I have an iPhone I use for phone calls, messaging, and aps. BUT I was excited to finally be getting a dedicated music player ( all baterry life for music playback) but after seeing the new lineup I think I will look at a new Sony x-1050/1060 or a Zune HD.

What is going on with Apple fracturing the iPod line? FM only on the Nano? Cameras only on the Nano? Same with voice-over...only on the Nano?!!! This intentional crippling of the iPod touch is too much. Some folk do NOT want an iPhone and should be able to get the same capabilities as the iPhone, sans the phone. This would not canabalize sales. In my case it is sending me to buy an alternative product.

Apple, I don't get you at all...

For the record, it will be hilarious to see some fanboy claiming the FM is a godsend after Apple did a 180. I still recall so many folks claiming FM was worthless...heh.

Apple has got me so ticked off, I'll probably put my energy into getting a 1-G iPhone cheap and forget buying these ho-hum iPod touches. That way, Apple won't get a penny and I'll probably save money.

I need a camera, and I need a mike and I don't want to pay AT&T fees. I also need them soon. I thought I would get that in the new touches. Instead, Apple is giving the tiny Nano more features but not the iPod touch. Why? With that tiny 2.2-inch Nano screen you can't see much of what you've taken and the equally tiny battery isn't likely to last long in video mode.

What's going on? If Apple has production problems with camera-equipped touches, they should say so, give us the details of new touch, and a release date. This cult of secrecy is such a pain. You'd think they were the Kremlin circa 1935. Both have a cult-like obsession with not admitting mistakes.

Still worse is the possibility that Apple wants to build high walls between its products, doling out features in odd ways to fit a marketing straight-jacket. The iPhone would be for work and business for those with the money. The touch is for games but not recreation, hence the lack of a camera and the boring length of game promotion today. Color touch users fat and flabby couch potatoes. The Nano is for mostly outdoor recreation (camera and Nike added), but has nothing that lets you get work done. If so, it's stupid move.

To add insult to injury, I just checked the specs on the new touches. The 8 gig model ships with the old-style earphones not the remote earphones and without a plastic dock adapter. Total saving for Apple? Probably about 25 to 50 cents. Cost to customers who don't want to pull their touch out of their pocket every time they pause music: $30 That stinks. Heck, even the cheap little $59 Shuttle ships with remote earphones. While Jobs was gone, the niggling little bean counters seem to have been running Apple. This is the unfortunate result.

[B]I hate companies that treat their customers as if they were stupid, and that's precisely how I feel Apple is treating its customers now.[/B]

What if you need to take your iPod touch into places where no cameras are allowed? The lack of a camera doesn't look so bad, then, does it now?

Hey natty. I guess I was right after all. Looks like you'll need to go out and buy a cell phone if you want a camera. Haha. I love being right.

HEY DID ANYONE ELSE NOTICE IPOD TOUCH finally has Bluetooth enabled!!!!

it is such a rare occasion that i can well imagine your pleasure when you think you are right.
of course, no one here knows what the hail you're talking about.

as i've told you and told you (you never listen... sigh), i don't have a cell phone and won't be getting one anytime soon. but thanks for thinking of me. you're number 1 in my book.

Bluetooth was enabled in the iPod Touch with the v3.0 OS, so it isn't 'new' per se, though it is new in the sense that it will actually come to you enabled, you don't have to fork over another $10 to get it.

It is pretty obvious that now, as always, there are Apple fanbois voting down any comments that are remotely negative (or should I say accurate) and yet they are not posting any comments themselves. That is, (for the hard of thinking), that there are significantly more votes than comments. It seems that some people have so little strength in their fingers that they can only manage to click down comments rather than indulge the clearly more taxing pursuit of composing a comment of their own.

Just reading some comment from the "Zune HD leak shows $220 price, Sept. 8 date" article

Moonmonkey - "with a built in camera in the new Touch, zune will be finally toast."

Inkling - " This is good news for those of us who've been thinking about getting one of the new iPod touches. Apple will be under pressure to match or beat Zume's prices. In a tight economy, it's not a good idea to be priced higher.
And in my case, if Apple prices drop a bit, I may actually spend more money to get more storage. Apple wins and I win. That's nice.

Paul Huang - "Just wait and see how iPod 16GB $199 kills the Zune for good."

HAHAHA...owned!

Just reading some comment from the "Zune HD leak shows $220 price, Sept. 8 date" article

Moonmonkey - "with a built in camera in the new Touch, zune will be finally toast."

Inkling - " This is good news for those of us who've been thinking about getting one of the new iPod touches. Apple will be under pressure to match or beat Zume's prices. In a tight economy, it's not a good idea to be priced higher.
And in my case, if Apple prices drop a bit, I may actually spend more money to get more storage. Apple wins and I win. That's nice.

Paul Huang - "Just wait and see how iPod 16GB $199 kills the Zune for good."

HAHAHA...owned!

You'd have to be an idiot to not see why a camera in the Nano makes sense and is an amazing idea for the youngsters it's being aimed at. That said, the only real reason they wouldn't put one in the touch is because of it taking sales away from the iPhone, which is a shame because the touch really needs one.

they wanted to keep the iPod Touch "CHEAP" enough for the gamers and that's why the camera was supposedly omitted from the Touch. And besides, gamers don't need cameras. Now is everyone clear on the point? (sarcasm)

And the Zune HD is still a non-issue to iPod Touch sales. Nothing is going to jumpstart Zune HD sales and apart from a few Engadget nerds most people won't even know or care it exists.

Nano sales will take off like crazy for the holidays due to the cost/feature sweet spot. iPod Touch sales will remain about the same (good). Apple is only going to be able to dip into so many pockets at once, so they're trying to balance the sales over the whole iPod lineup. I guarantee the Nano will be the hottest gift this season and I'm sure Foxconn will barely be able to keep up with demand.

Apple is far more concerned with margins than adding features for users and they probably have it down to a science.