iPod Touch observations

Friends and family are always asking me what I think about Apple’s latest and greatest products, usually within a few days of them being released – as if Steve Jobs send me samples in advance of the general public. Don’t I wish.

I got more questions about the newest iPod touch models than probably anything else, but the Macbook Air is closing in. Anyway, I don’t own an iPod touch, but I do own an iPhone and its iPod functionality is pretty much the same as the iPod Touch’s. And I don’t care for it much. I didn’t get the iPhone for its music capabilities; I always viewed it as a nice “extra.” If I was stuck somewhere (waiting at the Ford garage, for example) and didn’t have my iPod, I could always use the phone to chill out with some Ryan Adams.

Here’s what I don’t like about it: First, the cost: You pay a premium for the admittedly sexy iPod touch interface. When you compare prices with the iPod Classic, the cost per megabyte is through the roof. If you don’t have much music to tote around, maybe it’s not an issue. But I do, and I like choices. I never know when I’ll be in the mood for Metallica or Marley. I don’t want to have to constantly manage my music player's content and make space. My main iPod is a last-generation iPod 80 gig – only half the size of the newer iPod Classics – yet I rarely have to plug it to iTunes. 80 gigs of music is enough to keep me happy, and I only plug-in to add new albums. Second, the useability. Grrr.

Here are some things that you can’t do with an iPod touch:

• See the screen very well in even moderately bright light, especially if you’ve got it greased up a good bit.
• Work it with gloves, even thin gloves
• Work the touch screens if your hands are the slightest bit damp.
• Control the volume or skip tracks without looking at it. This is huge. I don't want to whip that bad boy out each and every time I want to adjust the volume or skip a track.

The thing that makes it supercool-looking – the glass and the touch interface – make it lousy to control if you actually use your iPod while on the go. I took a walk at lunch today with my iPhone, and found the whole experience pretty frustrating. Maybe if I was sitting on the couch, or using it at my desk, it wouldn’t be so bothersome. I can't even imagine what a nightmare this thing would be to use in a vehicle.

I also don’t care for the software interface itself. White type on a black screen, and way too much emphasis on Cover Art. I mean, really. I don't understand some people's obsessions with cover art or "Cover Flow." You can’t see the covers all that well, no matter what kind of iPod you own. And, once you’ve seen it the cover of Lenny Kravitz's new album – well, who cares after that? I’m a music fan, not a cover art fan. I'll buy a poster if I need to look at Lenny that often. Bottom line, I just don't feel compelled to walk around looking at my iPod screen. I'm in enough danger of getting hit by a bus because of the loud heavy metal blaring through the headphones, without also not paying attention because I'm looking at the cover of my favorite Ozzy album.

Finally, I find the “feature” where the screen rotates depending on how you’re holding the iPod touch/iPhone very, very irritating. Every time I pulled it out of my jacket, I had to wait for the screen to reorient itself back to vertical. That’s because when it sits in my jacket pocket, it tends to lay horizontally.

Yeah, I know I've glossed over a lot, and not included the kind of detail found in a good review such as one you might get at ars.technica. These are just my impressions, and the dealbreakers for me cancel out any of the other cool stuff like WiFi or games or video. I'm only interested in the music player aspect of my iPods. Well, there you have it.

Do you have an iPod touch, or use the iPod features of your iPhone? If so, I'm curious to hear your opinions!