New iPod Touch is a different animal..

Quincy Pince-Nez
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November 24, 2008
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We knew the new iPod touch had its processor cranked a bit higher (500MHz vs. 412MHz) than its predecessor and the results prove it.  The reason for Apple cranking up the juice on the iPod touch vs. the other devices (including older iPod touches) is still unknown but Apple appears to be intent on distinguishing otherwise almost identical hardware with software changes.  The iPod touch appears to be a gaming device first while losing other capabilities for navigation...

 

At the same time as giving the device more ooomph, the latest firmware is denying iPod touch users one of the major features of the 2.2 firmware, Google Streetmaps.  It was purposely disabled (because of the accounting - you have to pay for features?).  Not to worry jaibreakers, You can enable it again fairly easily.

Will we continue to see the lines diverge?

via engadget

Comments (8)

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | November 24, 2008 - 5:10am

lose is to lost as loose is to loosened. :)

I used to make the same mistake.

micy (not verified) | November 24, 2008 - 5:33am

I guess that the fact that the Touch does not have the new google-maps functionality is related to the accounting issue.

I expect that one of the next updates (e.g. 2.3) will be a paid update for Touch users, and to make this paid update more interesting, Apple is saving the maps feature for the paid upgrade.

Luis Alejandro Masanti (not verified) | November 24, 2008 - 6:25am

As far as I remember, the iPhone has "assisted GPS" in which GPS data is helped with cell tower triangularization and wi-fi spot location.

If this is correct, the absence of cell tower triangularization could make the GPS in the touch unrealiable for turn-by-turn precision.

Or maybe not...

Ed (not verified) | November 24, 2008 - 11:36pm

there is no GPS in the touch

Kevin (not verified) | November 24, 2008 - 6:35am

I mean, unless you're in a city-wide Wi-Fi area, you're likely NOT to encounter hotspot after hotspot to guide you on Google...so what's the big deal???

Is this REALLY newsworthy?? It actually has little bearing on whether someone would want a Touch. It's one thing to pull up the GoogleMaps when you're IN coverage and then take that screen with you...but you simply won't be able to utilize turn-by-turn mapping on the move with a Touch...

9to5Mac Reader (not verified) | November 24, 2008 - 7:03am

Many times I use streetview on my computer to get a feel for how the route i'm going to be taken looks and what my destination address will look like if I've never been there before. So if I had an ipod touch I'd do the same thing, not really for turn by turn navigation

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | November 24, 2008 - 11:05am

Ever since this accounting rules divergence between iPhones and iTouches has emerged, I've been confused, knowing a bit about bookkeeping if not higher level number massage.

If iPhones are, what (?), essentially a device you pay a "fee" for in order to lease access to a celluar network, so you don't have to pay for changes in the "network accessing software" -- while Touches are a product sold to you and you own 'em, so you do "have to" pay for upgrades to your Touch software -- then what's the analogy to Macs themselves -- or earlier iPods for that matter??

Firmware point release upgrades have always been free for the latter two (though you always have to pay full freight for new "versions" that get a different cat name, with no "upgrade" special price).

So if there's any CPA techies out there who can enlighten on these arcanities, your input's appreciated.

Benjamin Dobson | November 24, 2008 - 2:39pm

There is an "upgrade" special price, there's just no not-an-upgrade price. :P