Apple to charge $20 for iPod Touch update

But latest iPhone firmware will be free

By Tony Smith, 15th January 2008

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Macworld Expo Apple has sold more than 4m iPhones since the handset was launched in June 2007, CEO Steve Jobs said today - an average of 20,000 a day, he said. That was a prelude to the announcement of the phone's latest firmware - and one for the iPod Touch that comes at a price

Unfortunately, the Macworld keynote was short on up-to-date stats: Jobs would only point out that the iPhone garnered 19.5 per cent of the US smartphone market during the first three months it was on sale, a market share that placed Apple second only to RIM, which commanded 39 per cent of the market.

The firmware update announced by Jobs was the anticipated update that's been doing the rumour-mill rounds since just before Christmas. It'll support the ability to send text messages to multiple recipients, make the handset's home screen customisable and incorporate Google's Locate Me feature into the iPhone version of Google Maps.

It's not clear at this stage whether or not the anticipated addition of inter-application cut-and-paste facilities have been added. However, website bookmarks can now be saved on the home screen, each recalling how you last viewed the bookmarked site.

Up to nine of these webclips can be added, and the home screen's array of icons will now run to multiple pages to accommodate these and other applications.

The iPhone's iPod application will get the ability to support multiple soundtracks for different languages, along with subtitle tracks and DVD-style chapter marks - handy for the new iTunes Movie Rentals service. Songs will get lyrics.

The iPhone update will be free of charge, Jobs said, but the iPod Touch update will cost $20. It will bring the iPhone's Maps, Stocks, Notes and Weather apps to the big-screen music player. Not compelling? Maybe not, but the addition of the iPhone's Mail application will be for many Touch users. It's included in the $20 bundle.

The update will cost £13 in the UK.

Macworld Expo Stories
• Apple NAS box ties in to Leopard's Time Machine
• It was the MacBook Air sub-notebook
• Apple looks to movie rentals to revive Apple TV box
• Apple to charge $20 for iPod Touch update

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Posted Monday 28th January 2008 11:42 GMT

pctechxp

Apple Computer is the new Microsoft

£13 for a firmware upgrade!!!

I've had to listen for years to morons tell that Apple is better because it doesn't crash, does their washing up, etc and then advising them how to complain about the discrimination that's in their own heads.

Looks like good ol' Steve, the so called underdog whom Mac fanciers would have you believe has the consumer's best interests at heart has taken a leaf out of that other greedy American billionaire's handbook, one Mr William Gates.

Ah well, whenh he expands this practice to the whole of the iPod range I will go to the nearest Apple store and protest loudly.

Posted Thursday 17th January 2008 20:11 GMT

mr fish

ORLY?

@Demon:

"Because the SEC said if they gave it away they would be in violation of Sarbanes-Oxley Act rules. Apple ended up paying a fine because the SEC didn't think the $9.95 was fair market value for the update."

You can, of course, back that up with a web link to the news story that must have happened? Or shall we assume that you're just FOS. Or maybe S-O hearings must be held in secret. That must be it, along with other magic rules that say an iPod Touch isn't a new product, but an iPhone is (even though SJ launched it with the line "the best IPod we've ever made").

So also I can expect to be charged for the 10.5.2 update, which will be required to turn on time capsule (as Time Machine won't work wirelessly currently)? Or is there some other magic rule that means we'll be alright for that? And since when did the SEC start evaluating 'fair market value' for goods and services?

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/wireless/accountants-say-apples-199-80211n-tax-is-bogus-230538.php

The ironic thing is, that if I were SJ, and I *knew* I was going to have to charge $20 for a few measly updates to the ipod touch - I wouldn't have bothered. The bad feeling over charging more than outweighs the 'new' features. People buying it knew there was a functionality gap to the iPhone, and accepted it.

Posted Thursday 17th January 2008 18:13 GMT

Gordon