# Who's Buying the 20.xx$ Upgrade for Touch??



## davidslegend (Jan 6, 2004)

Hi,


Just wondering who's buying the 20.xx $ upgrade & what ppl think about it. 

Kind of cool that they listened to ppl who want more features - do you think Apple should of offered it as a free upgrade?

20$ doesn't seem that bad.

Cheers!

davidslegend


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## ericlewis91 (Jul 12, 2007)

davidslegend said:


> Hi,
> 
> 
> Just wondering who's buying the 20.xx $ upgrade & what ppl think about it.
> ...


already bought

well worth the price

able to check my email..whereever there is wifi without a computer 


20bucks...well worth it


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## Macified (Sep 18, 2003)

I think it should be free. The software is going to come on any newly purchased iTouch. If this was pay to play software (ie. iWork) then they would have a leg to stand on in charging existing users for the "upgrade". 

They are already messing with the early adopters and installed base.


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## Vexel (Jan 30, 2005)

I paid for it. But, wasn't happy about it.


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## Flipstar (Nov 7, 2004)

Quick question, probably a stupid one to many, but let's just say I go to Best Buy and pick one up... will I have to pay the $20 with the possibility of their stock shelf only 1.1.2?


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

Right now you will, yes.. I doubt the new ones are on the shelf yet.

I think it's really cheap (but par for the course these days) that Apple would charge for it, let alone $20!!

But as a lot have already discovered, you can just jailbreak it and install whatever you like free of charge.

$20.... disgraceful.....


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## polywog (Aug 9, 2007)

I paid the money just because I didn't want to have to worry about hacks and such anymore, and since Mail was the big app I wanted, it was worth it. However, I'm a little disappointed that not only do we have to pay $20 for it, but the price dropped on new units at the same time. Wouldn't call that fair.


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## matriculated (Jan 2, 2008)

While I think it should be free, because it is for iPhone users, $20 isn't that expensive. I really don't see why Touch users have to pay for it while updates for the iPhone and Apple TV are free.


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## Fink-Nottle (Feb 25, 2001)

Just bought it... it's great.

I'm blown away that the pseudo GPS functionality works. I walked out my front door and hit the locate button and it stuck a circle around me which was amazingly accurate. I had no idea that the iPod Touch would be able be able to do this... I love it. Mail is great too... finally.

$20 is no big deal... well worth it.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

I paid for it but it did not download as promised. When I synced, nothing changed on my iPod Touch. I sent an e-mail to Apple iTunes store customer support and they basically said tough $hit and sent me some BS to phone tech support (for a fee) to get the software. Grrr.

Now what?


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## polywog (Aug 9, 2007)

SINC said:


> I paid for it but it did not download as promised. When I synced, nothing changed on my iPod Touch. I sent an e-mail to Apple iTunes store customer support and they basically said tough $hit and sent me some BS to phone tech support (for a fee) to get the software. Grrr.
> 
> Now what?


You have to upgrade to 1.1.3 first... not sure if you did or not.


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## krug1313 (Apr 27, 2007)

Where do you get the download from. I can't find it on the apple.ca website.


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## polywog (Aug 9, 2007)

krug1313 said:


> Where do you get the download from. I can't find it on the apple.ca website.


Apple Canada - iPod touch

Bottom left corner is something called "January Software Upgrade"

Once you buy it you have to update to 1.1.3, then sync to add the apps.


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## comprehab (May 28, 2005)

As far as I can tell there is no reason for jailbreak users to pay for this upgrade, as we already have everything...
And I think the $20.00 fee is bull$hit.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

polywog said:


> You have to upgrade to 1.1.3 first... not sure if you did or not.


Did that and all is well, thank you sir!


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## krug1313 (Apr 27, 2007)

My ipod was hacked but I figure what the heck, now I don't have to worry about updating my itunes etc. Plus there are new features in google maps which look cool.

Also thanks Poly.. I found it just after I posted. Got a little impatient.


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## comprehab (May 28, 2005)

The triangulation on Maps is the only item of interest to me, but how long until this can be downloaded via Installer on a hacked iPod Touch? I haven't checked but it is probably available already.


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## polywog (Aug 9, 2007)

comprehab said:


> As far as I can tell there is no reason for jailbreak users to pay for this upgrade, as we already have everything...
> And I think the $20.00 fee is bull$hit.


Only things I can think of:

1) Movie Rentals (not so important up here)
2) Rearranging SpringBoard Icons (love that)
3) WebClips

I agree about the fee though.


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## comprehab (May 28, 2005)

You can already re-arrange all your icons (I think its called summer board?)
What is WebClips?


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## polywog (Aug 9, 2007)

comprehab said:


> The triangulation on Maps is the only item of interest to me, but how long until this can be downloaded via Installer on a hacked iPod Touch? I haven't checked but it is probably available already.


That's awesome! But how on earth does it work?


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## polywog (Aug 9, 2007)

comprehab said:


> You can already re-arrange all your icons (I think its called summer board?)
> What is WebClips?


Basically you can save bookmarks as icons in springboard. Could be handy for some I guess.


