back to article Apple reveals bare bones iPod touch

Persistent rumours that Apple is planning a cheap version of the iPhone have a little more substance today, after Apple quietly slipped a new bare-bones model of the iPod touch out the door. The “iPod Touch 16GB” didn't even rate a press release and name and comes in just two colours: black and white. The rear-facing iSight …

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  1. RAMChYLD
    Alert

    Excuse me, but...

    USD$ £199?

    I'm confused. Did the US invade the UK yesterday?

    1. LarsG
      Meh

      Re: Excuse me, but...

      This is still expensive, especially when you consider the full fat 32GB is only £50 more.

      A more realistic price would have been £150.

    2. Egons Proton Pack
      Thumb Up

      Re: Excuse me, but...

      Dollar pounds... the currency of red dwarf ;)

    3. Shagbag
      FAIL

      £199

      What a fucking joke. Only fanbois and morons would buy this at that price.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: £199

        Guess you have ordered yours then?

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: £199 - Fixed

        fanbois are morons and would still buy this at that price, or any price Apple wishes to tax its bitches.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Alert

      Re: Excuse me, but...

      No, we became a US state years ago.

  2. Eddy Ito

    "Who's to say millions more would not find a 23 per cent discount attractive?"

    Considering many in the US will be sold for $49 + overpriced 2 year contract I'd say the odds are pretty good.

  3. Chris D Rogers
    1. Richard Wharram

      Ed Balls

      Ed Balls

  4. Chris D Rogers

    Best purchase a 'Refurbished' 32G model

    Here in Hong Kong the cost of a refurbished 32G 5th generation iTouch is US$25.00 more than the new stripped down iTouch, i.e., for a 13% increase in cost price you get the rear camera and 16G additional storage - 32G being the minimum requirement in my book.

    Obviously, the cost of Apple products in HK is among the lowest globally and the cost in the UK with 20% VAT is horrific to say the least - indeed at these prices I'd recommend punters hold off until the new Nexus 7 is launched and spend their money on that - greater value, larger high quality screen and same 32G storage capability.

    Although, I must admit I've admired the iTouch since it was launched in 2007 and have purchased 4 to-date, including the latest generation for my daughter - tempted by the Nexus 7 next though as good compromise in screen size and portability.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Best purchase a 'Refurbished' 32G model

      Nexus 7 is an MP3 player? that'll look good strapped to your arm while you're jogging.

      1. Chris D Rogers

        Re: Best purchase a 'Refurbished' 32G model

        It depends who the device is for and what its main priority use is - evidently you do not have children or else you'd not post such a flippant remark.

        For music, I suppose the original iPod is far superior than a iTouch, i.e., in terms of storage capabilities.

        Kids love the iTouch for gaming, taking photo's and watching some TV/Movies - all areas the next Nexus 7 will cover and at a cheaper price-point than a iTouch.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Best purchase a 'Refurbished' 32G model

        "Nexus 7 is an MP3 player? that'll look good strapped to your arm while you're jogging."

        yeah, cause a f*ckwitPod makes you look right breast!

        While you think your tech gives you a status boost (clearly needed), normal people see it realise how stupid you are!

  5. Dexter's Indignation

    "USD$ £199?

    I'm confused. Did the US invade the UK yesterday?"

    I wondered why everyone looked bigger boned (I did not suggest that they were fatter)

  6. Alan Sharkey

    A Touch is not a phone, why would you need a plan?

  7. Wam

    Ooh - 88g to 86g - I'm sold!

  8. Nifty Silver badge
    FAIL

    Planned obsolescence

    I have a 2nd Gen iPod Touch whose last installable IOS is 4.2.1

    It would have gong on being a perfectly acceptable bedside companion for BBC iPlayer (especially radio for me) EXCEPT...

    The BBC has chosen to cooperate with Apple and refuses to make the iPlayer - TV or radio - work, even using web apps/web browser of any flavour, on any IOS higher than 4.2.1.

    I guess it's to do with codecs or protocols with a topping of rights management paranoia.

    The Beeb/Apple collusion is particularly galling as my family has spend a small fortune on both Apple gear and BBC license fees over the years.

    I am pretty sure that had the same obsolescence happened on an Android device, there would have been a decent hack already noted how upgradeable Android 2.3 was on my last Android phone.

    Looks like the biggest hands that feed us need to be given a good bite.

    1. Professor Clifton Shallot

      Fragged

      Yeah, I'm also a victim of the fragmentation of the Apple product line - very annoying.

    2. Test Man
      Stop

      Re: Planned obsolescence

      "The BBC has chosen to cooperate with Apple and refuses to make the iPlayer - TV or radio - work, even using web apps/web browser of any flavour, on any IOS higher than 4.2.1."

      iOS EARLIER or LOWER than 4.2.1, you mean

      But yes, I also have a 2nd gen iPod Touch, one that hasn't seen updates in months because clearly the new baseline version number standard for apps is either 4.3.x or 5.x. Gutting.

    3. Jonathan 29

      Re: Planned obsolescence

      Although it works fine on my phone, I am told by the many reviewers on Play that iPlayer is quite a bit of arse on many Android devices.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Planned obsolescence

        "Although it works fine on my phone, I am told by the many reviewers on Play that iPlayer is quite a bit of arse on many Android devices."

        It's all to do with DRM!

