Apple iPod Touch 64 GB (3rd Generation)

by Apple

Product Features

• 64 GB capacity for 14,000 songs, 90,000 photos, or 80 hours of video. Up to 30 hours of music playback or 6 hours of video playback when fully charged
• 3.5-inch widescreen Multi-Touch display with 480 x 320 pixel resolution
• Supports AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV audio formats; H.264 and MPEG-4 video formats; JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only), and PNG image formats
• One-year limited warranty with single incident of complimentary telephone technical support
• What's in the box:iPod touch, Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic, USB 2.0 cable, Dock adapter, Quick Start guide.

› See more product details

Product Description

Amazon.com

iPod touch is a great iPod, a great pocket computer, and a great portable game player. Listen to a mix of songs automatically put together by the new Genius Mixes feature. Watch a movie. Surf the web. Download countless apps. (Click here to jump down the page and learn all about apps.) View rich HTML email. Find your location and get directions with Google Maps. Discover games and apps you're sure to love with new Genius recommendations for apps. And since iPod touch now comes with the latest 3.1 software already installed, you can start using fun, convenient features right out of the box. View an interactive demo on the iPod touch (opens a new window).

iPod touch is a great iPod, a great pocket computer, and a great portable game player. Click to enlarge.

Genius Mixes creates multiple mixes you'll love.

Give iPod touch a shake to shuffle to a different song in your music library.

Next-Level Fun: The New iPod touch

Music
Flick through your albums. Listen to a unique mix created just for you. Or watch the video for your favorite song. With iPod touch, it's more than just hearing your music.

Cover Flow
What a song does for your ears, Cover Flow on iPod touch does for your eyes and fingers. It's a virtual party for the senses. Turn iPod touch on its side and glide through your music by album art with the flick of your finger. Tap an album cover to flip it over and display a track list. Tap again to start the music.

Genius Mixes
Now the Genius feature is even more powerful. Introducing Genius Mixes. All you do is sync iPod touch to iTunes, and Genius automatically searches your library to find songs that sound great together. Then it creates multiple mixes you'll love. These mixes are like channels programmed entirely with your music.

Genius Playlists
Say you're listening to a song you really like and want to hear other tracks that go great with it. The Genius feature finds other songs on your iPod touch that sound great with the one you were listening to and makes a Genius playlist for you. Listen to the playlist right away, save it for later, or even refresh it and give it another go. Count on Genius to create a mix you wouldn't have thought of yourself.

Shake to Shuffle
Shake things up a bit. Musically speaking, that is. The next time you're listening to your tunes, turn on Shake to Shuffle, then give iPod touch a shake to shuffle to a different song in your music library.

iTunes
Fill your iPod touch with songs and music videos from your iTunes library on your computer. Or buy and download new music on your iPod touch when you access iTunes over Wi-Fi. Songs you purchase on iPod touch transfer to your Mac or PC the next time you connect iPod touch to your computer.

Bluetooth
Look, no cables. iPod touch includes the iPhone 3.1 software, so you can pair Bluetooth stereo headphones with it. Keep your iPod in your bag or charging on your desk across the room and still listen to your music.

Carry hours of video with you and watch it on the crisp 3.5-inch color widescreen display.

With iTunes on your iPod touch and a Wi-Fi connection, you can buy movies and TV shows on the fly.

Movies + TV shows
A feature film. A video podcast. Your favorite TV show. Now appearing on a subway train or a plane near you.

Widescreen Viewing
Carry hours of video with you and watch it on the crisp 3.5-inch color widescreen display. Shop the iTunes Store and choose from thousands of movies, TV shows, and video podcasts to load up your iPod touch. From Hollywood blockbusters to independent favorites, there's something for everyone. Download and watch movies with a few taps. Prefer TV shows? Get a single episode or an entire season's worth all at once.

Onscreen Controls
While watching your video, tap the display to bring up the onscreen controls. You can play or pause, view by chapter, and adjust the volume. You can also use the volume controls on the left side of iPod touch. Want to switch between widescreen and full screen? Simply tap the display twice.

iTunes
Need some entertainment for your next flight or road trip? With iTunes on your iPod touch and a Wi-Fi connection, you can buy movies and TV shows on the fly. You can also rent movies, in case you're not sure if that flick is a keeper. And of course, you can purchase movies and TV shows on your Mac or PC, then sync them to your iPod touch.

App Store
Shop the App Store and discover over 75,000 apps that let you do even more with your iPod touch. Browse apps in categories from games to lifestyle, social networking to education, and more.

Discover apps in categories from games to lifestyle, social networking to education, and more.

The built-in Wi-Fi capability in iPod touch gives you access to the iTunes Store anywhere, anytime.

Browse Apps
Shop the App Store a number of ways. Tap Featured and get a list of new apps and to see what's hot. Peruse by category. Check out the Top 25 apps. Or if you know exactly what app you're looking for, find it by doing a quick search.