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## johnnaryry (Jun 4, 2007)

$20 well spent in my opinion. I've already done the deed and I'm very happy with the result. It's brilliant!

--ryan


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## comprehab (May 28, 2005)

polywog said:


> That's awesome! But how on earth does it work?


I have no idea how it works- I just skimmed over it on a blog a few minutes ago.

Edit:


> Get directions and check traffic with Google Maps. Even find yourself, wherever you are. Using some local Wi-Fi networks (if Wi-Fi is turned on), iPod touch finds your approximate location and gives directions from there. Mark specific locations, find the best route between them, and search for points of interest along the way. With a hybrid map and satellite view, you can see major street names on top of satellite images.


http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/features.html#maps


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## polywog (Aug 9, 2007)

I was actually in the bottom of the circle it dropped on the map - just about everything above me on the map is park/road. They can't know *that* precisely where my airport extreme is physically located. It's actually kind of creepy!


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## MBD (Sep 1, 2003)

Does the iPod Touch now have VPN like the iPhone? I was wondering as a friend is considering getting one to use for email but obviously would want it to be secure over public WiFi.


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## polywog (Aug 9, 2007)

I think it's had VPN for a while... it's there now at any rate.


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## bringonthenite (Aug 7, 2007)

I paid and like others I'm not happy. It is for my wife's touch which I didn't want hacked. She's happy to have the email.


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## Heart (Jan 16, 2001)

I have not yet.
$20 is not a big deal.
On my hacked Touch the paid for programs are really the only ones I have installed but I like customizing the interface.


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## meall (Aug 15, 2007)

I just bought it, no regret. I just find a little bit frustrating that Apple didn't do this in the first release of the Touch! But I still think it is well invested money!

Now can't wait for Apple TV upgrade (that is free!) to come in.


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## davidslegend (Jan 6, 2004)

*Help...*

Hello Again,

Just downloaded the legit non-brick update but, it hasn't appeared on my iPod??? Synced a few times but, didn't get my 20.xx$ worth except in frustration.

I updated to the newest version prior to downloading... like was mentioned here... but, obviously I didn't do something right. Right??!?

Suggestions would be very appreciated.

Oh, I am with the gang that I kind of wish Apple didn't charge us for this non-update rather, recent revision.

Cheers! 

Davidslegend


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## Vexel (Jan 30, 2005)

I had the same issue.. I had to restore the iPod completely before it would recognize a real install of 1.1.3. It wouldn't use the back-up of my settings.


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

Has anyone applied the update to a jail-breaked iPod Touch? Can you just do the update, or do you have to wipe the touch, then install?


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## Vexel (Jan 30, 2005)

Yup, ehMax. Mine was Jailbroken.. it's probably why it didn't want to use my previous settings.

I had to completely restore the iPod to factory, then upgrade to 1.1.3.


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

I'm assuming it won't work, since it's meant for 1.1.3, and afaik that version hasn't been jailbroken yet.


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## Guest (Jan 16, 2008)

I'm going to hold out till after Feb to pay my $20. I'm pretty sure that the $20 charge is a legal thing, like Apple had to do at one point with the 802.11n firmware upgrades.

I can't have my iPod touch without the books app, that's about the only hacked app that I really need atm (with the proper commercial mail, maps, etc from apple).


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## Maverick (Sep 18, 2007)

I don't have a Touch, but I don't think $20 is unreasonable for this update - it is a fairly significant one. However, I do think it should have been free for anyone that purchased in the past 30 days.


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## polywog (Aug 9, 2007)

ehMax said:


> Has anyone applied the update to a jail-breaked iPod Touch? Can you just do the update, or do you have to wipe the touch, then install?


I did, without any noticeable problems. I might have just been lucky though!


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## wonderings (Jun 10, 2003)

What happens if you buy the update, then later you have to restore your iPod. Is it just saved on your account that you paid and then let you download again?


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## rondini (Dec 6, 2001)

New accounting rules in the US require them to charge for significant upgrades to a product, if the revenue from the original sale is accounted for at the time of the sale. As it is with iPod sales. If the product revenue is split up over a period of time, say 2 years, due to things like subscription/contracts, as it is with the iPhone, then they do not have to charge for upgrades. Don't blame Apple, stop being a crybaby! You do have a choice. If you can't afford the 20 bucks, then don't buy the upgrade! If the upgrade has value to you, then pony up the double sawbuck and shut your pie-hole!

Is it just me or is the whole world full of spoiled brats?


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## davidslegend (Jan 6, 2004)

*Holly Cowwie...*

Hey rondini,

This is a forum and debating about purchasing Apple products is an everyday occurance. Lot's of things Apple does seems to be illogical...like when the iMac lowest price unit contained a combo drive vs. a superdrive even when the prices of these perpherials had come down to costs that were almost the same (which seemed a bit cruel ) etc.

I woke up this morning thinking differently about the upgrade because in a way Apple may be cutting into their important iPhone market in a way... but, they did make an error by making the iPhone & iPod Touch identical in charactor excluding some hardware differences. Obviously, they have responded to resolve the desire to hack one's unit now by offering a legit way of getting an upgrade. Anyway, the 20.xx $ offering isn't that bad of a deal I think... 

