Filed under: iPod Family
Mossberg reviews the iPod touch (he likes it)
If there was a grand poobah of tech journalists it would Walt Mossberg, the tech columnist for the Wall Street Journal. His opinion can make, or break, a product. Luckily for Apple Walt tends to love their stuff, and the iPod touch is no exception.
The iPod touch gets high praise for its iPod functionality, and the mobileSafari addition is welcome. Walt also enjoyed the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store (which I am anxiously awaiting on my iPhone). There are some things he didn't like, though. The battery life fell short of Apple's specs, and the lack of physical controls (the iPhone has physical volume controls) makes it tough to use the iPod touch when it isn't in your hand. The lack of a mail program also gets Walt's goat, but he chalks it up to Apple not wanting to compete too much with the more expensive iPhone (which has a mail program built in).
TUAW readers, are you enjoying your iPod touch as much as Walt?
Get a WordPress.com Blog
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Eric M said 3:04PM on 9-20-2007
I really don't understand the RDF behind Walt Mossberg. Must be too much time in Steve Job's lap.
Reply
Andrew said 3:04PM on 9-20-2007
Other than the fact min ehas like 30 dead pixels and negative blacks i love it. (apple is replacing it they just don't have replacement ones yet).
My one complaint is that it really needs a remote or physical controls. Maybe they will introduce a new remote like the iphone one iwth the mic only without the mic.
That woudl be great. But I hope they do an in ear version of it since those are the only headphones I use. Or an attachment.
Reply
Blair said 3:15PM on 9-20-2007
So... I've had 3 touches with the negative black problems. Went to exchange it for the 4th time today at the Apple store. I got one from week 38 (4th and 5th digits in the serial number) and it looks fantastic. No negative black problem! :)
Reply
James F said 3:20PM on 9-20-2007
I didn't know about the web browser being an afterthought like that.
I wonder if Apple will make a way around the lack of apps. I'd pay $5 for the Mail app on the Touch. Could they open it to that possibility? Whats the state of the hacking?
Reply
Jon P said 3:29PM on 9-20-2007
I like that idea, I'd pay more than 5 for an e-mail/full ical unlock "productivity package." Why wouldnt they do that?
Reply
Jeffi said 3:37PM on 9-20-2007
I have a huge struggle with not having access to editing the calendar. Honestly, I think it's a bit dumb. Yes...I said it...apple is dumb (with this particular setting). We know the software exists (iphone) and the fact that this setting doesn't exist on the touch does not make me take one step closer to the iPhone (which is what they would hope I would do I am guessing). I would snatch one up today if I could edit my own calendar. In fact...I would probably go straight to the apple store right now. I wonder if anyone like me exists out there?
Reply
gunrunforfun said 3:44PM on 9-20-2007
Purely out of curiosity, has Mossberg ever NOT liked an Apple product?
Reply
Quine said 4:08PM on 9-20-2007
I got mine two days ago and It's amazing. The screen is great, there are tons of features compared to any other ipod (or any other music player) so it doesn't feel gimped (though I hope they fix iCal since there's no reason at all to gimp that). Mobile safari is totally sweet, I haven't found a page yet that it can't display perfectly and relatively quickly. Apart from getting the iphone apps onto it, I don't even care about hacking it much - though all the efforts by Erica are awesome!
Reply
Fritz Third said 4:10PM on 9-20-2007
I think he really wanted the iPod Touch to be an iPhone.
Reply
trent said 4:31PM on 9-20-2007
I agree with Blair... The iPod touch is awsome minus the screen issues which mine has and will be replaced, thanks for the s/n tip.. Looks like mine is from week 37 d'oh!
Reply
Joe said 4:58PM on 9-20-2007
The touch is a good device, but eh, I'm not a nano fan and that's exactly what this felt like to me: a nano with a touch screen. It just felt too damn thin. The gimped OS didn't feel right either and, while it may just have been me, it seemed like apps loaded a little sluggishly on the touch. Anyone else think so? I've since returned it (the guys at the apple store were saying how people were killing to get these) and I'm getting a refurb iPhone.
Reply
Stephen said 5:11PM on 9-20-2007
Love it. Not having the negative black problem, just need a good protective case for it. By the way, my first ever iPod, the one I knew they would build someday...needs an FM Tuner though.
Reply
gilmorepheus said 5:36PM on 9-20-2007
Love the iPod Touch, but it really needs Flash built-in for browsing. Plus, how difficult would it have been to add the Google maps (wif-fi edition) and stock ticker functionalities? Hopefully they have a business model in place to sell iPhone/iPod Touch software add-ons through iTunes. I'd pay a few dollars for widgets...
Reply
Darren B said 8:21PM on 9-20-2007
You can check to see which retailers are in stock for the iPod Touch at:
www.ipodtouchlocator.com
There are some retailers that are already shipping, though you have to be quick.
Reply
Ben the Dog said 9:35PM on 9-20-2007
"I wonder if anyone like me exists out there?"
Me!
Since the iPhone won't make it to my shores for at least another 6 months, I was hoping for an iPod with PDA-like functionality. Not too bothered by a mail program though, given that most of my mail is web-based.
Will be interested to see whether some hacks come out for the calendar. If they do, I'd be tempted to get one, hack it up, and then not update the software a whole lot...
Looks like a lovely by of kit, and given that I only have about 20Gig of music (and listen to about 1/4 of it), the size isn't a problem for me.
Reply
Richie said 9:46PM on 9-20-2007
I'm down with you Jerri. I had my $50 Apple gift card in hand, ready to pick up an iTouch other day, and then the reality of the iCal input and lack of a mail app stopped me cold. I've been an Apple user (yeah, fanboy) since 1983, and it took these foolish little gimp steps by Apple to get my dander up enough to email them a complaint. I have a Palm Tungsten E2 I'd love to throw aside, but without iCal input, I might as well just keep using my 3G iPod. And, as a .Mac subscriber, don't I deserve a chance to use a mail app if I'm on wifi? So why not just get an iPhone? Well, I already have a large family plan phone that's stuck on T-mobile, don't need the added monthly costs of a data plan, and 8gb is just too small. I really hope that Apple didn't make a deal with the devil (ATT), that's forcing contractual limitations on their other products for years to come. I hope Steve hears out our strong opinions, and reconsiders these limitations. Like that little rebate incident he had to deal with recently.
Reply
Cory said 9:46PM on 9-20-2007
Hey - mine I ordered from the Apple online store has a status change.
"Prepared for Shipment"
Reply
artifex said 10:02PM on 9-20-2007
Why do you need a remote for something that's supposed to go in your pocket?
Reply
Anthony said 11:01PM on 9-20-2007
@ calendar / email posts,
The iPod touch is a media player device. Complaining that it doesn't replace your PDA is just lame.
Reply
Ben the Dog said 2:22AM on 9-21-2007
@19 - Not complaining, just observing.
Plus, for most of us not living in iPhone areas (life exists outside of USA you know), there isn't an iPhone v iPod touch choice that you have.
I'm in no hurry though, happy to let you USA based folk to the beta testing for the rest of us...
Reply