Amazon-Related Apps
Have Amazon at your fingertips with these applications:

• Amazon Mobile: Buy millions of products from the palm of your hand
• Kindle: Read Kindle books on your iPhone or iPod touch

Genius Recommendations for Apps
There are tens of thousands of apps in the App Store, with more added every day. A new feature of iPod touch makes finding cool new apps even easier. It's Genius for apps, and it works just like Genius for your music. Tap the Genius icon and get recommendations for apps that you might like based on apps you and others have downloaded.

Download Apps
When you find an app you want, buy and download it wirelessly to your iPod touch from anywhere over Wi-Fi, and start using it right away.

Update Apps
iPod touch tells you whenever an app update is available, so you'll always have the latest versions of your favorite apps.

iTunes
Discover and download new music, movies, TV shows, and audiobooks with iTunes on your iPod touch.

Shop Anytime, Anywhere
The built-in Wi-Fi capability in iPod touch gives you access to the iTunes Store, where you can choose from millions of high-quality iTunes Plus songs and thousands of movies, TV shows, audiobooks, and free podcasts and iTunes U lectures. Browse New Releases, Top Tens, and Genres. Or find exactly what you're looking for by typing in a quick search. Play a preview of any song or video, then tap once to buy it. Not sure if that movie is worth owning? Just rent it. Everything you buy on iPod touch is the same price you pay on the iTunes Store on your computer.

Sync with iTunes
When you connect iPod touch to your computer, the music, movies, TV shows, audiobooks, and podcasts you downloaded on the go sync to your iTunes library on your Mac or PC. If you've partially downloaded something on iPod touch, your computer completes the download automatically.

Voice Control
Voice Control on the new 32 GB and 64 GB iPod touch gives you the ability to control music playback with spoken commands. You say it. iPod touch plays it. And shuffles it, pauses it, or names it.

Say and Play
Voice Control knows the music in your iPod touch. Want to hear something specific? All you have to do is ask. For instance, say "Play artist Bob Dylan," and iPod touch does just that. Ask what song is playing and hear iPod touch answer. Tell it to play your favorite album, artist, or playlist. Speak simple commands such as "shuffle," "next song," and "pause." Even have iPod touch play more songs like the one you're listening to.

Voice Control on the new 32 GB and 64 GB iPod touch gives you the ability to control music playback with spoken commands using the Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic. Click to enlarge.

With storage for up to 90,000 of your favorite photos, iPod touch lets you flick through and share all those remember-that-day moments.

Speak into the Mic
The new 32 GB and 64 GB iPod touch come with the Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic. So you can reap the benefits (and the fun) of Voice Control even when your iPod touch is tucked in your pocket or bag. To activate Voice Control using the headphones, just press and hold the center area of the remote that is built in to the cord of the headphones (see image at left).

Language Support
Voice Control features support for the following languages: Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), Dutch, English (UK), English (US), Finnish, French (Canada), French (France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), Swedish

Photos
With storage for up to 90,000 of your favorite photos, iPod touch lets you flick through and share all those remember-that-day moments.

Share Photos
Show thousands of photos from the palm of your hand. Flick to scroll through thumbnails. Tap to view full screen. Play slideshows, complete with music and transitions. Email a photo to a friend or share it in a MobileMe Gallery.

Save Photos
If you receive a great image in an email, save it to your photo library on iPod touch. Once there, it acts just like any other photo. You can set it as your wallpaper, share it on the web, or pass it on.

Sync Photos
iPod touch uses iTunes to sync photos you have in iPhoto on a Mac or in Adobe Photoshop Elements and Adobe Photoshop Album on a PC. Just choose which photos or albums to sync to your iPod touch, then you can look at them--and share them--anywhere you go.

Home Screen
Maybe you want Maps as the first app in the second row. Or Mail down in the Dock. Whatever the arrangement, make iPod touch your own with customized Home screens.

Customize Your Home Screen
Arrange the icons on your Home screen any way you want right on iPod touch or from your computer using iTunes 9. Move an app one row up, two apps over, or even to another Home screen. Create up to 11 Home screens for quick access to the games and applications you download from the App Store and to your Safari web clips.

Home Button
No matter where you are on iPod touch, one press of the Home button at the bottom of iPod touch takes you to the main Home screen. You can also take a shortcut from any Home screen back to your main Home screen by pressing the Home button.

Search the entire contents of your iPod touch, all from one place.

iPod touch features Safari, the most advanced web browser ever on a portable device.

Spotlight Search
Looking for something? Search the entire contents of your iPod touch, all from one place. On your main Home screen, just swipe to the right to bring up Spotlight. Once you start typing, Spotlight begins searching all of your music, videos, contacts, email, calendars, notes, and even your audiobooks and podcasts.

Add Apps and Web Clips
Whenever you download an application from the App Store, a new icon appears on your Home screen. And if you check the same websites every day, just create web clips. They appear on your Home screen, and you can access the sites directly with a single tap.

Safari
iPod touch features Safari, the most advanced web browser ever on a portable device. See the web in your hands the same way you see it on a computer. All you need is a Wi-Fi connection.

Browse Anywhere
iPod touch is the only iPod with built-in wireless access to the web. Whenever you're connected via Wi-Fi, you can access your favorite websites to read news, check scores, pay bills, and go shopping. And if you're using the new 32 GB or 64 GB iPod touch, you'll notice that web pages load even faster than before.

