Itouch getting phased out?

Grappler821 · Jan 14, 2012

Hello,

I'm brand new to the forum and am having difficulty with my 1st gen Itouch. I apologize if this isnt quite the right place to be putting this post, but I did not see an Itouch category. I am no longer under warranty because they refused to let me extend it any further at the Apple store even while it was still under warranty.
My problem is, besides the beattery constantly dying every 2 days or less, is that I spent $400 on this 16gb Itouch when it came out and I am not able to buy any of the newer Apps I want for it because whenever I do, I keep getting an error message saying it could not be loaded because I need a newer software version. I checked, and says it is running the newest version according to my system summary.
My questions are; why doesnt Apple make apps accessible to all versions of their products? Am I going to eventually get completely iced out and not be able to buy any apps in the future just because I have an older product?

Kevriano · Jan 14, 2012

Certain apps are designed to run on the latest iOS enabled iPod Touch, and they just will not work on the older iPods because they cannot run iOS due to the firmware architecture, and it can't be upgraded, so, in answer to your last question, Yes, to a certain extent, eventually very few new apps will be backward compatible with all iPod Touch versions.
As for the battery issue, 2 days isn't bad still, depending on how much you use it. If I play games on my 4th gen it dies in a few hours, because the high res graphics eat the battery.

Grappler821 · Jan 14, 2012

Kevriano said:
Certain apps are designed to run on the latest iOS enabled iPod Touch, and they just will not work on the older iPods because they cannot run iOS due to the firmware architecture, and it can't be upgraded, so, in answer to your last question, Yes, to a certain extent, eventually very few new apps will be backward compatible with all iPod Touch versions.
As for the battery issue, 2 days isn't bad still, depending on how much you use it. If I play games on my 4th gen it dies in a few hours, because the high res graphics eat the battery.

Well, I have to say that's pretty crappy on Apple's behalf. And as far as my battery goes, it dies weather or not I even use the Itouch. To top all that off; the Wi-Fi function is completely non-existant now also. Cant even access it. Its probably just going to be a $400 paper weight in a few years. Nobody builds anything to last anymore :Angry:

Thx for the info Kev.

Kevriano · Jan 14, 2012

I would suggest you try a complete restore via your iTunes, which may well solve the wi-fi issue.
As for the battery, you can get them replaced, it's just a case of whether you feel it's worth it.
I do tend to agree that Apple are guilty of this kind of thing with a lot of products. They release a version, and the crowd go wild, and then 6 monhs later they add all the things everyone complains about being missing (look at the iPad) and then they stop supporting the old versions. I think the Touch has been a victim of it's own success and the new ones are so much better (and cheaper pro rata).

Grappler821 · Jan 14, 2012

I've already tried the restore as a result of the battery and wi-fi issue a couple weeks ago. No change. As for battery replacement; does the Apple store handle that?

Kevriano · Jan 14, 2012

No, far better to let an independant company replace it. There are loads here in the UK, so I would imagine the US is the same. Google is your friend there.

chas_m · Jan 14, 2012

Kevriano said:
I do tend to agree that Apple are guilty of this kind of thing with a lot of products.

Really? Can you name any?

They release a version, and the crowd go wild, and then 6 monhs later they add all the things everyone complains about being missing (look at the iPad)

Yes, let's look at the iPad, shall we?

Announced: January 2010
Shipped: April 2010

IPad 2 announced and shipped: March 2011

Interesting calendar you have there, most of us would call that 11 months but it's only six months in your world ... hmmm.

and then they stop supporting the old versions.

Really? I guess I should tell my two-year-old iPad that it can't support iOS 5.0.1 (which it is currently running), and that it can't run the latest apps (even though it does) and that Apple doesn't support it anymore (hint: wrong). The news will also come as a shock to my 2007 Black MacBook which seems to THINK it can run Lion just fine, four years after I bought it, and has no problem with all but the most-high-end latest applications. Must be a delusion ...

If you'd written "four years" instead of six months, I think you could make a case. But six months? That's just plain disingenuous and I assume you must know this.

To Grappler: your iPod Touch dates from 2007. Don't know if you've looked at a calendar lately, but that was a while back. We don't know how you've treated it in the meantime, but even assuming you have been as gentle as a museum curator with it, the battery is, well, you know, a battery. It degrades and dies out eventually. All batteries do this, so I'm a little surprised you apparently weren't aware of this.

Luckily for you, the battery is degrading right at the same time as you should be buying a newer one so that you can take advantage of the advanced OS the later versions run. Again, maybe the iPod Touch is your first-ever experience with technology, but the idea that computer-based, internet-dependent, software-oriented electronic devices have a short lifespan is not exactly new, and certainly not unique to Apple. Ask any Android owner who bought a 2.x Android device, they got SHAFTED compared to you.

Even better news, the newer ones are significantly cheaper and yet far more powerful. There is plenty of precedent for this in everything from cars to TV sets. Again, I'm surprised you haven't noticed this before.

