The new iPhones have fantastic sounds. Rich and full is how I would describe it. They must have had it tuned to those new white headsets. I think it sounds fabulous now.
Hopefully, the new iPods will get the same treatment. It's probably a combination of better chipset and better firmware which tunes the output.
Skype has been on the iPhone/iPod touch for a long, long time. There are other third-party apps that also feature Skype functionality (Nimbuzz, fring).
There are probably forty or fifty VoIP apps including a bunch of SIP clients which you can use with whatever SIP provider you choose. I use Acrobits Softphone with Gizmo5 SIP on my iPod touch. With Google Voice and push notifications, this has allowed me to make calls back to the United States from abroad.
Skype/VoIP/SIP functionality has been on iOS devices for ages.
Wake up and get with the program, please!
What are you talking about? You are obviously not a Skype user. No push notifications, no background multitasking, no Bluetooth (that part is not their fault) make it a less than stellar phone.
Well, if they also add the rumored camera, there's geotagging the photos you take. I would guess that might be the biggest use of GPS on an iPhone. It's just that people don't notice it because it's buried in the EXIF metadata of their photos. Apple's MacOS photo software also allows you to use a geotagged iPhone photo as a baseline to geotag photos you take with another camera. So a touch with GPS and a camera could also be used for that. (Of course, a slow-start up time for the GPS would frustrate users who just turn on their touch to grab a quick picture.)
And even if you could only use the Maps app when on wifi, it would be useful for it to know where you are. If you are getting directions to someplace, chances are you are leaving from where you are now.
That sounds useful and marketable but how effective are they? I've seen Eye-Fi for years and never understood the appeal unless your mostly taking pictures in densely populated areas since it requires WiFi to grab your location. I have o wonder if they aren't using GPS because it would take too long to lock on.
Technically speaking, Apple has all the components to allow you to take picture after picture before the GPS lock takes place, with the coordinates then being added after the fact, once a lock has been established and you've left te location.
By that I mean, the compass and accelerometer could used to accurately track your distance between snapshots, then could be used to extrapolate your previous locations and added to the EXIF data.
There are obvious caveats, but perhaps it could ask you to varify or let you alter it with the Maps API right from Photos on the iPod Touch.
Quote:
Originally Posted by iGuessSo
@solipsism: You seriously don't think the iPhone is overpriced at $700?
iPod Touch - $200
iPad - $500
iPhone - $700
Uh.... I think the margin must be at least a little fatter on that last one.
32GB iPod Touch is $299
32GB iPad WiFi+3G is $729
32GB iPhone is $699
Why did you chose the least expensive models of the first two and the most expensive of the last one while ignoring comparing them as equally as possible, I'll chock up to a simple oversight, not a blatant attempt at fudging the numbers.
So why is the iPhone only $30 less than the iPad. Surely it's larger so it costs more. But wait! In computers it cost money to shrink things. But it's also a new product and Apple may have underpriced it considering how poorly tablets did the decade prior and general lack of need compared to a PC or phone, which are oft considered necessities. In fact, judging by the demand they did price it too low, by $100 on all models.
So why is the iPhone $400 more than the iPod Touch. The cellular and GPS chips in the iPhone account for $130 But wait! Have you seen the iFixit teardowns of each. The iPad looks simple compared to double-stacked silicon in the iPhone. Regardless, that won't account for the other $270.
So let's consider the product types. iPhone is Apple's flagship product while the iPod, even the Touch, is not. It often seems to get cheaper components, like a display that isn't quite as good (though the same resolution).
But none of that is of consequence. The entire iPod line has plateaued, so it can't demand the same profit margin, and it's possible it's used as a gateway to those who are afraid to or can't switch phones and carrier right now, so it's sold at a lower margin to attract people to the iPhone as their next sale.
Companies do this all the time, so I wonder why it's always seen as the iPod Touch being priced "correctly" and the iPhone being priced "incorrectly". There is no universal right or wrong in this case, it's what you are willing to pay or not pay. I returned my iPad because it wasn't right for me and have interest in any iPod anymore. Only the $300 iPhone holds my interest. Surely not the Nexus One. How much are those for 32GB?
Finally, let's not forget th subsidy. You pay the same for data, at least on AT&T, if you paid for your phone upfront or not, so the point is moot for pretty much every iPhone user, at least in the US. I paid the same for my 32GB iPhone as I would have for the 32GB Touch, but I get a phone with data and don't have to carry a separate device.
So how is that is overpriced if the convenience and product is worth the expense to their intended market?
PS: Always remember, it's about supply and demand and each year the iPhone seems to be sold out a lot longer than the iPod Touch.