Search the Web
iPod touch syncs your bookmarks from your PC or Mac, so you can access your favorite sites quickly. It has Google and Yahoo! search built in, so it's easy to find what you're looking for on the web.

Web Clips
If you check a website frequently--a favorite newspaper, blog, or sports site--why not create a Home screen icon, or web clip, for it? Make web clips with Safari, and your favorite sites are always just a tap away.

Zoom
Get a closer look at any web page by zooming in and out with a tap or a pinch of the Multi-Touch display. View websites in portrait or landscape. Rotate iPod touch 90 degrees and the web page rotates, too.

mail on iPod touch looks and works just like email on your computer.

With Maps and a Wi-Fi connection, you can get directions, find local businesses, and check traffic.

Mail
Email on iPod touch looks and works just like email on your computer. And it works with the email accounts you already have.

View Messages and Attachments
iPod touch supports rich HTML email, so images and photos appear alongside text. And you see email attachments in their original formats, not stripped-down versions. Rotate, zoom, and pan in more than a dozen standard file and image formats, including PDF; Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; and iWork.

Access All Your Accounts
Access your email from popular providers--including MobileMe, Google Gmail, Microsoft Exchange, Yahoo! Mail, and AOL--and most industry-standard IMAP and POP mail systems.

Compose Instantly
iPod touch recognizes email addresses in different applications. If you run across an email address on a web page or a map listing, for example, just tap it and iPod touch opens a new message and addresses it for you.

Type Smart
With its built-in dictionary,* the intelligent iPod touch keyboard predicts and suggests words as you type, making it fast and easy to write email. And when you rotate iPod touch on its side, the keyboard instantly switches from portrait to landscape for larger keys and more room to type.

Search Your Inbox
No need to scroll through message after message in your inbox looking for the right one. A quick downward flick brings up a search field that lets you find email by sender, recipient, subject, or all headers.

Maps
Find your way and a place to eat. With Maps and a Wi-Fi connection, you can get directions, find local businesses, and check traffic.

Find Yourself
iPod touch finds your location using known Wi-Fi hotspots. It also finds points of interest by keyword: Search for "coffee" and iPod touch shows you cafes nearby.

Get Directions
Just type in an address and get directions from wherever you are. Choose the method of transportation--car, public transit, or on foot--and view a list of turn-by-turn directions. See a highlighted map route with estimated travel time. You can also mark specific locations and find the best route between them.

Explore and share your favorite YouTube clips.

Track your workouts, set goals, and challenge friends with Nike+.Click to enlarge.

With Voice Memos, you can record any audio you want using the Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic or an external mic.

Switch Map Views
Just like Google Maps on your computer, Maps on iPod touch lets you switch between views of Google map data, satellite images, and a hybrid of both. Multi-Touch makes the difference. Tap to zoom, pan, and change your view on the move.

See Traffic
Maps on iPod touch shows you live traffic information, indicating traffic speed along your route in easy-to-read green, red, and yellow highlights.

YouTube
Skateboarding moves gone wrong. Hilarious commercials from another country. Whatever the video, iPod touch has your YouTube addiction covered.

Share from Anywhere
Email your favorite videos to your favorite people. Tap Share on any YouTube video detail page and iPod touch creates an email with the video link already in it.

Search YouTube
Explore Featured, Most Viewed, Most Recent, and Top Rated videos. Or search for the video you want using a keyword search. Once you find what you're looking for, bookmark it to watch later.

Nike + iPod Compatibility
Rock out your workout. iPod touch has built-in support for Nike + iPod. It's music and motivation rolled into one.

Tune Your Run
iPod touch includes built-in Nike + iPod support. Just slip the Nike + iPod Sensor (available separately) into your Nike+ shoe and start your run. The sensor communicates wirelessly with your iPod touch, tracking your time, distance, and calories burned. It even gives you voice feedback on your progress.

Tune Your Cardio Workout
This feature also works with new cardio equipment available in many fitness centers. Just look for Nike + iPod compatible treadmills, ellipticals, stair steppers, and stationary bikes.

Sync with nikeplus.com
When you get back to your computer, sync your iPod touch with iTunes and transfer your exercise data to nikeplus.com, where you can track your workouts, set goals, and challenge friends.

Voice Memos
You might have a good memory. But sometimes, it's nice to have a backup. With Voice Memos, you can record little (and big) bits of information to your iPod touch.

Record Memos (or Any Audio)
Record a simple to-do, your next big idea, or a bet between you and your friend. With Voice Memos, you can record any audio you want using the Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic or an external mic. Voice Memos will record even when you're using your iPod touch to do things such as checking email or surfing the web.

Edit Memos
You can trim recorded memos right on iPod touch. That way, you keep only what you need.

Manage Memos
Keep all your memos organized by choosing labels from a predefined list or by creating custom labels.

Share Memos
Send memos to your friends and colleagues via email. Memos you record on iPod touch sync back to your Mac or PC via iTunes, so you can share them later.

Play the latest head-to-head games with a friend--whether your friend is sitting next to you or across the country.