    4. Brenda McViking
      Thumb Down

      Re: Planned obsolescence

      I worked out a long time ago that if you pay apple any money at all, you'll get the device in question, which will work well for a year, and then they lose all interest in you whatsoever. I remember being treated incredibly rudely in an apple store after a faulty iOS update bricked my device, due to a dent being present in the casing (which obviously was absolutely nothing to do with the problem - I managed to solve it myself in the end.)

      Android at least has ways and means of keeping old devices working, and paid-for apps tend to work on most available flavours. seems iOS apps just stop working every time an update to iOS happens, and sod you if your device is deemed by apple to not support the update. That's not to mention the fact that they "decide" what is good for you and what you can and can't do with what belongs to you.

      I am not prepared to put up with that attitude, so I exercise the only right I have - to vote with my wallet.

    5. 4.1.3_U1

      Re: Planned obsolescence

      tl;dr

      but I upvoted anyway based on the first 30 words.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Planned obsolescence

        and I down voted you for commenting on 30 words and not the entire post!

        Apple types, you can't trust em!

  9. JDX Gold badge

    A cheaper 16Gb Touch makes sense since to many people 16Gb is enough. But that simply seems to be expanding the range a bit, and I thought we talking about a CHEAP iPhone not just a slightly cheaper one.

    1. Nifty Silver badge

      A used or refurb of any older iPod Touch model that still uses the non-lightening socket makes most sense.

      More than iPhones, iPods and iPod Touches are likely to be used with the myriad docks we have around the home or see in hotels around the world. Apple broke this well and good, and I have yet to see one doc adapter that looks as though it supports the weight of an iPhone or Touch in a sensible way.

      1. D@v3
        Thumb Down

        That bloody lightning connecter

        is one of the big reasons that i am considering moving away from Apple when my 4s gives up.

        my iPod classic will still work in my various docks, but if a new iPhone won't, maybe it's time to look somewhere else for a non-music centric device.

        Yeah, i could use a connector, but then i can think of at least one device i own that the taller phone wouldn't fit into, even without another inch of what plastic stuck in the bottom of it, so that's not always an option.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: That bloody lightning connecter

          Well it is always an option as they do various connectors - one is a lightning to dock cable (rather than just a connector) - so yes it would not sit on the dock but it would still 'work'.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: That bloody lightning connecter

            "Well it is always an option as they do various connectors - one is a lightning to dock cable (rather than just a connector) - so yes it would not sit on the dock but it would still 'work'."

            Yes! But the mugs have been sucked in on the "look how fancy this is!" by the marketeers!

            iSheeple can't have it both ways!

  10. Alan Denman

    Bare but for the screen

    weird, that it still uses the ancient bigger A5.

    That A6 is smaller, more power efficient and faster, but obviously costs more than the $10 A5.

    Apart from the screen, barebones is the word.

    Just maybe they are morphing it next year into a game machine.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Why Apple

    Why would any body buy this when you can get the 5th Gen 32 Gb iPod Touch for £220!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Why Apple

      Because the new 16Gb version will probably also be available at a similar percentage discount soon.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Why Apple - Fixed

      Why would any body buy this at all? Be locked into a proprietary system, no thanks!

  12. KTM Gordo
    Stop

    Redundancy

    "leave readers in The Reg's home nation a little miffed"

    Just as you do by using the peculiarly redundant phrases "price point" and "rear (or front) facing".

    Unless you're paid by the word, "price" and "rear (or front)" work just fine.

    1. Darryl
      Happy

      Re: Redundancy

      You can remove 'peculiarly' and 'just fine' from your comment in the interest of further brevity

      1. Fink-Nottle
        Meh

        Re: Redundancy

        Redundancy and brevity are not grammatically the same, which makes your comment somewhat ... err ... redundant.

  13. Seanie Ryan
    Alert

    stupid story

    Apple have knocked 23% off the iPod 16Gb price, so by some totally illogical law in journalism, this MUST mean that if they bring out a cut price iPhone it will be somewhere about 23% cheaper

    Seriously?? Seriously???

    Insane ramblings. insane.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "A new iPhone at a ten dollar premium over last year's model from Samsung sounds like a decent deal."

    If your blind deaf and dumb, Yes!

    Mind you, you'd have to be blind deaf and dumb to think this is good value, never mind a phone with 2010 features!

    Surely paying $10 less for an SIII with more advanced feature sets makes more sense?

    Apple taxes the idiots!

  15. MachDiamond Silver badge

    75% discount

    I grab my iPods off of eBay for about a 75% discount. They're a couple of gens back, they don't have seamless operation with Farcebook and Twit(er), but they handle my audio book and music collections just fine. The most important bonus is if they're trampled or snaffled, I'm not out a paycheck amount of cash.

  16. Dropper

    Price Check

    Just pop over to my home town of Anchorage, there is no sales tax so the price listed is the price you pay. Other sales-tax free zones may exist in the US, but most have a figure of around 8% or so.

    Of course you'll have to factor in a small 700-800 quid airfare, hotel costs and so on, but you'll get the added benefits of 1/being allowed to drive on the wrong side of the road, 2/driving in snow in a fun vehicle if you go during winter 3/frostbite if you go during winter without the appropriate common sense to not stand outside in shorts because you're "on holiday" 4/see cool wildlife then get eaten by it 5/meet people who are actually pretty friendly in a foreign place for a change. Also the food is good.

    /advertisement over.

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