A new report alleges that Apple's next iPod touch, expected to arrive this September, will have a 5 megapixel camera, capture HD video, feature FaceTime connectivity, and include a gyroscope, like the iPhone 4.
U.K. retailer John Lewis said the information is based on "noises we're hearing from suppliers," according to electricpig.co.uk. Though no mention was specifically made of a forward-facing camera at the company's presentation in London, it did say that FaceTime calling over Wi-Fi would be possible "so you can communicate with friends at zero cost."
The purported details of Apple's new iPod touch were revealed at the John Lewis "Xmas in July" event. The retailer also claimed that the new iPod touch will include a camera flash for improved pictures in the dark, like the iPhone 4. It also said that users would be able to upload their HD videos directly to YouTube from the device, over Wi-Fi.
Finally, John Lewis also said the new iPod touch is expected to include both an accelerometer and a gyroscope. The hardware addition already found in the iPhone 4 allows a new, more precise control method for game titles on the App Store.
The company made no mention whether the iPod touch would receive some of the other additions of the iPhone 4, namely the 640-by-960 pixel Retina Display, or Apple's custom-built A4 processor.
Apple was originally rumored to add a camera to its iPod touch at last year's annual September iPod event, but the feature was allegedly pulled due to bad parts with the camera modules. But the Cupertino, Calif., company did add a video camera to last year's updated iPod nano.
If it comes with a Retina display, I'll probably buy one.
You can pretend you only paid $200 for your iPhone if you like but it's really either $700 or maybe $2600 if you include the AT&T subsidy over two years, take your pick.
No way the cell gps and camera add anywhere near the premium they get over the Touch. Yes I do believe the Touch is priced correctly. If Apple turned it into an IP phone it could rule the world.
Edit: oh and $229 for +16gb +3G on the iPad? Apple knows how to upsell at a very nice margin.
I've always wondered how FaceTime would work to devices that doesn't have telephony, such as computers and iPod touches. How does the initiating device know where to call? I thought that FaceTime uses telephony for discovery and handshaking. Does anyone have a good take on this?
Ah! Good question, that...
Think about it. On the iPod Touch, it would probably have links to the upcoming Game Centre (or whatever it's going to be called). So there would probably be an element of Social Networking about it, possibly allied to iChat, and there you have it... FaceTime as a visual, real-time, gaming FaceBook will sweep the floor with the youthful crowd and save their cellular minutes as well by using Wi-Fi / VoIP.
You can pretend you only paid $200 for your iPhone if you like but it's really either $700 or maybe $2600 if you include the AT&T subsidy over two years, take your pick.
No way the cell gps and camera add anywhere near the premium they get over the Touch. Yes I do believe the Touch is priced correctly. If Apple turned it into an IP phone it could rule the world.
You still don't understand. In a free market the product's price is base on what the consumer is willing to pay, not what 'a' consumer is willing to pay (because I know right now you what to call people fanboys and iSheep). If suitable competition happens then the price will lower accordingly. Right now, no one is even close to competing with any of markets Apple sells most their HW in. If you think you can do better for less then you have the right to show them up, but otherwise stop your whining. If you hate Capitalism and the free market so much then move somewhere it won't affect you, but we both know that's not what you hate, you hate the companies that are successful AND sell products you secretly want.
BTW, your argument that my carrier cost should be included is so incredibly weak. What other smartphone would be different? How much would my AT&T plan be if I bought at Nexus One at full price plus a slow Class II (2Mb/s) Micro-SD card to put in it? Or any other smartphone or that matter? how about if I then bought an iPod Touch to use alongside that smartphone so I have a decent PMP to use?
Quote:
Edit: oh and $229 for +16gb +3G on the iPad? Apple knows how to upsell at a very nice margin.
Ah, so the original prices you listed were intended and objectivity and fair-mindedness had nothing to do with your post. I think I know Whig poster you used to be now. Ignore list for you.
You still don't understand. In a free market the product's price is base on what the consumer is willing to pay, not what 'a' consumer is willing to pay (because I know right now you what to call people fanboys and iSheep). If suitable competition happens then the price will lower accordingly. Right now, no one is even close to competing with any of markets Apple sells most their HW in. If you think you can do better for less then you have the right to show them up, but otherwise stop your whining. If you hate Capitalism and the free market so much then move somewhere it won't affect you, but we both know that's not what you hate, you hate the companies that are successful AND sell products you secretly want.
