There's no change in look or size. All three models are the same svelte 110 x 62 x 8.5mm and 115g weight. They sport essentially the same 3.5in, 320 x 480, LED-backlit display as before, and nice it is too.
Still shiny, still skinny
It’s the 32GB and 64GB models that ought to carry the ‘3G’ monicker, as they’re powered by a new processor that Apple claims is 50 per cent faster than the one in the 2G model. Apple refuses to divulge any information about this processor, although teardowns on the internet suggest that it’s the same – or very similar to – the ARM processor used in the new iPhone 3GS.
The iPod Touch 3G models also support OpenGL ES 2.0, allowing games developers to get funky with the latest 3D graphics, and Apple has been going out of its way to highlight A-list games such as Assassin’s Creed II, which are on the way to tempt gamers this Christmas.
We certainly noticed that the new models feel noticeably snappier when performing routine tasks such as loading apps and rendering web pages over the Touch's 802.11b/g Wi-Fi connection.
Decent battery life, even for gaming
Wi-Fi usage will drain the battery more quickly than if wireless is turned off, but even with it on, Apple claims 30 hours' music playback or six hours' video playback from a single charge, albeit with the screen brightness turned down. We're well past the age where we can game for six hours solid, but from what we did play, we expect you're going to get a little less than that if you do try such a marathon stint.
COMMENTS
No Buttons = Bad?
As it stands, the types of games which work well with a touch interface are generally not the same as those which work well with buttons. But there are enough games in the former category to still make the iPod Touch a "good gaming device" (e.g. FlightControl, Scrabble,Super Monkey Ball).
How long will it be before a plug-in controller (or bluetooth) surfaces for the iPod/iPhone and developers code games to work with it? The relevant APIs were made available in 3.0:
"Apps for iPhone and iPod touch can now communicate with accessories via the dock connector or wirelessly over Bluetooth. ...create entirely new integrated solutions that combine an iPhone app with dedicated hardware."
http://developer.apple.com/iphone/program/sdk/accessories.html
(of course, for this to really take off, developers need a common controller API to target - so the ball is probably still in Apple's court)
Great
The one thing I would do most with this or any other music player is play music with it, so here's a suggestion: how about reviewing the music playing abilities? Do they sound half decent yet, or is the iPod still as woefully pish as before on that front?
@David Hicks
"I have yet to be convinced that a touch-screen control interface is going to be any good at all for games."
You speak as if there's yet to be a precedent, which is amusing only because of all the games which prove touch-screen control *is* good for games. Unless you mean games which aren't done vry well, in which case I can think of plenty controller-based games which play like utter shite too. :p
I agree about the 3G moniker. That's just plain misleading, inconsistent and stupid. iPod Touch S, is what it is, surely?
Epic FAIL
The author is clearly delusional. Please stop them from writing piffle like this in the future, it is diluting otherwise good content with nonsense.
As has been said before, ONE button (Even the wii uses more than that, this is no project natal) and tilt sensors make for a horrid experience, and touchscreen is pointless for most games.
@Darren Barratt
"I've had a good look at my PSP. It hasn't got a camera. It hasn't got GPS."
Unlike the iPod the PSP has these as an option, can you plug in a GPS system into an iPod? Can you plug in a camera into an iPod? Can you use VOIP on an iPod? The article stated quite clearly the iPod has "more extensive range of capabilities." yet it doesn't, at least not when compared to the PSP, if anything the PSP pisses on the iPod, laughs at it and says "come back when you can do half the stuff I can do".
And not a fanboi, I own a PSP/DS/PS3/Wii and of course a PC the vast majority of my games being for the PC and the DS, not the PSP, I was highlighting the incorrect statement of the article unlike your response which is typical of an Apple fanboi who will defend their pretty but useless trinket.