Want more room to type? Rotate iPod touch to landscape to use a larger keyboard in Mail, Notes, and Safari.

Download movies, TV shows, music videos, and audiobooks over Wi-Fi from the iTunes Store on iPod touch.

More Features

iPod touch comes with the latest software already installed. And you also get convenient apps including Contacts, Calendar, Notes, Stocks, and Weather.

iPhone 3.1 Software Features

Genius Mixes
This new feature acts as your personal DJ, searching your iTunes library to find songs that go great together, then organizing them into mixes you'll love. All automatically.

Genius Recommendations for Apps
With thousands of apps in the App Store, how do you find cool new ones? Let Genius help. It looks at the apps you're using and recommends others you might like.

Peer-to-Peer Gaming
Play the latest head-to-head games with a friend--whether your friend is sitting next to you or across the country.

Buy Movies, TV Shows, and Audiobooks via Wi-Fi
Download movies, TV shows, music videos, and audiobooks over Wi-Fi from the iTunes Store on iPod touch.

Landscape Keyboard
Want more room to type? Rotate iPod touch to landscape to use a larger keyboard in Mail, Notes, and Safari.

Cut, Copy & Paste
Cut, copy, and paste words and photos, even between applications. Copy and paste images and content from the web, too.

Spotlight Search
Find what you're looking for across your iPod touch, all from one convenient place. Spotlight searches all your contacts, email, calendars, and notes, as well as your music and video.

Automatic Wi-Fi Login
Log in to a Wi-Fi hotspot and iPod touch remembers your user name and password the next time you connect.

Accessibility
The new iPod touch comes with standard accessibility features that help people with disabilities experience the fun of iPod touch.

Stereo Bluetooth
Enjoy music and other audio wirelessly. Pair your iPod touch with compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones.

Shake to Shuffle
Just give your iPod touch a shake, and it shuffles to a different song in your music library. You'll always be surprised by what you hear.

Parental Controls
Decide what music, videos, and apps your kids can access.

Stocks on iPod touch shows you performance information for any stock you choose.

Check worldwide weather at home or away.

Pioneering hardware technology built into iPod touch is how you're able to flick, tap, and pinch.

iPod touch also includes these useful apps:

Calendar
Calendar works with Yahoo!, Google, Microsoft Outlook, iCal, MobileMe, and Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync for enterprise. Add events. Set reminder alerts. Subscribe to calendars for things such as national holidays and sports schedules.

Contacts
Put names, email addresses, phone numbers, and more at your fingertips. Sync contacts on your Mac or PC to iPod touch using iTunes. Add new contacts on the go with a tap.

Notes
Forget the pen and paper. Use Notes on iPod touch to write yourself a quick note and keep important information on hand. A built-in email function lets you send notes to yourself or others.

Stocks
Stocks on iPod touch shows you performance information for any stock you choose. When you want more details about a stock's performance, tap the Y! for instant access to Yahoo! Finance.

Weather
Check worldwide weather at home or away. Add the cities you want, then flick back and forth to get six-day forecasts for each. Tap the Y! to open a Yahoo! city guide that shows you what's happening, rain or shine.

Calculator
Calculator on iPod touch does double duty. In portrait mode, you can use Calculator for simple calculations. Rotate iPod touch to landscape, and it becomes a sophisticated scientific calculator.

iPod touch Technology

Pioneering hardware technology built into iPod touch is how you're able to flick, tap, and pinch. It's what makes that racing game feel so real. It's why you're able to tweet what you just overheard in the cafe. And it's the reason iPod touch is the most amazing iPod you'll ever own.

Multi-Touch
The Multi-Touch display layers a protective shield over a capacitive panel that senses your touch using electrical fields. It then transmits that information to the LCD screen below it. So you can glide through albums with Cover Flow, flick through photos and enlarge them with a pinch, zoom in and out on a section of a web page, and control game elements precisely.

Accelerometer
The accelerometer inside iPod touch allows it to detect when you rotate iPod touch from portrait to landscape, then automatically changes the contents of the display. The accelerometer really shines when you play games, because it immerses you in the action. It's perfect for racing games, where your entire iPod touch acts as a steering wheel, and for tap-and-tilt games such as Rolando, in which your movements control the action.

Wireless
iPod touch has built-in support for 802.11b/g wireless technology. That means you can get online anywhere there's Wi-Fi. Send email from a coffee shop. Surf the web at the airport. Shop for games from your couch. Browse, buy, and download music and more from the iTunes Store. iPod touch locates nearby wireless hotspots, including protected networks. If you've never used a particular network, Wireless Icon it asks you to enter a password the first time, and it remembers the password from then on. So the next time you're within range, it connects automatically.

Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a form of wireless technology that lets you use devices without the hassle of cables or wires. What does that mean for iPod touch? It means you can use iPod touch with Bluetooth headphones and listen to your music no matter where in the room your iPod touch is. So lounge on your bed, while your iPod touch charges on your desk. Bluetooth on iPod touch is also great for peer-to-peer gaming.

