I just picked up a new iPod Touch 16GB model yesterday and wanted to post some initial impressions on the device, and its likely impact on the future direction of consumer music devices. To start this off I'll admit that while I'm an Apple fan in terms of their products I'm not so overwhelmed by them that I can't see the areas that they could improve upon. As I'd rate it the iPod touch is a very capable product that nicely addresses its currently spot in the firm's iPod line-up. It is however a device and the introduction of some technologies that hold the promise for far more useful and exciting devices in the future.
Before we get to the implications let's deal with the here and now. Since there are a number of solid feature function reviews on the web such as the following:
Engadget - review / & unboxing
Macworld's review
iPod lounge review
So we'll give that a pass and focus on giving some quick hits of things that strike me as noteworthy in having worked with the device so far.
Top things to like about the iPod touch
- Touch interface - is as seamless and elegant as it shows in the demo on the Apple site. I will say that you need to have a modest amount of patience there is the slightest amount of processor lag at times when its moving a significant amount of content. Generally, though the device is fairly snappy in terms of performance and its hard to tell if the above hesitation related to myself and others getting used to the correct gestures to control the touch.
- Bright screen - the quality of the screen in terms of resolution, brightness and contrast help make this device great for viewing vodcasts, movies, etc... I have not experienced any of the brightness issues cited elsewhere on the net (that said my touch shipped with v1.1 of the firmware - which supposedly corrected these issues).
- Utility of the onscreen keyboard - I've been pleasantly surprised by the utility of the onscreen keyboard and the ability to type. While its not as quick as a dedicated keyboard similar to a Blackberry it is more than adequate and Apple's version of Suretype helps in terms of offering predictive capabilities in terms of error correction.
- Open the development environment - While I realize Apple's reticence to open up their development environment it still seems to be the number one issue slowing down development of a number of useful applications that would increase the utility of the device. You could come up with a long list of useful applications or mini-apps that would increase the value of the touch significantly including: a notepad for quickly scribbling down some thoughts while on the go, information widgets (e.g., weather, news, stocks ...), instant messaging client (while you could argue that communication should be the domain of the iPhone - in my view this is a must add), direct links to other popular websites (e.g., myspace, facebook ...), games (the lack of any basic games shipping with the device that leverage the unique touch interface reflects to me the fact that this device was a bit of a rush job inside Apple). I won't rehash all of the arguments here but I think this post from Will Shipley puts it all into perspective relating to the situation with the iPod touch and iPhone in terms of opening up the development environment to third parties.
- Customization of the interface - while this may seem subtle a number of elements that people will want to tackle on these devices in terms of personalizing them are still missing mainly at the Home page level. I realize this is a minor point but the ability to tweak the UI to fit your own style - seems to be a no brainer and was missed this time around. I tend to agree with comments made by others such as Erica Sadun of TUAW
Thoughts about the future from the iPod touch.
My take is that the touch is the first device that provides a strong demonstration of a couple of technologies that are likely to substantially change computing in the coming years.
New interface paradigm. The introduction of a new method of interfacing with PDAs/MP3s/Internet Tablets is about to begin. As we've seen the combination of more abundant solid state storage in the form of NAND, improved high resolution displays and more powerful processors to handle the computing requirements the ability to support direct interaction via touch is now possible. My thoughts are that this will open us up to more flexible, mobile and portable devices allowing us as users to better integrate these devices even further into our lives. For example, who can remember the first Palm device launched in the mid 90s with its rudimentary handwriting recognition that was a step beyond the initial introduction with Apple's Newton.
Convergence of wireless connectivity in a small form factor. Given on-going improvements in wireless internet connectivity both fixed and mobile expect that manufacturers will respond by releasing devices like Nokia's N800
This is the first post in the series on my experiences and impressions of the iPod touch look here for:
Part 2 and
Part 3.