In short, high-tech toys have a relatively short lifespan of about four to five years. In part this is due to the rapid evolution of technology OUTSIDE the maker's control, such as the internet. In part, this is timed to coincide with the normal lifecycle of the battery. And in part, this is how capitalism works. It's also how innovation happens. Somebody had to build the Model A in order to create the Model T, if you know your history.

PS. To answer the question you posed in the thread title, no I don't think the iPod Touch is getting phased out, though they didn't update it as they generally do in September. Nobody here can say for certain, but my guess would be that they took a year "off" so to speak and will bring out a much-updated iPod Touch sometime this year, hopefully along with some refreshed iPod models as well.

Kevriano · Jan 14, 2012

Chas, do not be so facetious.
6 months, 11 months what's the difference. My point is that they could so easily have incorporated all of the features in the iPad2 when they released the first one, but didn't, thus creating a need for the 2. Yes, it's pure marketing strategy, but it's wrong.
I never said the iPad couldn't run i0S5. I merely pointed out the the OP's iPod Touch could not, because it is 4 years old, you need to read everything, not between the lines.
Apple do not offer uodates on iPods that are this old, fact, and I don't suppose they feel the need to either.

vansmith · Jan 14, 2012

Moved to the iPod forum.

Chas, was that long winded retort really necessary?

Grappler821 · Jan 14, 2012

chas_m said:
Really? Can you name any?

Yes, let's look at the iPad, shall we?

Announced: January 2010
Shipped: April 2010

IPad 2 announced and shipped: March 2011

Interesting calendar you have there, most of us would call that 11 months but it's only six months in your world ... hmmm.

Really? I guess I should tell my two-year-old iPad that it can't support iOS 5.0.1 (which it is currently running), and that it can't run the latest apps (even though it does) and that Apple doesn't support it anymore (hint: wrong). The news will also come as a shock to my 2007 Black MacBook which seems to THINK it can run Lion just fine, four years after I bought it, and has no problem with all but the most-high-end latest applications. Must be a delusion ...

If you'd written "four years" instead of six months, I think you could make a case. But six months? That's just plain disingenuous and I assume you must know this.

To Grappler: your iPod Touch dates from 2007. Don't know if you've looked at a calendar lately, but that was a while back. We don't know how you've treated it in the meantime, but even assuming you have been as gentle as a museum curator with it, the battery is, well, you know, a battery. It degrades and dies out eventually. All batteries do this, so I'm a little surprised you apparently weren't aware of this.

Luckily for you, the battery is degrading right at the same time as you should be buying a newer one so that you can take advantage of the advanced OS the later versions run. Again, maybe the iPod Touch is your first-ever experience with technology, but the idea that computer-based, internet-dependent, software-oriented electronic devices have a short lifespan is not exactly new, and certainly not unique to Apple. Ask any Android owner who bought a 2.x Android device, they got SHAFTED compared to you.

Even better news, the newer ones are significantly cheaper and yet far more powerful. There is plenty of precedent for this in everything from cars to TV sets. Again, I'm surprised you haven't noticed this before.

In short, high-tech toys have a relatively short lifespan of about four to five years. In part this is due to the rapid evolution of technology OUTSIDE the maker's control, such as the internet. In part, this is timed to coincide with the normal lifecycle of the battery. And in part, this is how capitalism works. It's also how innovation happens. Somebody had to build the Model A in order to create the Model T, if you know your history.

PS. To answer the question you posed in the thread title, no I don't think the iPod Touch is getting phased out, though they didn't update it as they generally do in September. Nobody here can say for certain, but my guess would be that they took a year "off" so to speak and will bring out a much-updated iPod Touch sometime this year, hopefully along with some refreshed iPod models as well.

To Chas_M: What are you; an Apple share holder? I would think so the way you're so adamantly defending the product and company that charges the kind of money they do that doesn't last and they eventually stop supporting.
I put out over $400 for this in December of '07. I should just roll over and say, "Oh well, its been five years. Let me just go and pick $400 off the money tree in the back yard for a new model and toss this one in the trash because of product innovation?"
Apple makes its products outdated and obsolete all the time. Is that fair to consumers who shell out good money for said products? Frankly, I dont care whether you believe me or not, but my system has been comfortably stowed and protected in a Belkin case ever since I openned it. Its never been in the rain, excessive heat, or cold. Ive treated my system extremely well.

As far as product evolution; Ya, its what happens and its naturally a good thing, but does that make it ok to charge $400 for a product, not including warranties and extended warranties, only to be screwed after 5 years? When I put down that kind of money for a product, I expect it to last longer than it did.

BrianLachoreVPI · Jan 14, 2012

Forgetting all the other comments in this thread - battery issues are not uncommon after this long. You're definitely in need of a new one - and only you can decide if it's worth paying to get a new one rather than getting a new device. I have an early iPod that won't power up for more than 5 sec but still works fine if I keep it plugged in. Not worth it to me to fix.

