The iPod touch isn't exactly a big seller. I don't know a single person who actually likes it. I re-gifted the one I got for Christmas last year.
My theory on the iPod touch is that it's a scheme to further cement in people's minds the association between the iPod and the iPhone. I don't think they ever expected it to be a cash cow. If they did they probably would have killed off the classic iPod. After all, Apple consistently makes products that consumers aren't necessarily clamoring for and then tells us it's exactly what we want. The iPod Touch is kind of an oddball in the iPod line and they treat it like one.
You've got the classic iPod with scroll wheel and hard drive. You've got the smaller one with scroll wheel and flash memory to compete in that market. Then there's this touch screen thing that's basically an iPhone without the phone and it's called an iPod. The capacity is low. The battery life is abysmal. It's just as big and expensive as the iPod classic. I don't have a clue what's compelling about that. But people see the iPhone and think "it's just like the new iPod only it's a phone too."
I use an iPod touch and I love it. I check mail on it, occasionally browse the web (though my college doesn't have wi-fi). I take lots of notes: not just for class, but my jotting down ideas. I like watching video, and it's got an excellent screen. I use Frotz a lot: it lets me play interactive text games, and it has an excellent library. It indexes music better than the Classic does, I can get around my library faster, and it's got an excellent display for songs. I love the cover flow option. In other words, I use it like I'd use a small computer.
I sync it with my Mac every night: I've never run out of battery over the course of a day, and I only sync the sorts of music I'm into at any moment. It holds 32GB, but I think 8 would be enough for a single day. And it's got more battery life than I need in a day.
I don't need a new phone, and I don't want to pay 70 dollars a month for a new one. I hate texting, and I rarely make phone calls. At the same time, I like playing video and I like a lot of the added features and applications. In college, the iPod touch is huge. I'd say it's the most-used of the various iProducts. So it's got a niche audience, and it's a big enough niche to make it worthwhile.
I don't own an ipod touch, but I view the it as an iphone that can't make phone calls and doesn't have a $70/month fee. It can surf (802.11), run apps from the app store, and play movies and music. It costs $70 more than the same sized ipod nano. I think it is a reasonable addition to the product line.
It's not as bad as it sounds. A friend's iPod broke and I told her she could have the Touch since I didn't like it. I went back to my old one. The best part is that a few weeks later she was like, "I really appreciate you giving me the iPod but this thing sucks." She doesn't use it anymore so I don't have a clue what happened with it. It's probably still getting passed around like it's radioactive. It's pretty bad when people won't use your product for free. :)
My theory on the iPod touch is that it's a scheme to further cement in people's minds the association between the iPod and the iPhone. I don't think they ever expected it to be a cash cow. If they did they probably would have killed off the classic iPod. After all, Apple consistently makes products that consumers aren't necessarily clamoring for and then tells us it's exactly what we want. The iPod Touch is kind of an oddball in the iPod line and they treat it like one.
You've got the classic iPod with scroll wheel and hard drive. You've got the smaller one with scroll wheel and flash memory to compete in that market. Then there's this touch screen thing that's basically an iPhone without the phone and it's called an iPod. The capacity is low. The battery life is abysmal. It's just as big and expensive as the iPod classic. I don't have a clue what's compelling about that. But people see the iPhone and think "it's just like the new iPod only it's a phone too."