Calvin’s Hub

In the recently held “Rock and Roll” event from Apple, Steve Jobs announced the 3rd generation of iPod Touch. The verdict? Some people are a bit disappointed that a camera is still not included despite accessory makers already hinting of such feature.

So what’s new with the iPod Touch 3G?

• They scrapped off the 16GB version and added a 64GB one
• Price drops: $199 for 8GB; $299 for 32GB; $399 for 64GB
• Speedy performance* (Apple claims 50% faster)
• Voice control* for music playback  (you still need a mic though)

* 32GB and 64GB only (comes with earphones with built-in mic)

Basically that’s it. Nothing really noteworthy to rave about. I was hoping for a camera, or a built-in mic, or even other use for its Bluetooth (like keyboard) but no such things.

Why no camera? Steve Job explains:

Q. You put a camcorder on the iPod Nano. Why not on the iPod Touch?

A. Originally, we weren’t exactly sure how to market the Touch. Was it an iPhone without the phone? Was it a pocket computer? What happened was, what customers told us was, they started to see it as a game machine. Because a lot of the games were free on the store. Customers started to tell us, “You don’t know what you’ve got here – it’s a great game machine, with the multitouch screen, the accelerometer, and so on.”

We started to market it that way, and it just took off. And now what we really see is it’s the lowest-cost way to the App Store, and that’s the big draw. So what we were focused on is just reducing the price to $199. We don’t need to add new stuff – we need to get the price down where everyone can afford it.

I guess the best feature would be the voice control playback so you can really tuck your iPod somewhere safe while listening to music.

If you’re going to buy an iPod Touch now, the best value for your money will be the 32GB. This would make the 8GB an entry version to the world of portable media players.

Heard that iPod Touch 2G got a huge price drop as well although they are not being sold in Apple’s online store so get them somewhere else.

Grab the Zune HD instead?

• How to distinguish an iPod Touch 2G from an iPod Touch 3G
• 5 reasons why you should replace your old iPod Touch
• The deal with the 0.7 megapixel camera of the iPod Touch 4G
• How to take screenshots within your iPod Touch

Filed under: Gadgets n' Games