MacWorld 2008 Review - iPhone and iPod Touch
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There weren't any new iPods or iPhones introduced at MacWorld 2008. We did see some new applications for both of these devices, however. One of the most interesting is the new Maps one. By using Google Maps, and cell phone towers, the program can triangulate your location. This should work fairly well in city locations with lots of cell towers, but in the country I have a feeling this isn't going to be too accurate.
The iPod Touch got many new applications from its bigger brother the iPhone. The Mail, Maps, Stocks, Notes and Weather applications found on the iPhone are now going to be available on the iPod Touch. These are applications that should have been included on launch with the device. It has Wi-Fi built in so why not have applications that support the Wi-Fi?
It's a real benefit to have these applications now, but there is a catch. These new applications available for the iPod Touch will set you back an additional $20. If you are just now getting an iPod Touch, then these applications will be included with the device at no additional cost.
You think that's unfair? You're not alone; Apple is taking quite a bit of heat for this. I wonder if they will open it up for free and refund everyone that has bought theses programs already. Apple made iPhone early adopters angry with the way they dropped the price of the iPhone and now this. The company has really dropped the ball recently on pricing.
I'm still disappointed by the lack of support for applications for the iPhone. I was at least hoping the iPod games that can be bought through the iTunes store would be compatible. Apple really needs to open up to third party software a lot more or they will lose the market to Windows Mobile. Obligating users to pay for the updates to the iPod Touch is horrible marketing.
Movies, Movies, Movies
As far as legal online music downloads go, iTunes is the king. They have sold almost seven billion songs. They now feature movies as well, and are doing nicely with that too. Until now, all the movies were available solely for purchase. But Apple has teamed up once again with many movie studios and can now offer online movie rentals. New releases will be $3.99 while older movies will be $2.99. There is no news on how long a movie is considered a new release. Also, Apple has to wait 30 days after a movie is released to DVD before it can be released on iTunes.
This isn't the best solution for viewing a new release. I would have to go out on a limb and say that people that want to see a new release of a movie won't wait 30 days after I could go rent it at Blockbusters or get it through Netflix. You can only watch it once, and once you start watching it, you have 24 hours to finish it. Compared to what Netflix or Amazon can offer, this isn't that attractive a way to watch videos. I guess the perk here is that it can be downloaded onto either your computer, Apple TV or iPod, and shifted to a different device if you wish.
The Apple TV received some polish as well. It will offer a free update to go along with these new rentals. Apple will cut the price down to $229 for this. You can do many of the same things with a low end computer that would cost around the same, and you would also get many more features with the computer. Apple needs to get over the TiVo hump, and this isn't going to cut it.
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