Design
iPod touch is as remarkable outside as it is inside. Holding one is all the proof you need. With its curved design, iPod touch is a mere 8.5 mm thin. Its optical glass front and polished stainless steel back feel sleek and smooth in your hand. Turn it on, and instantly you're impressed by the brilliant 3.5-inch display. iPod touch is the perfect combination of stunning design and revolutionary technology--the total, beautiful package.

Read Kindle books on your iPod touch.

Read Kindle Books on the iPod touch

• No Kindle required.
• Get the best reading experience available on your iPhone or iPod touch.
• Access your Kindle books even if you don't have your Kindle with you.
• Automatically synchronizes your last page read between devices with Amazon Whispersync.
• Adjust the text size, add bookmarks, and view the annotations you created on your Kindle.
• Don't have a Kindle? Get yours here.

Shop for Books on the Kindle Store on Your iPod touch

• Buy a book from the Kindle Store, optimized for Safari, on your iPod touch or iPhone and get it auto-delivered wirelessly.
• Search and browse more than 400,000 books, including more than 103 of 112 New York Times bestsellers.
• Find New York Times bestsellers and new releases for $9.99, unless marked otherwise.
• Get free book samples; read the first chapter for free before you decide to buy.
• Books you purchase also can be read on a Kindle.
• Kindle newspapers, magazines, and blogs are not currently available on the iPod touch or iPhone.
• Kindle for iPhone is currently available for customers in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Rep., Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Republic of, Mexico, Moldova, Republic Of, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Vietnam

What's in the Box

Apple iPod touch 64 GB (3rd Generation), Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic, USB 2.0 cable, Dock adapter, Quick Start guide

Product Description

iPod touch is a great iPod, a great pocket computer, and a great portable game player. Listen to a mix of songs automatically put together by the new Genius Mixes feature. Watch a movie. Surf the web. Download countless apps. Click here to jump down the page and learn all about apps. View rich HTML email. Find your location and get directions with Google Maps. Discover games and apps you're sure to love with new Genius recommendations for apps. And since iPod touch now comes with the latest 3.1 software already installed, you can start using fun, convenient features right out of the box. View an interactive demo on the iPod touch opens a new window.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

991 of 1,063 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Shy Of Perfection September 15, 2009

By C. Franz

This review could be summerd up in a short sentence: You are looking at the current killer appliance for personal entertainment. But I never, ever, do short reviews... So here's the long story. Grab a cup of coffee, as this review answers questions you never knew existed.

I have to admit that there have been few items that have captured and kept my enthusiasm for as long as the iPod Touch. Two years ago, I purchased the original Touch, last year I upgraded to the 32 GB, and now I have the 64GB version. Was the upgrade worth it? And what are the things yet to be imroved? Because even though the Touch is close to perfection, there are still many small things that can be improved.

Hardware
Physically, the new (64GB) Touch is identical to it's 2nd generation brethren. It's polished crome backplate is slightly curved, making it fit your palm perfectly. As before, the fact that it's made from polished chrome will guarantee that it attracts fingerprints and scratches almost magically. I'm no friend of any kind of protective covers, and my last (32GB) Touch had to live in my pocket with my keys, coins, and other stuff I threw in with it. After a year, the backplate did pick up a lot of scratches, and I expect that the 64GB to fare no better. Personally, I would have preferred a brushed finish for the backplate. This may have caused problems with the readability of the customized engraving that Apple applies to the Touch on the backplate for no additional charge (a nice 'touch' that becomes increasingly important as the Touch becomes more ubiquitious). This custom engraving you can only get if you order the Touch through Apple (it's also not available in the Apple Stores).

The front plate is made from one of the most impressive glass enhancements I've ever seen. After a year of heavy abuse, my old Touch's glass front has not a single scratch - not one. I don't know how Apple does it, but this is really impressive. Remember, I don't use any protective covers or films. The screen itself is brilliant, bright, and can easily be read outside, wich is a feat in itself. The Touch has an ambient light sensor, so it can dim the screen when the surroundings are darker.
This time around, the screen's color temperature has remained unchanged (the 2G shifted all colors from a blueish to a more golden tinge). Movie playback is simply astonishing. The image is crisp, and the on-screen controls natural. Again, there are niceties such as double-tapping the screen to change aspect ratio, or placing bookmarks etc. You still can't set a movie's contrast, but beyond that small issue, movie playback is perfect. Viewing movies on the Touch simply works great, but personally I think that the screen is too small to watch a full movie. Last week, I tried watching a TV episode while on a plane enroute to Hamburg (a 75 minute flight), but quickly decided against it, opting instead to play a game of 'Luxor'. Somehow I prefer a larger screen for consuming video, while I have no problems doing something interactive on it. Still, video plays great on the Touch.

Button and interface lay-out has remained the same from the last generation: volume controls on the left side, top holds the 'exit/on' button, buttom has dock and phones connectors, and the front holds the single home button. There is one thing that can be improved here: I would have preferred the audio connector to be on top (or either side), as the current configuration precludes the use of many applications (e.g. News- and eBook readers) when you want to place it upright -- for example in the Gym. Some apps do use the accelerometers and can be used positioning the Touch upside down, though.