This is so far off the mark it's practically funny. How do you jump from my belief that the profit margin on an iPhone is MUCH higher than it is on the iPod Touch that a) I hate capitalism b) what a consumer is willing to pay proves the profit margin is not higher and c) even mentioning any of this means I hate capitalism and should move to Cuba.
Obviously the sales figures and Apple's profits prove that the iPhone is not 'overpriced' above what consumers are willing to pay. But the prices we (happily or reluctantly) pay are a direct result of the hamstrung bent over position the cell phone carriers have put us in. Kindle and the iPad have both shown that 3G data can be uncoupled from the ridiculous voice contract charges the cell companies get away with.
I would love to see the Touch become a VOIP phone feature matched with the iPhone. Apple probably has more of a chance to pull off a truly disruptive game changer for that industry than anyone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism
BTW, your argument that my carrier cost should be included is so incredibly weak. What other smartphone would be different? How much would my AT&T plan be if I bought at Nexus One at full price plus a slow Class II (2Mb/s) Micro-SD card to put in it? Or any other smartphone or that matter? how about if I then bought an iPod Touch to use alongside that smartphone so I have a decent PMP to use?
Your mother would say: "If your friends jumped off a cliff to their death, does that mean you should too?" Just because the other cell companies also rip us off with alacrity doesn't mean we're paying a fair price.
It would be awesome to see future MacBooks integrate an A4 processor and iOS side-by-side with OSX. The benefit would be an instant-on browsing/App experience for when full OSX is overkill. This could mean ridiculous battery life and further integration with iPhone/iPod.
I don't want to run iPhone/iPad apps on a MacBook. You would not get "ridiculous" battery life when you are still powering a hard drive and much larger display. If you want instant-on browsing/app experience, maybe you should learn about the Sleep feature of the Mac and MacBook. Waking from Sleep provides the same instant-on browsing/app experience too.
I agree... Make it an iPhone without the phone part. Wouldn't that just be simpler? I know it would make everyone that buys them happy.
What about an iPod touch with all the enmities of the iPad plus A4 processor, the Retina display, GPS, compass, two cameras, gyroscope, accelerometer, etc. for face time. This way you can have WiFi and 3G without a voice contract, only a data plan. Then add in your favorite VoIP app and your all good. I currently use Whistle on my iPad and it works great on WiFi and 3G.
Comments
Hopefully, the new iPods will get the same treatment. It's probably a combination of better chipset and better firmware which tunes the output.
What are you talking about?
Skype has been on the iPhone/iPod touch for a long, long time. There are other third-party apps that also feature Skype functionality (Nimbuzz, fring).
There are probably forty or fifty VoIP apps including a bunch of SIP clients which you can use with whatever SIP provider you choose. I use Acrobits Softphone with Gizmo5 SIP on my iPod touch. With Google Voice and push notifications, this has allowed me to make calls back to the United States from abroad.
Skype/VoIP/SIP functionality has been on iOS devices for ages.
Wake up and get with the program, please!
What are you talking about? You are obviously not a Skype user. No push notifications, no background multitasking, no Bluetooth (that part is not their fault) make it a less than stellar phone.
iPod Touch - $200
iPad - $500
iPhone - $700
Uh.... I think the margin must be at least a little fatter on that last one.
Well, if they also add the rumored camera, there's geotagging the photos you take. I would guess that might be the biggest use of GPS on an iPhone. It's just that people don't notice it because it's buried in the EXIF metadata of their photos. Apple's MacOS photo software also allows you to use a geotagged iPhone photo as a baseline to geotag photos you take with another camera. So a touch with GPS and a camera could also be used for that. (Of course, a slow-start up time for the GPS would frustrate users who just turn on their touch to grab a quick picture.)
And even if you could only use the Maps app when on wifi, it would be useful for it to know where you are. If you are getting directions to someplace, chances are you are leaving from where you are now.
That sounds useful and marketable but how effective are they? I've seen Eye-Fi for years and never understood the appeal unless your mostly taking pictures in densely populated areas since it requires WiFi to grab your location. I have o wonder if they aren't using GPS because it would take too long to lock on.
Technically speaking, Apple has all the components to allow you to take picture after picture before the GPS lock takes place, with the coordinates then being added after the fact, once a lock has been established and you've left te location.
By that I mean, the compass and accelerometer could used to accurately track your distance between snapshots, then could be used to extrapolate your previous locations and added to the EXIF data.
There are obvious caveats, but perhaps it could ask you to varify or let you alter it with the Maps API right from Photos on the iPod Touch.
@solipsism: You seriously don't think the iPhone is overpriced at $700?
iPod Touch - $200
iPad - $500
iPhone - $700
Uh.... I think the margin must be at least a little fatter on that last one.