Grappler821 · Jan 14, 2012

BrianLachoreVPI said:
Forgetting all the other comments in this thread - battery issues are not uncommon after this long. You're definitely in need of a new one - and only you can decide if it's worth paying to get a new one rather than getting a new device. I have an early iPod that won't power up for more than 5 sec but still works fine if I keep it plugged in. Not worth it to me to fix.

I'm concidering it. Do you think you could give me a ball park figure on what you think the service might cost?

BrianLachoreVPI · Jan 14, 2012

Grappler821 said:
I'm concidering it. Do you think you could give me a ball park figure on what you think the service might cost?

I honestly have no idea...I'd just google and see what kind of options you can find - I'm sure there are quite a few.

Kevriano · Jan 15, 2012

iPod Touch battery replacements here in the UK cost around £30, so $45 or so. It is possible to do it yourself if you have some skills. Batteries are relatively cheap.

chas_m · Jan 15, 2012

Kevriano said:
6 months, 11 months what's the difference.

I really don't know how to respond to such a statement without getting in trouble, so I'll just say I'm glad you aren't in charge of the calendar and leave it at that.

My point is that they could so easily have incorporated all of the features in the iPad2 when they released the first one,

Uh, no. For a start, the A5 chip *hadn't been produced yet.* You appear to be talking about ONLY the front-facing camera. Yes, indeed, they could have incorporated that in the original iPad. Truth.

But not the rear camera. They couldn't add that until they figured out how to simultaneously shrink the battery AND make it more powerful (because, you know, now it needs to run two video cameras. And there's at least a dozen other things "under the hood" that simply hadn't been invented yet when the original iPad came out (if you're interested, there's a lengthy list of Apple patents on the subject that would easily prove this).

If you want to go on believing that Apple was just being mean to consumers and deliberately holding back so they could sell the iPad 2 a year later, well that's your opinion. You're wrong, but I find that facts such as patent filings do nothing to convince some people, so I'll just say I very likely have more experience with Apple directly and in the technology business generally than you do (and I've read the patent filings), and IME you're wrong.

chas_m · Jan 15, 2012

vansmith said:
Moved to the iPod forum.

Chas, was that long winded retort really necessary?

"You're wrong" didn't fulfill the minimum word requirements of this forum.

chas_m · Jan 15, 2012

Grappler821 said:
To Chas_M: What are you; an Apple share holder?

No. I have held AAPL in the past, but do not (and have not for many years now) held any AAPL stock. Just wanted to make that clear.

I put out over $400 for this in December of '07. I should just roll over and say, "Oh well, its been five years. Let me just go and pick $400 off the money tree in the back yard for a new model and toss this one in the trash because of product innovation?"

Well, first of all, as has been stated by myself and others, a new one doesn't cost $400. So you can give the money tree a break.

Second, your parents probably spent thousands of dollars (if not tens of thousands) on toys for you as a kid. Was that a good investment, do you think? I paid thousands for my first Mac, and the school I was going to paid $5,000 for a 5MB (yes, MB) hard drive (this was of course a very long time ago). You can guess where that first Mac is now -- right next to my first car and that $5,000 hard drive most likely.

Like I said before, sorry that this is news to you, but that doesn't stop it being true. That you got five years of good service out of it is great, but if you seriously believed that it would be the last iPod you'd ever buy, well ... that was a mistaken belief. Wait till you start buying houses. Or stocks. Or toys for your future children.

As far as product evolution; Ya, its what happens and its naturally a good thing, but does that make it ok to charge $400 for a product, not including warranties and extended warranties, only to be screwed after 5 years? When I put down that kind of money for a product, I expect it to last longer than it did.

Well then I can only suggest that you find a similar product that lasts longer and buy that. I'm sure you'll get a good life lesson out of that. Good luck!

cwa107 · Jan 15, 2012

Grappler821 said:
As far as product evolution; Ya, its what happens and its naturally a good thing, but does that make it ok to charge $400 for a product, not including warranties and extended warranties, only to be screwed after 5 years? When I put down that kind of money for a product, I expect it to last longer than it did.

How are you "screwed"? Batteries are consumables. They generally have a 3-5 year lifespan for the varieties that come in laptops and portable devices. That is aboslutely normal.

If you're handy with a screwdriver, iFixIt.com has parts and instructions to replace your battery. You could also send it out to a site like TechRestore.com to have it repaired by the experts.

As far as Apple stopping updates for the device - they do have to draw the line somewhere. Eventually the product is simply made obsolete and if you have to develop for "the least common denominator" when you're designing your OS updates, that means having to dumb down much more capable newer products and cede ground to the competition. That's just not how to industry works.

You just have to take solace in the fact that the device does what you bought it originally to do (albeit with a new battery). Yeah, it sucks that you're not going to be able to run newer apps and OSes, but that's life in the tech world.

Itouch getting phased out?

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