The built-in speaker is unchanged from the last version. It's weak, tinny, mono, produces horrible sound, has no volume to speak of -- and yet it's one of the best additions to the Touch (the original didn't have it, the 2nd gen did). It simply makes casual gaming so much more fun. I don't care about the bad sound quality, I just love the fact that it's there.

The signatory white earphones that Apple sells with the Touch may look good, but I don't like them. In my ears they are too uncomfortable. Since I'm no audiophile, I can't comment on their audio quality other than that it's good enough for me. Anyway, I replaced them with my favorite non-Apple version. The hitch here is that Apple now delivers the 64 GB (and 32 GB) with earphones that sport a built-in mic and remote. And my head phones don't have that. While the remote is nothing much to write home about (the way it works is just too complex), the mic works well, and has just the right fidelity to pick out voice over the background noise. So, for now, I keep the white buds with me in case I want to use the IP-telephony capabilities.

Battery life appears to have been reduced somewhat from the 2nd gen - at least on paper. During the past few days the new 3rd gen Touch certainly performed as well as or even better than my 2nd gen - but then again, that one's battery is already one year old. One fact that I've become very fond of is the quick-charge ability, which works really well.

The built-in wireless connectivity is really nice, with astonishingly well executed integration. The touch does all it's wireless networking over WiFi and Bluetooth. WiFi works really well (especially here in Switzerland where Hotspots are particularely dense), and Bluetooth integration (which I tried on the 3rd gen for the first time) is flawless. WiFi reception (range) lags somewhat behind that of a Wintel laptop (no doubt due to the metal backplate) and is pretty much on par with that of a 15" Macbook Pro (which is also somewhat lacking in WiFi reception range). WiFi is still the 'g' variant though [interestingly enough, the built-in hardware does support 11n, but so far Apple has chosen not to activate it, presumably to conserve battery. This is interesting also from the fact that in the 2G Touch, Apple initially included Bluetooth capabilities, but only activated it with a later OS release. Perhaps the same can be expected for 11n]. Bluetooth now also works with headphones and BT-based car integration kits (works well in mine). I would have loved to try out BT-based printing from the Calender or Addressbook app, but hit a snag: it appears no Touch app supports printing...

Missing Hardware
There is some hardware that I expected, or whished that it was included in the Touch - especially as (some) of them are now present on other iPods:
No camera. I was somewhat ambivalent about this. No camera means no pictures and/or movies. But it also means that I can keep handling it rough, as I do not have to worry abou the lens. Also, I don't have to worry about taking it to the Gym (my Gym has very strict rules towards camera-equipped items). All things being equal, the addition of a camera (still and/or video) would have been nice, but I don't miss it much (truth be told, I yet have to use the camera on my mobile phone).
Unfortunately, there is also no built-in mic. This is much a more significant omission than having no camera. The Touch is a first class audio voice recorder and (more importantly for me) a first class Skype client. There are third party solutions for this (a mini-micro that directly plugs into the headphone connector), but if the touch had a built-in mike, it would make using world-class applications like Shazam (and Skype) so much easier
Likewise, there is no compass, nor a GPS receiver present in the touch. I understand that these are left out to better differentiate the Touch from the iPhone, but I would have welcomed them in the top-of-the-line (64GB) version of the iPod.
And, finally, there is no radio receiver. I'm definitely not a radio man, as I next to never listen to it. Still, some people do (as the ton of nicely selling IP radio applications shows), and anyway, the Nano has it now - even with a nice Tivoesque pause feature! Why not the Touch? Strange design choice.

iPod & iTunes
The original iPod's strength was the sheer brilliant ease of use - and the touch-based interface represented a mile-stone in improving on that. To date there simply is no better multimedia interface than that of the Touch/iPhone. It's natural after just a few seconds. It's drop-dead beautiful, with muted highlights, and cleverly accentuated by small (if flashy) animations that convey the different metaphors of the interface (e.g. the rubber-banded bouncing when you reach the end of a playlist). Like no interface before you can instantly use it to accomplish even complex tasks with just the flick of a finger. Using it is sheer, unadulterated fun. The 'Coverflow' album browsing may be one of the least useful, but it's definitely the most natural (and fun) way to flip though you music. And it is jaw-droppingly well executed (note: when you use coverflow you should make sure that you have installed the all cover art from any music you did not purchase from the iTunes Store).
At the base of all iPod music playing is the Playlist, and using playlist on the Touch is a joy. The interface whileplaying is also mature, offering niceties such as displaying a song's lyrics on a single tap, along with singularily simple controls for repeat and shuffle play. Unfortunately, this playlist feature also still has one of the most glaring shortcomings: the Touch is unable to play playlist groups. I usually group a small bunch of songs into very short playlist (e.g. '10 best Springsteen'), and then mix these playlist into larger ones by simply dropping a playlist into a group. Although iTunes supports this, all versions of the Touch have stubbornly refused to do that.
Also somewhat strangely missing on the Touch is the ability to search for an Artist or music title. Read more ›

92 of 98 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars 64GB: even more Touch to love! September 20, 2009

By Alan VINE™ VOICE

I bought a 64GB Touch direct from apple on the day it came out -- I find it often takes longer to get newly released stuff from Amazon. I replaced my 32GB 2nd generation -- and to tell the truth, the extra 32GB is the main difference I notice. Now I can fit all of my music and video/tv shows and apps besides with room to spare, I love it!