32GB iPod Touch is $299
32GB iPad WiFi+3G is $729
32GB iPhone is $699
Why did you chose the least expensive models of the first two and the most expensive of the last one while ignoring comparing them as equally as possible, I'll chock up to a simple oversight, not a blatant attempt at fudging the numbers.
So why is the iPhone only $30 less than the iPad. Surely it's larger so it costs more. But wait! In computers it cost money to shrink things. But it's also a new product and Apple may have underpriced it considering how poorly tablets did the decade prior and general lack of need compared to a PC or phone, which are oft considered necessities. In fact, judging by the demand they did price it too low, by $100 on all models.
So why is the iPhone $400 more than the iPod Touch. The cellular and GPS chips in the iPhone account for $130 But wait! Have you seen the iFixit teardowns of each. The iPad looks simple compared to double-stacked silicon in the iPhone. Regardless, that won't account for the other $270.
So let's consider the product types. iPhone is Apple's flagship product while the iPod, even the Touch, is not. It often seems to get cheaper components, like a display that isn't quite as good (though the same resolution).
But none of that is of consequence. The entire iPod line has plateaued, so it can't demand the same profit margin, and it's possible it's used as a gateway to those who are afraid to or can't switch phones and carrier right now, so it's sold at a lower margin to attract people to the iPhone as their next sale.
Companies do this all the time, so I wonder why it's always seen as the iPod Touch being priced "correctly" and the iPhone being priced "incorrectly". There is no universal right or wrong in this case, it's what you are willing to pay or not pay. I returned my iPad because it wasn't right for me and have interest in any iPod anymore. Only the $300 iPhone holds my interest. Surely not the Nexus One. How much are those for 32GB?
Finally, let's not forget th subsidy. You pay the same for data, at least on AT&T, if you paid for your phone upfront or not, so the point is moot for pretty much every iPhone user, at least in the US. I paid the same for my 32GB iPhone as I would have for the 32GB Touch, but I get a phone with data and don't have to carry a separate device.
So how is that is overpriced if the convenience and product is worth the expense to their intended market?
PS: Always remember, it's about supply and demand and each year the iPhone seems to be sold out a lot longer than the iPod Touch.
A new report alleges that Apple's next iPod touch, expected to arrive this September, will have a 5 megapixel camera, capture HD video, feature FaceTime connectivity, and include a gyroscope, like the iPhone 4.
U.K. retailer John Lewis said the information is based on "noises we're hearing from suppliers," according to electricpig.co.uk. Though no mention was specifically made of a forward-facing camera at the company's presentation in London, it did say that FaceTime calling over Wi-Fi would be possible "so you can communicate with friends at zero cost."
The purported details of Apple's new iPod touch were revealed at the John Lewis "Xmas in July" event. The retailer also claimed that the new iPod touch will include a camera flash for improved pictures in the dark, like the iPhone 4. It also said that users would be able to upload their HD videos directly to YouTube from the device, over Wi-Fi.
Finally, John Lewis also said the new iPod touch is expected to include both an accelerometer and a gyroscope. The hardware addition already found in the iPhone 4 allows a new, more precise control method for game titles on the App Store.
The company made no mention whether the iPod touch would receive some of the other additions of the iPhone 4, namely the 640-by-960 pixel Retina Display, or Apple's custom-built A4 processor.
Apple was originally rumored to add a camera to its iPod touch at last year's annual September iPod event, but the feature was allegedly pulled due to bad parts with the camera modules. But the Cupertino, Calif., company did add a video camera to last year's updated iPod nano.
If it comes with a Retina display, I'll probably buy one.
You can pretend you only paid $200 for your iPhone if you like but it's really either $700 or maybe $2600 if you include the AT&T subsidy over two years, take your pick.
No way the cell gps and camera add anywhere near the premium they get over the Touch. Yes I do believe the Touch is priced correctly. If Apple turned it into an IP phone it could rule the world.
Edit: oh and $229 for +16gb +3G on the iPad? Apple knows how to upsell at a very nice margin.
I've always wondered how FaceTime would work to devices that doesn't have telephony, such as computers and iPod touches. How does the initiating device know where to call? I thought that FaceTime uses telephony for discovery and handshaking. Does anyone have a good take on this?
Ah! Good question, that...
Think about it. On the iPod Touch, it would probably have links to the upcoming Game Centre (or whatever it's going to be called). So there would probably be an element of Social Networking about it, possibly allied to iChat, and there you have it... FaceTime as a visual, real-time, gaming FaceBook will sweep the floor with the youthful crowd and save their cellular minutes as well by using Wi-Fi / VoIP.
