In late September of 2007 my brand new iPod Touch arrived. This was my first iPod ever and also my first ever purchase of an Apple product. I wanted to share my thoughts about the device but I also know that first look reviews aren’t very useful. People are usually excited to get something new so they overlook certain issues. Plus time really tells on how useful a device can be in a person’s life. It’s been a little over three months now so I’m definitely ready to give a more informed opinion.

General Thoughts

The iPod Touch is great. It is the best portable media device I’ve ever owned. I haven’t owned many but it is light years ahead of my iRiver H320 or my Samsung Blackjack, which were my two previous portable media workhorses. The iPod Touch looks good, has a perfect form factor and has features that address the realities of a digital lifestyle. I’m definitely glad I made this purchase. Specifics follow.

What I Like

• The touch screen is awesome. It makes the device so easy to use that my 2.5 year old can flick through photos and really enjoy it. This is a much better option than the chiclet sized buttons and controls that most devices have. The screen seems pretty durable too as I’ve put it in my pocket and jacket a lot and it hasn’t scratched.
• Videos look amazing. This is a real leap forward in portable video. Playback is smooth and sharp. Both video podcasts and commercial TV episodes look excellent.
• Web browsing is fantastic. Another leap forward in the experience for mobile devices. The experience with the mobile Safari browser is a close as I could expect to real web browsing. No problem with logging on to regular versions of websites. Expansion of the view of a page by flicking my fingers on the touch screen works well. Scrolling is silent. No annoying clicking when you’re surfing with others in the room.
• The iTunes and YouTube apps are fun to use. I didn’t think I would be interested in these apps but I have been. I’ve enjoyed being able to sample tracks via iTunes while on the go. I’ve even purchased a few. All were seamlessly transported over to my desktop based version of iTunes. Every so often I’ll cruise YouTube for interesting videos and have used the bookmarking feature which works well.
• Integration with television is pretty easy. If you go out and spend the money on a dock and cables you should be able to get this hooked up to any recently manufactured television or stereo system. I’ve connected the iPod Touch to both my television and stereo. I watch downloaded movies, tv shows and podcasts. I’ve also run a couple of photo slideshows on my tv as well. One cable to the aux in of my stereo and I can play my favorite music for everyone to hear.

There’s more that I like about the iPod Touch but these are some of the key differentiators. To keep it balanced I also want to note some of my pet peeves with the device.

What I Don’t Like

• The touch screen does not work with gloves on. This is a minor issue. But when I plug it into the car in the morning I start with a long podcast because my gloves need to come off so I can queue up a new show.
• You can’t use the browser when streaming media. If you’re connected to wifi and stream media (it will play mp3 or Quicktime files) through the browser you cannot open another Safari window. At least I haven’t found a way to do that.
• Contacts and calendar will only sync with Outlook. I use a combination of Google Calendar and Thunderbird to manage my info. For the moment I am out of luck.
• The 16GB hard drive is small. I’ve still got about 6GB of space left but that won’t hold my entire music collection. So I’ve had to be picky about the music I put on the device. I also delete videos after I’ve watched them a couple of times.

What I’m Looking Forward To

First off, the next official update from Apple can only make this thing better. Next comes the software development kit. Because the iPod Touch has the touch screen you can create some amazing apps. Developers are not constrained by hard wired buttons. I’m looking forward to some awesome apps that will extend the functionality of this device. Three things I’d like to see are: Google Calendar sync, Flickr integration and a Google Maps application. I’m also excited about the possibility of movie rentals via iTunes.

Necessary Accessories

I have purchased some accessories over the last few months that I think are necessary if you really want to enjoy the iPod Touch.

• Apple Care Protection Plan - Just in case the thing breaks.
• USB Charger - So I can charge the iPod when its not connected to the computer.
• Universal Dock - So I can dock the iPod for connection to my TV and stereo system.
• Component Cables - So I can get video and picture slideshows on to my TV.
• Belkin Tunebase FM - So can can charge and use while driving without jeopardizing my life.

The Real Cost Of The iPod Touch

It is more expensive than I thought. Here’s how it breaks down for me.

• iPod Touch - $399
• Apple Care Protection - $59
• Universal Dock - $49
• Component Cables - $49
• USB Charger - $29
• Belkin Tunebase - $89

That adds up to a grand total of $674 plus tax. Ouch!

My Bottom Line

No device is perfect, so even with the costs and certain drawbacks I am still very happy with the iPod Touch. Frankly, I can’t imagine why anyone would want to go out and by a Zune while the iPod Touch is on the market. Sure, you can get more hard drive space with the Zune. But you don’t get the web browsing with WiFi. And you don’t get the great touch screen, mobile iTunes or YouTube support.

I’m pretty sure that new iPod releases in 2008 will also include a larger hard drive as well. So if you can wait a little longer you might get a nice surprise. Most of the operational and feature related flaws are fixable. That’s why the new firmware updates and SDK release should be the icing on the cake for Apple in the quest for the ideal portable media device.