Apple finally did it, they lured me back to the dark side. About a year ago, I picked up a Zune. I suspect I never mentioned it on this site because I was A) too busy at the time, or B) the jury was still out. After a year, there have been little to no updates to the Zune software or firmware, and the updates that were released didn't update much. I expected more and fear it shows Microsoft's total lack of interest in the Zune at all.
By now, everybody knows about Apple's new line of iPods. The new nano is horribly ugly ("fatty Mc. Fat Nano" as one prominent Mac Addict put it). I don't know why Apple thinks someone wants to watch a video on such a small screen, but to each his own I suppose. I suspect many are caught up in the novelty of an option they never use.
When Apple released the iPhone, I knew I wanted nothing to do with it. However, I was intrigued by the interface, and I knew it wouldn't take long for Apple for adopt the interface into the popular iPod line. Introducing the iTouch.
First Impressions
I don't think anyone can argue that the iTouch isn't pretty. If there's one thing Apple really does well, it's device design (excluding fatty nano). Naturally, this device picks up every fingerprint and smudge it can find. It comes with a cleaning cloth, but I would've preferred a sleeve like the GEN1 nano, since there are no cases for the iTouch yet and iPhone cases are too big. They also went back to the chrome backing, which gets scratched just looking at it funny. The face, however, is quite resilient and hasn't picked up any scratches.
Interface
The interface is almost flawless, easy to use, and very responsive. My only beef on the interface is the absence of a virtual scroll wheel. Track position is indicated with a thin line that is impossible to accurately tap with a finger (usually when jumping ahead in a pod/vidcast). Since this is software, I'll keep my fingers crossed that they'll come up with something a little more precise for managing track position.
Web/Wi-Fi
Web is a nice add-on, but more a novelty. Facebook comes up with the iPhone interface, which is handy. The downside is that it's Wi-Fi only. There aren't an abundance of free WiFi spots in the areas I frequent, so I'm limited to using it in hotels and at home. Bluetooth would have been a nice feature to use the web connection of my phone. Oh, well. Like I said, the web to me is a novelty. The Wi-Fi is also used to connect to the iTunes Store. This is handy if you're the type that has to buy an album RIGHT NOW, but for the rest of us it's a throw away.
Sound
This is another area where the iPod falls flat. On my Shure SE210's, there is a distinctive crackling noise. I couldn't hear it on my $30 headphones, so this definitely a shortcoming of the device with higher quality headphones. Compared to the quality that comes when playing back through my Creative Audigy 2 ZS, the iPod falls really flat. They've left the standard equalizer settings, but really could use some more advanced signal processing. This could be fixed with software, but I suspect it'll require better hardware to fix.
Battery Life
So far I've not been away from power long enough to drain the battery. My longest adventures put me about 4-5 hours shuffling through airport cattle lines, and I have yet to run out of juice. Granted, video playback sucks the power like no other. Couple that with the Wi-Fi and you're asking for only a few hours of usage. I turn off the Wi-Fi when it's not needed and don't watch a significant amount of videos (yet). For music playback, 5 hours barely puts a dent in the battery meter.
Capacity
Okay, there are two options here, 8GB or 16GB. I went with the 16GB, since I'm away from home (and synching music) for a week at a time. I'm sure this isn't enough for many, especially when music is stored in higher quality or lossless. Most of my music is 224VBR. I set aside 10GB for music, which gives me over 100 hours. I have no doubt they'll be releasing a hard drive based iTouch for those people who really need 160GB, but don't expect it to be the same slim little beauty.
Software
Let's face it, iTunes has gotten so bloated it's a joke. It's still the most convenient for people using an iPod, but it really has issues. It sucks up processing for trivial tasks, crashes far too often, and takes entirely too long to sync. I can only hope Apple will sort out the issues or I need to find some alternative software that does the basic tasks: library and podcast management.
Overall
After a month or so of daily use, I'm pretty content with my iTouch; outside of some issues that could be solved with software updates. If you're looking to upgrade your 4GB flash-based player with something with significant geek appeal (and you've got some money to blow on aesthetics over performance), then this device is for you. If you're lean toward the audiophile camp, it might be better to wait for a drive-based player to handle your lossless files.
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