will mostly use it as a mobile computer whenever I'm on a trip. And it will be because I can't resist playing with the browser. Otherwise I'll buy the Creative Zen 16 GB which lets me play divx files and use Rhapsody, and a Backberry Pearl 2 when it comes out for Verizon in November.
