Speaking to the New York Times, Apple CEO Steve Jobs revealed that the iPod Touch did not get a camera upgrade in the new 2009 iPod line-up for marketing and cost reasons. Basically, Jobs said that Apple is marketing the iPod Touch primarily as a gaming device now, and that it was important to be able to offer a relatively inexpensive portable device to compete in the market - a camera would apparently have caused some problems here.
The cheapest iPod Touch now costs $199, and includes 8GB of storage capacity. However, it should be noted that the latest iPod Nano models got a camera upgrade without having a negative effect on the price. Even outside Apple there are contradictory examples, such as the dual-screen, dual-camera Nintendo DSi, which sells for $170.
More possible bad news for anybody looking to buy an iPod Touch is that it appears the 8GB model might not be getting an upgraded processor and graphics capabilities like the iPhone 3GS, and the new 32GB and 64GB iPod Touch models.
“Originally, we weren’t exactly sure how to market the Touch. Was it an iPhone without the phone? Was it a pocket computer? What happened was, what customers told us was, they started to see it as a game machine. We started to market it that way, and it just took off,” Jobs said.
“And now what we really see is it’s the lowest-cost way to the App Store, and that’s the big draw. So what we were focused on is just reducing the price to $199. We don’t need to add new stuff. We need to get the price down where everyone can afford it.”
Result for: ipod nano
If you’re a well known artist today it’s almost a certainty that any new album you record will be available on the internet before it goes on sale. Rather than complaining about the ineveitable, alternative members of Wilco have decided to stream their upcoming album themselves.
The obvious benefit from letting visitors stream Wilco (the album) from their website is a chance to sell them pre-orders for the album. Pre-orders will begin shipping on June 25.
They are also providing some incentive for fans to buy it instead of downloading from P2P. People who order from their website get the option to buy an exclusive t-shirt which won’t be available after June 29.
There is also a tote bag offered and every pre-order includes a download of the new song ‘You Never Know’ and entry into a series of drawings to take place between now and June 29.
Prizes will include 4 tickets to any (non-festival) 2009 wilco show and an iPod nano with the new album already loaded.