A little about me, I'm a diehard mp3 player fan so I have owned a broad variety of iPods and iPod alternatives: Archos 604/605/5, iRiver Clix2, Sony Walkman X, iPod Classic/Nano/Touch 1,2,3,4,5, Creative Zen/X-Fi, Cowan U2, Samsung P2 etc. I will be comparing the iPod Touch 3rd Generation to all of these other players.

Let me just say that I'm not rating the quality of the update, but rather the unit as a whole. Admittedly, this is a pretty weak update especially if you were hoping for GPS or a camera. I am a little envious that the Nano gets a camera and the Touch doesn't, what's that all about? But ultimately, this is not a video camera for me (I have a Flip for that!) so I really don't care. I am rating the whole package as an MP3 and video player. I am considering how the Touch compares to competing products.

One other comment -- as to sound quality, I can't say that is either pro or con. If you want really good sound go get yourself a Sony Walkman! However, I find the sound (through my UE11 Pros) to be respectable, especially if you tweak the sound settings to your tastes. Neither remarkably good nor remarkably bad so I don't list SQ on either pro or con list.

Lets get to it then, what I loved about my Touch:

1) Beauty -- just raw esthetic pleasure, the Touch is without doubt the sexiest looking MP3 player I have ever owned! And it feels darn good in my hand too.
2) Software/iTunes -- what's the point of even mentioning an iPod without discussing iTunes? iTunes is for sure the best media player/store interface that I have ever seen. Definitely gives every iPod a leg up over the competition -- although Media Monkey is pretty good in many ways and that's what I use for my other players.
3) Apps -- nobody can compare with apple's App Store and the amazing assortment of Apps now available for the Touch.
4) Firmware/updates -- the apple firmware is probably the best out there. Sony Walkman is pretty good too, but I think apple gets top honors. The update process through iTunes is the smoothest software update process of any MP3 player I've ever seen -- although Archos comes close.
5) Play screen -- the Touch play screen really sets the standard that everybody else is aspiring to. I love how they fill the entire screen with the album art. The only other one that even comes close is the Walkman.
6) Accessories -- in the apple happy place there are accessories galore and readily available at your local store. Most of my other players require online shopping to find cases and whatnot.
7) Dedicated volume, home button, power button -- much as I love touch screens, its really nice to have a few dedicated buttons that you can hit without being able to see the screen.
8) Browser -- The Safari is one of the better browsers for an MP3 player, especially the pinch multi-touch interface for zooming is really nice. Keyboard is a little hard to use but can be done with practice.
9) Apple support -- these guys are fantastic about fixing/replacing faulty units. I should know because I've had to send a few items back over the years.
10. Speed -- they say its faster and I do notice the difference when playing with my apps which seem a bit snappier now. At this rate, the Touch is going to replace my laptop...

10 solid marks gives the iPod Touch 5 stars for being top of its class in so many categories! However, being an engineer, I always see room for improvement (I sure hope apple is listening!)

Things I don't like so much:

1) Play button? No dedicated play button means this is almost impossible to pause/play by touch. My first Sony Walkman had the best play button ever, the Archos 605 had a nice dedicated play button even though it was a touch screen. I just don't think touch screen should have to mean everything has to be done with the touch screen!
2) Battery -- its not pretty if the battery goes bad on this thing. Unfortunately, removable or even accessible batteries are becoming a thing of the past with MP3 players! Luckily they keep putting out new ones every year so I never use the battery up :)
3) Dock -- seems to me that the apple dock options are pretty weak compared to the Archos DVR dock.
4) Video cable -- if you want to watch those tv shows/movies you buy on iTunes on your TV you're going to have to buy a special video cable -- mine cost like $50!! Just keep that in mind...
5) Stylus won't work -- since this is a capacitance touch screen you can't use a stylus as much as you (or I) might like to. Looks shinier, but hard to use -- I like Archos better here.
6) Onscreen keyboard -- not great, Archos is definitely better for me partly because you can use a stylus if you have to.

Well there you have it -- 9 big pluses, 6 small minuses makes for about 4.7 stars by my calculations! If you don't need huge storage space or HD video resolution this is a great MP3/video player, not necessarily the best in every category but I would say it is the best overall unit available today.

My recommendations depending on your personal preferences:
- iPod touch if you just want an all around great music player, browser, video player, game playing, or if you are an App head (I'm rapidly becoming one myself!). It does everything!
- Sony Walkman if you want really good sound (the best I think) and/or you like Rhapsody
- Archos 5 if you want a big HD screen, great DVR capabilities, stylus friendly touch screen, and/or a big hard drive (500GB coming soon!)
- iPod Nano if you want a really small sleek player in fun colors and a @$*()^)# video camera!

60 of 64 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars a 4,5 star average (review updated as of Nov 6th, 2009) October 5, 2009

By onlyme1234

Everything I wrote earlier still applies and more. I still give it a 4,5 star ranking because of the battery life.

