$20 to Upgrade your iPod Touch

[Foxbat]

Even though I don't have one, I think Apple is way off base for charging the first wave of iPod Touch owners to upgrade their software to the latest version which includes the Mail, Maps, and Notepad apps. More importantly, it allows you to watch movies that you rent from the iTunes store.

All new iPod Touch will have these apps included at the same price that the iPod Touch originally sold for. If you paid $299 for an AppleTV, the upgrade to ATV, Take 2, is free. if you paid $299 for the 8GB iPod Touch, you'll have to pony up $19.99 to get the new goodies. That doesn't make any sense.

Apple - iPod touch

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I am not planning on pay it. Don't care about email on my ipod touch. Its annoying that they are charging me when if someone bought the same device tomorrow it would have the feature.

Apple almost smells like Microsoft. well, ok, maybe not that bad...

 

[vurbano]

Most of them are already available if you are jailbroken.

 

[lumpkin666]

Imagine having to pay for things that you want. What is this world coming to?

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Imagine having to pay for things that you want. What is this world coming to?

No, you miss the point. Buy an ipod touch today and it includes the software; but if you already own one, you have to pay extra? Its the same device. Thats b.s.

 

[Van]

Imagine having to pay for things that you want. What is this world coming to?

Have to agrea with you on this one, prices drop on products as they become more available and production costs drop though it would be nice to see prices drop aswell and in this case there really isnt a drop in price with the ipods even if the new touch has $20 worth of new software.

 

[stevenl]

No, you miss the point. Buy an ipod touch today and it includes the software; but if you already own one, you have to pay extra? Its the same device. Thats b.s.

I bought a computer with windows 95 now Vista is out. Should I get it free? ITs the same pc...

I bought a car without AC 20 years ago, now they have cars with AC should I get an AC for free?

Point is your iPod will not stop working because of this new software, Its completely optional if you want to enjoy the new features they have spent money to add. If your iPod would stop working without the upgrade I could see a point to complain, but because its completely optional you dont have to get it if you dont want it. If you think it will add value to your ipod for you then upgrade..


BTW this same thing is going on with the iPhone, the same upgrade.

 

[durandal34]

Honestly, I do not have a problem with the $20 charge for the new apps. It is the same when new versions of iLife (or even operating systems) come out. People who buy new computers get the new software and those who bought the exact same computer earlier have to buy it.

As for the AppleTv.. that was simply a revenue issue for Apple. By upgrading all the old boxes Apple now has a much larger user base with access to their new rental system.

 

[drummerguy]

No, you miss the point. Buy an ipod touch today and it includes the software; but if you already own one, you have to pay extra? Its the same device. Thats b.s.

So, say you bought a MacBook three months ago that has iLife 07 on it. Then Apple releases iLife 08 and all new Macs come with the new version for the same price you paid three months ago. Do you honestly expect Apple to upgrade you to iLife 08 for free?

Or, say you bought a Windows XP PC three months before Vista came out, and now all PCs ship with Vista for the same price. Do you expect Microsoft to upgrade you to Vista for free?

My point is, this is the way it's done. This is the way it's always been done. Consumers (especially early-adopters) take the risk anytime they buy an electronic product that something better will come out the next day/week/month.

 

[mike123abc]

The point is in the past Apple has done all the iPod upgrades for free. Now it looks like they want to start having OS revisions on the iPod and charge for them like they would on a computer.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I sent Apple a bitch letter about this.

My wife told me to go to Wal-Mart and get a new Touch with all the applications then return it with the old Touch in the box.

I might do it, however I have already Jailbroke my Touch and have Mail, Weather and notes already.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

The point is in the past Apple has done all the iPod upgrades for free. Now it looks like they want to start having OS revisions on the iPod and charge for them like they would on a computer.

I could see if the Touch has been out for a year but not for 2 months.

 

[ebockelman]

I could see if the Touch has been out for a year but not for 2 months.

If it was worth the money you paid for it with the feature set it had a the time, why are you angry now? It's fortunate that you have an upgrade path to these new features.


(Posted by someone who purchased an iPod Photo about a month and a half before the iPod Video came out.)

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Becuase it should have came with those features to begin with. Whats funny is if you do the firmware upgrade the mail and all the new features are there, but you cant use them until you pay $20.

Its the same model touch it was two months ago, there is no difference between the one you got 2 months ago and one you go and pick up today.

 

[durandal34]

Its the same model touch it was two months ago, there is no difference between the one you got 2 months ago and one you go and pick up today.

Exactly.. just as there is no difference between a macbook pre iLife 07 and post iLife 07. And yet, you still have to buy the apps. Apple does not give them out for free to those who bought pre-release.

 

[meStevo]

The difference being iLife wasn't available for other Mac platforms at the time, no?

These are all features that were already there for the iPhone, and should have been included in the iPod Touch (ie Mail). Anything new in this update, is being given for free to the iPhone customers.

Mail and whatnot was likely just held back from the iPod Touch to get a better sell through rate on the iPhone. With the added functionality i expect the iPod Touch to become a lot more popular for people who don't want to switch wireless providers but do want the hot toy that is iPod Touch/iPhone.

 

[stevelite]

Iphone gets free upgrade. Why it cost to upgrade Ipod touch?

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I could see if the Touch has been out for a year but not for 2 months.

Exactly.

 

[Foxbat]

Apple is learning from Dish, perhaps ($40 external HDD support for DVR)? If they made the new apps available on the iTunes Store like they do games, allowing you to buy the apps you want, that would be understandable. The closest thing Apple has done like this before was the $1.99 AirCard Extreme N enabling fee for the Core 2 Duo iMacs. Even then, if you bought the AirPort Extreme N base station, it came bundled with the Enabling software.

My wife's 5G Video iPod got a free update and it's over two years old. So the iPod Touch was introduced in November of 2007, now the early adopters are penalized for helping Apple increase their market share? The argument about "you bought a Mac 60 days ago and it didn't have Leopard" doesn't fly since Apple was offering Leopard to people in that situation for a media fee. It's like when I bought Office 2004 Home and Student Edition on Black Friday: Microsoft will upgrade me to Office 2008 H&S for $6.99 + the cost of a stamp to send in the paperwork.

Will all the Mac pundits raise a big stink about this and will Apple back down?

Edit: Scott, good to know the iPod Touch firmware can be upgraded for free. It's just the e-mail/weather/map/stocks/notepad applications that cost $19.99. That's a little better, but I wonder how much money Apple will realize from this move vs. possible loss from some people saying, "I'm taking my money somewhere else".

 

[stogie5150]

Apple and Sony are the two worst choices for a consumer-friendly open source company, IMO. I will NEVER buy ANYTHING with an Apple on it, EVER.