My $0.02.
@solipsism:
You can pretend you only paid $200 for your iPhone if you like but it's really either $700 or maybe $2600 if you include the AT&T subsidy over two years, take your pick.
No way the cell gps and camera add anywhere near the premium they get over the Touch. Yes I do believe the Touch is priced correctly. If Apple turned it into an IP phone it could rule the world.
You still don't understand. In a free market the product's price is base on what the consumer is willing to pay, not what 'a' consumer is willing to pay (because I know right now you what to call people fanboys and iSheep). If suitable competition happens then the price will lower accordingly. Right now, no one is even close to competing with any of markets Apple sells most their HW in. If you think you can do better for less then you have the right to show them up, but otherwise stop your whining. If you hate Capitalism and the free market so much then move somewhere it won't affect you, but we both know that's not what you hate, you hate the companies that are successful AND sell products you secretly want.
BTW, your argument that my carrier cost should be included is so incredibly weak. What other smartphone would be different? How much would my AT&T plan be if I bought at Nexus One at full price plus a slow Class II (2Mb/s) Micro-SD card to put in it? Or any other smartphone or that matter? how about if I then bought an iPod Touch to use alongside that smartphone so I have a decent PMP to use?
Edit: oh and $229 for +16gb +3G on the iPad? Apple knows how to upsell at a very nice margin.
Ah, so the original prices you listed were intended and objectivity and fair-mindedness had nothing to do with your post. I think I know Whig poster you used to be now. Ignore list for you.
teckstud must miss the good times
You really think he is not here?
You still don't understand. In a free market the product's price is base on what the consumer is willing to pay, not what 'a' consumer is willing to pay (because I know right now you what to call people fanboys and iSheep). If suitable competition happens then the price will lower accordingly. Right now, no one is even close to competing with any of markets Apple sells most their HW in. If you think you can do better for less then you have the right to show them up, but otherwise stop your whining. If you hate Capitalism and the free market so much then move somewhere it won't affect you, but we both know that's not what you hate, you hate the companies that are successful AND sell products you secretly want.
This is so far off the mark it's practically funny. How do you jump from my belief that the profit margin on an iPhone is MUCH higher than it is on the iPod Touch that a) I hate capitalism b) what a consumer is willing to pay proves the profit margin is not higher and c) even mentioning any of this means I hate capitalism and should move to Cuba.
Obviously the sales figures and Apple's profits prove that the iPhone is not 'overpriced' above what consumers are willing to pay. But the prices we (happily or reluctantly) pay are a direct result of the hamstrung bent over position the cell phone carriers have put us in. Kindle and the iPad have both shown that 3G data can be uncoupled from the ridiculous voice contract charges the cell companies get away with.
I would love to see the Touch become a VOIP phone feature matched with the iPhone. Apple probably has more of a chance to pull off a truly disruptive game changer for that industry than anyone.
BTW, your argument that my carrier cost should be included is so incredibly weak. What other smartphone would be different? How much would my AT&T plan be if I bought at Nexus One at full price plus a slow Class II (2Mb/s) Micro-SD card to put in it? Or any other smartphone or that matter? how about if I then bought an iPod Touch to use alongside that smartphone so I have a decent PMP to use?
Your mother would say: "If your friends jumped off a cliff to their death, does that mean you should too?" Just because the other cell companies also rip us off with alacrity doesn't mean we're paying a fair price.
Funny your sig riffs on Godwin's Law. As a relative newbie here, I'll put forth one for you:
iGuessSo's Law: As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving TekStud approaches 1."
It would be awesome to see future MacBooks integrate an A4 processor and iOS side-by-side with OSX. The benefit would be an instant-on browsing/App experience for when full OSX is overkill. This could mean ridiculous battery life and further integration with iPhone/iPod.
I don't want to run iPhone/iPad apps on a MacBook. You would not get "ridiculous" battery life when you are still powering a hard drive and much larger display. If you want instant-on browsing/app experience, maybe you should learn about the Sleep feature of the Mac and MacBook. Waking from Sleep provides the same instant-on browsing/app experience too.
I agree... Make it an iPhone without the phone part. Wouldn't that just be simpler? I know it would make everyone that buys them happy.
What about an iPod touch with all the enmities of the iPad plus A4 processor, the Retina display, GPS, compass, two cameras, gyroscope, accelerometer, etc. for face time. This way you can have WiFi and 3G without a voice contract, only a data plan. Then add in your favorite VoIP app and your all good. I currently use Whistle on my iPad and it works great on WiFi and 3G.
2 cents