I dropped by the Apple Store in Regent Street this afternoon, for my first play with an iPhone / iPod Touch. Basically, the reviews are right: it redefines the mobile internet device. I can easily see where Antony Mayfield is coming from: the iPod Touch is equally cool, and an excellent substitute if you aren’t in the market for a phone. But I can’t help feeling that if I do ultimately buy one, I’ll only end up wondering why I didn’t go the whole hog, and get the iPod-with-built-in-phone. The second device in my pocket will feel twice as heavy. Still v-e-r-y tempting though.
Interestingly, the one aspect of both devices which impressed me most was the YouTube integration. Full screen video playback via what seemed like a stand-alone app. All the fun of YouTube, without the (frankly) ugly-verging-on-unusable website. And if I’m not mistaken, no superimposed YouTube logo on the clips. It really makes YouTube a dream to use… and reinforces its position as the undisputed no1 in online video.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: if you’ve got any video content, get it on YouTube now and ask questions later.
Responses
I agree. My play with an iPhone at the apple shop in brum surprised me about how youtube was so much more vivid than on my pc. Of course the speed of web access remains a problem.
That’s because content is reencoded especially for the iphone/touch so its better H.264 quality than the usual YouTube experience. As for connection speed I turned off 3G access on my phone a good while back after a tip off from a friend in the mobile telecoms business, it hasn’t noticeably affected any of my phone surfing but has made a big difference to battery life. As an unashamed Apple fanboy, I would say that wouldn’t I, but Apple are banking on users making the most of wifi where at all possible.