New iPods
Wednesday, September 5, 2007 at 4:19PM Apple has updated every single device in their iPod lineup.
With so many iPod choices, which does your school choose? It will probably depend on how much money a school has to spend and if they have a Wi-Fi network. If iPods will be used for listening to select audio and podcasts, a shuffle or nano may be the way to go. If interacting with the Web is important, then iPod touch is a good choice. Apple makes it easy to compare iPod models and prices with their Which iPod Are You? chart.iPod touch
iPod touch is a lot like an iPhone without the phone and camera. It has a large touchscreen. Of course it plays audio, video, and podcasts. It is equipped with Wi-Fi and the Safari web browser. Like iPhone, it has an onscreen keyboard that appears when you need it. While I'm disappointed there is no email application, users can use web-based email in Safari. iPod touch is also missing a notes application. One look at the iPod touch home screen, you notice there is a lot of room for more icons. I'm hopeful that Apple will be adding features through software updates in the future. Additionally, there have been so many great websites designed for iPhone. Now that iPod touch can also access the Web,we'll see even more web sites and services will be optimized for the mobile Safari browser in iPod touch.
iPod nano
iPod nano has a new shape to accommodate a larger display. iPod nano now has all of the same features as the full-sized iPod, including video playback and games. In fact, all iPod nanos come with iQuiz, the game with fun graphics and the ability to make your very own quizzes using the free iQuizMaker for Mac or Windows. iPod nano also has been updated with an enhanced interface with slick transitions and a focus on album artwork.
iPod classic
iPod classic is the new name for the full-sized iPod. It's the only iPod with a miniaturized hard drive; all other models use flash-based memory. Hard drive sizes are now 80 and 160GB. That's probably too much storage space for most users. Like the new iPod nano, iPod classic comes with iQuiz and an enhanced interface.
iPod shuffle
iPod shuffle now comes in new colors. It's the only iPod without a screen and has the smallest storage capacity at only 1GB.
ipod 
Reader Comments (5)
Wow! How about the $100 credit for those who have already purchased and iPhone?!
Apple tells me my new Touch will ship by the end of the month....counting the days.
While many of us are excited about the educational possibilities of the iPod touch, there are a couple things that may cool our jets...
First, it's http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/10/apple-confirms-ipod-touch-cannot-add-appointments/" REL="nofollow">reported that you cannot enter calendar items on the device itself--Apple has removed the + button to add events from the iPhone's Calendar application. While not an incredibly big deal, I'm afraid it may be an indication of how Apple views the iPod touch: not as a PDA, but more as a media player. It's running the same Mac OS X as the iPhone, so there's no reason other than "product differentiation" to remove features other than the phone and camera functions.
From watching Steve Job's http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/keynote/" REL="nofollow">introduction of the iPods, I got the impression that Safari was included simply for the fact that a browser is sometimes needed to join a Wi-Fi network. Joining a network is necessary for the iTunes Wi-Fi Store. I'm sure Apple's view of the touch will evolve as time goes on. I'm hoping more features will be added, not subtracted.
The other item you may want to read is the post and discussion on the Mobile Learning Blog's http://mlearning.edublogs.org/2007/09/06/dont-be-dazzled/" REL="nofollow">Don't Be Dazzled. Leonard Low writes that school should not buy iPods because they are not series learning devices.
I love the idea of the iPod touch. Remember how we were talking about how great the iPhone would be minus the phone? (I know you disagreed, but still...) And here it is, in all its' glory.
I see what you're saying about the possibilities in schools, but if one can be just an itty-bitty bit patient, I bet it would really pay off!
Safe travels to London. I'd try to go to the conference, but I have to - you know, teach. :)
Susan,
Yeah, I disagreed because I didn't think Apple would release such a thing. I actually purchased an iPod touch yesterday. It's so much slimmer than the iPhone. But, I don't like that is a had shiny, very scratchable backside (the iPhone has a brushed metal back, making scratches a lot less obvious).
That's a minor gripe. Though, as I'm using the iPod touch, I'm finding that it's not just an iPhone minus the phone--it's missing several features of the iPhone. But, it has the best web browser I've used on a mobile device--and that's the part that has me most excited about using iPod touch in classrooms. And maybe there will be educational software to run on the thing in the future. I'm sure a year from now both the iPhone and touch will be able to do much more than they can today.