But I've been using my ipod as a pocket computer (came in really handy when I was in Toronto in the fall break) and (as a surprise even for myself) as an ebook reader (reading in bed) and video player more than as a music player.

There are several apps for ebooks like 'free ebooks' and 'ebooks'. And i've been rereading Anne of Green Gables while flying to Toronto (how appropriate). Sitting somewhere with free wifi, calling people with skype all over the world, writing about the vacation on facebook so that your friends and family are up-to-date. It's really great.
As sad as it may sound, I'd really miss my ipod if I wouldn't have it now. It was never that way with my ipod classic. And I have my addressbook on hand all the time without having to carry around my (heavy) paper diary. I discovered a lot of really good apps, like lonely planet travel books (hate to carry around weight on vacations) and free courses on foreign languages (ever tried chinese?) etc. even bought Jamie Olivers recipes, which is a really great app btw.

Only complaint might be that 64 GB is not enough storage (I need 128 GB) and battery life of course. However you use your ipod btw is highly personal of course and very dependant on personal circumstances, but I think you might get addicted to it like I have.

Old review:
I've had my ipod touch for almost two weeks now (played with it for days on end and as happy with it as can be). Since there are many, many reviews written about the technology etc, I won't write about that. Let me state first that I did some reading on the subject before I bought the ipod and that my main goal was to have an MP3 player with enough GB to contain all my music and some of my video's and have a small portable 'computerlike device' for internet and mail (at home, at work and on vacation since most hotels have free WiFi for guests now).

I'll write a review from a user's point of view. And more important, I think I'm just an average user and a first time Ipod touch user, so there will be no comparisons in my review between this generation pod and older generations (I already owned an ipod classic though). This review is for the 64 GB third gen iPod Touch which i'd been waiting for, since I thought the 32 Gb had not enough storage for me.

On the very positive side:

I wasn't looking for a cell phone or a camera (could have bought the Iphone then), since I already own fine working devices for both (who wants a 3 megapixel camera on a phone anyway if you own a credit card sized 12.1 megapixel camera, which can make video's in HD quality at the same time and I never use the camera on my cell phone for that reason). Sure, you have to carry more devices in your bag, but that's the choice you make for quality especially as regards the camera and video.

The problem with multi tasking small devices in my opinion is that normally you have everything in a poor to reasonable and nothing in excellent quality. Not so the Ipod Touch 3rd gen.

First I think it is a great gadget and more. I've had no trouble whatsoever to install and use it, without having to refer to the manual at any time. I am lucky to have WiFi everywhere I'm in a building (at home, work, hotels, my parents etc), so e-mail and internet is no problem. I installed skype, which works fine and I even free installed software for traffic news and since I live in the Netherlands, something called 'uitzending gemist'. I can watch missed TV programmes on streaming video, which to my surprise really works great. I've tried everything I could 'click' on and while I won't use everything on a regular basis, it all works fine except for some (minor) points you can read in my review further on.
You can listen to the music without the earphones (it has loudspeakers, though don't ask me where they put it), which is quite nice (but don't expect great sound quality, just good enough to listen to video's and TV, music quality is much better with earphones).
And since I have small hands, I have no problems entering a text. But I imagine someone with bigger hands could have some problems there (but hey what do you expect, we want devices as small as this and expect them to do everything and anything??).
Loading internet pages, sending email and getting e-mail: very fast! One of the many surprises.

Compared to the ipod classic it is great to have this big screen and it is easier to use.

On the negative side:

I tried the microphone which works fine for Skype etc, but not for the use of voice control (name a musical number??). The only composer it recognizes seems to be Mozart. But if I want Verdi, all I get is some rock song. I dont know if this works better in English, since I have the Dutch language installed on my pod. Anyway, a small negative for me since I did not intend to use it much. But I think the problem might be in the pronunciation of words. It probably expects me to pronounce words like it is spoken in Dutch, which might be a problem if all you listen to are foreign composers and singers (but I had a blast listening to the music I have and didn't know I had on my pod). So this is not a problem because of the quality of the mic, but just the inner workings of voice control that doesn't seem to adjust well to languages.

The battery, that could be a more serious problem if you like to watch video's, say on vacation (of course at home i'll use my TV). Here is where my knowledge of technology fails, because I don't know if it's possible to have a longer lasting battery in a device this small. I'd have liked it though, if the battery lasted longer than it does now. Especially if you use the wireless, that seems to 'suck' energy more than anything.

I have a radio on my Ipod classic which requires no internet, just a radio accessory I bought. Why not on this pod? I can use streaming internet radio (which also works fine), but that requires internet access which I have a lot of the time, but not always.

On the whole: not sorry to have bought this, even at these prices. There are some (minor) negative points, but then what do you expect from a device this size (and the size I definitely consider an advantage). It does have it's limitations and to say anything else, well, I think that would not be totally honest. And I could probably have written a lot more, but I think for everyday use, it's about the music, video's, internet and e-mail.

Viewed from that point I think the positive sides far outweigh the negatives.

PS I've used Skype for several days now and it's really great to be able to speak to relatives on another continent via internet FOR FREE.