I think I’m outgrowing my iPod shuffle, so I am considering an upgrade. My daughter has a 3rd gen nano, and I think that the nano would fit my needs, but I am also intrigued by the iPod touch and am wondering if it would be worth the extra money to have the capability for apps.
I usually listen to my iPod at work, and sometimes when I am going to sleep. One thing that I really like about the shuffle is the built-in clip that I can clip to my pocket or belt. Whatever I get should have some sort of holder available that I can clip to my belt or pocket. I think an armband might get a bit annoying as I work.
Do you use the apps much? Which are the best ones? I like the games that my daughter has on the nano. Are the games for the touch better? I have wifi at home, but not at work. Will this limit how much I enjoy the iPod touch?
Why did they change from the squarish shape of the 3rd gen nanos to the long, skinny shape of the 4th gen? What’s the difference?
Generations 1 and 2 were long and skinny; 3 changed to that ugly form factor and 4 changed it back. Apple experimentation, I suppose.
No clue about the other things; sounds like it’s something you just have to play with yourself and decide. You could always get an iPod Touch and a cheaper clip-on MP3 player (like the Sansa Clip) to use for work. Consider buying from someplace that accepts returns on electronics items and try for yourself.
Well, I might keep the shuffle to use at work, too. However, i like the idea of being able to easily switch between podcasts and music. Very easy to do on my daughter’s iPod, not so easy to do at all with the shuffle because there is no display.
Does the Apple Store let you play with them? Maybe I’ll take a trip there later this week.
I think it would depend if you wanted to watch video on it or not. The Nano screen looks ridiculously small for watching videos but I was really surprised at the quality of the video on the Touch and didn’t find it too small for watching tv shows,
I find the Nano quite adequate for videos, and I’ve used it many times to watch TV shows and movies while traveling (mostly on planes). However this may depend on your eyesight (I’m shortsighted, so seeing small things isn’t generally a problem).
I don’t own a Touch but I’ve handled it at the Apple store, and it seems rather large. I recommend you go to a store and see both, if you haven’t already.
A couple of months ago, I was trying to make the same decision.
I chose the Nano after reading reviews on the Touch, about how breakable it is, (the front is glass). Also, for me, it’s too bulky to carry confortably.
I watch podcasts and videos on the Nano. I don’t think I would want to watch a movie on either one.
The only bad thing about the Nano 4th Gen., is it’s hard to find any accessories for it.
I personally have a 3rd gen iPod nano (the square one) and I love that, while it only has 8 gigs, it’s quite small and compact and you can barely feel it in your pocket. There are some decent games for it but I mostly play that 3d-ish circular Break Out clone that comes with it (mostly just when I’m on the train and bored).
The Touch has the advantage of better games/apps in general, GPS, and a bigger hard drive (I have nearly 40 gigs of music on my computer, but I never really need all of it on me at any one time and switching songs is easy enough. I mean, seriously, do I really need EVERY song The Beatles, The Temptations, Genesis, NOFX, and Oingo Boingo ever released in their entire carreers on me at all times? Ok, maybe Oingo Boingo, but most of the other bands I can switch in and out :D) The Touch isn’t as durable (from what I’ve heard) as the Nano, but on the other side of it my buddy keeps his iPhone on him at all times in his pocket with no protector other than a film over the screen and, while he babies it a bit, it’s never had any problems.
So basically it comes down to your needs. Do you want all the extra apps? The wifi capability? The larger HDD? Or do you just want a smaller music player that fits in your pocket better and does little else other than play music? (you can look at pictures or movies or whatever, but I never do)
If the touch is way more fragile, that’s a big strike against it. That’s all I need is to bang it against my desk at work and break it.
The apps look cool, but I think I’m leaning towards the nano. I don’t really plan to do much video watching (though maybe once I had the thing, I would. Maybe I should try a video on my daughter’s and see how that looks. I don’t even think she has any videos–just music and games.) The 3rd gen looks like it would fit in a pocket better to me. Is that true?
My husband is a terrible klutz and still hasn’t managed to break his ipod touch, so I don’t think it’s really all that fragile. I bought this skin for it at the same time, which bulks it up a little bit but has protected it quite well when he’s dropped it on the tile. Again.
The ipod touch is amazing; it’s like a miniature computer–the wi-fi aspect of it is just so incredibly useful. He doesn’t use it as a music player at all, but instead uses it to play games, read the New York Times, watch ugly truck videos on youtube, etc. I use it every once in a while and like to listen to the music I put on it while studying flash cards. The wide variety of apps available is pretty amazing, and a lot of fun to explore, and the web browser works great, I have no problems using it to surf the web, even read forums. There’s supposedly a Skype app too, but we haven’t tracked it down or tried it yet.
I agree that it really depends on what you want to use it for.
I love my nano because it is really, truly, amazingly small. Even with a pretty big leather case around it, it fits neatly in my pocket to go running. Without the case it could probably fit into my wallet like a credit card. It takes up no space in my purse. I’m a “travel light” freak, so it is perfect.
But them I mainly use mine when I am out walking around. I don’t have wi-fi access anywhere. If I lived in a place that did I would probably consider getting a touch to supplement my nano.
I don’t have a Touch but I do have an iPhone, so perhaps I can say a few things. I barely notice it in my pocket any more than I did my second generation Nano; the screen is large and beautiful; some of the applications are very, very nice. A lot of fun games are available for $1 or free, so if there’s any chance at all you’d play them, that alone is a good reason to get the Touch. If you want to check Wikipedia or the weather from your couch, it’d come in handy, too. (Or anywhere there’s wi-fi.)
I’m a klutz (I don’t know how many times I dropped our old second gen iPod right on the concrete, plop) and it seems pretty durable so far. I don’t think the Touch would be a whole lot different in that respect.
All in all … having owned a Nano and an iPhone, I would really, really prefer a Touch and thus that’s what I recommend—at least if cost isn’t an issue.
I have both a nano and the touch. I love the touch - it’s just a great toy. The nano I don’t love so much - it was a gift and I never would have chosen it for myself. I don’t care to walk around listening to music and I hate wearing anything on my head or in my ears. I ended up buying a speaker case for it so I didn’t have to use earbuds or headphones and I don’t use it very much.
The touch is in my purse and I take it everywhere. I like the fact that it has a little speaker built in, so if I want to, say, watch a YouTube video there’s no need to hook it up to speakers or wear earbuds or a headset. The WiFi works well - my only complaint with it is that it seems to forget the passwords to the two secured networks I have access to. I have downloaded an app that is supposed to fix that, though.
I’ve downloaded a newsreader app and a couple of sports apps that have scores, standings and news. When I was at the hockey game the other day I was able to keep track of the scores of other games going on at the same time (since we’re in a race for the last playoff spot here, how the other teams are doing is important right now). There’s lots and lots of apps that are either free or cheap. The newsreader and sports stuff was all free, and the WiFi app was only 99 cents, payable through my iTunes account.
Because of the WiFi capability you can also download songs, etc. to the touch from iTunes, so no need to hook it up to the computer first. It charges more quickly than the nano also. The screen is beautiful and bright and very responsive. I like the bigger screen a lot more too.
So for my uses, I’m ‘meh’ for the nano and ‘yay’ for the touch.