Well, my two cents again. Just wish my download worked last night so I can have more praise for my favorite company. Although when you look at their support web site you see that Apple is no longer a small company and their decisions may inflick a lot of ppl who want to support them.

Cheers!

davidslegend


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## rondini (Dec 6, 2001)

David: my problem is the sense of "entitlement" that so many seem to have today. They want top of the line, at bargain basement prices, with unlimited service after they buy it, forever.

Doesn't work that way for other things you buy, why is it expected of computers?

As far as Apple prices and what they charge for things etc. I will fall back on a saying my grandfather used to use. "You don't go broke taking a profit"
My preference is for Apple to not go broke!


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## polywog (Aug 9, 2007)

rondini said:


> David: my problem is the sense of "entitlement" that so many seem to have to today. They want top of the line, at bargain basement prices, with unlimited service after they buy it, forever.
> 
> Doesn't work that way for other things you buy, why is it expected of computers?
> 
> ...


Granted, early adopters usually get bitten for their enthusiasm, but I think that in this case the frustration is justified - It's not like Apple is charging $20 more for the new units that are shipping with the apps installed and asking us to pay the premium to have the same features. They DROPPED the price on new units and included the new apps...


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## Fink-Nottle (Feb 25, 2001)

Free is always nice but I don't expect stuff for free. As it is I think $20 is a bargain... Mail is great and I'm knocked out by how cool Googlemaps is with its pseudo GPS system. I had no idea this was even possible on this unit. I have no problems paying a few dollars to get cool new features like this.
And while I thought (and continue to think) that the iPod Touch was worth the money before, it now offers much more value to new buyers... a great iPod, a great PDA and (for city dwellers at least) some cool GPS features.


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

Just got off the phone with my friend who just paid the 20 smackeroos and says it's worth every penny and more, and says that $20 is basically giving it away free.

We already are more than impressed by our iPod Touch, and from what my friend tells me about this upgrade, I'll buy it, no problem.


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## TheBat (Feb 11, 2005)

Come on folks, $20 is not a lot of money. If you feel you don't need the upgrade (my daughter certainly does not need the upgrade), you just saved yourself $20. If you need it, just think about how much you could pay for a latte, lunch, etc....

Yes, I do feel bad for those who just bought an Touch (I'm sure there were many bought as Xmas gifts), and now have to shell out.


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## harpoon (Sep 7, 2006)

...exactly. My old man calls a $20 bill a yuppie lunch coupon. I imagine it's for accounting purposes like the n upgrades were last year, and if it bugs you that much just jailbreak it.


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## Crewser (Jun 12, 2007)

Hey if the $20 is too much, buy an iTunes card from eBay at a much cheaper price then use that to pay for the upgrade. Or buy a card from Costco for $45 and consider that a $5 discount on it.

Steve


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## Sean.Perrin (Aug 13, 2007)

A joke that they charged for this. I thought it would be released as an incentive NOT to jailbreak the iPod.

Apparently not.

I would just wait for someone to seed the update and DL it...


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

Sean.Perrin said:


> A joke that they charged for this. I thought it would be released as an incentive NOT to jailbreak the iPod.
> 
> Apparently not.
> 
> I would just wait for someone to seed the update and DL it...


oh, heavens no! such a thought could get one banned.. and even worse, condemned by ones peers... i shudder at the thought!


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## mmp (Oct 20, 2001)

I plan on paying the $20 and unjailbreaking my iPod in the next couple of days. Does anyone know if the little third party stuff and the installer app will still work or is that in after Feb. 20th country?


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## Vexel (Jan 30, 2005)

No third party stuff at all. I had to completely restore my iPod touch for 1.1.3 to function properly and to get the $20 upgrade to work. So, it was wiped clean.


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## wing (Jan 4, 2006)

Just wondering but where do you guys live that you find hot spots? I'm in Ottawa (well Kanata actually) only place I can connect to the net seems to be at home


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## polywog (Aug 9, 2007)

wing said:


> Just wondering but where do you guys live that you find hot spots? I'm in Ottawa (well Kanata actually) only place I can connect to the net seems to be at home


I've found a couple on the market, a few near Sparks street, and a few more on the Hull side. Usually they are private but unsecured access points (lots of them are called default!)


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## snowmen (Jan 20, 2006)

$20 is not a noticeable expenses to me.
However, the new iPod touch get it free seems not fair...

But I will get it...


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## Crewser (Jun 12, 2007)

snowmen said:


> However, the new iPod touch get it free seems not fair...


I paid a visit to the Yorkdale Apple store yesterday. The guy I spoke with said it will be at least two weeks before the new iPod Touch get the upgrade included.

I will be one of the users paying $20 for upgrade.

Steve


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## overkill (May 15, 2005)

I installed it and its working great. I like the google maps app and having the ability to check my email is nice.

its like having an iphone without the phone  never liked having cell phones anyways.


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## RISCHead (Jul 20, 2004)

Interesting question about charging for this.

1. AppleTV update is free - because the revenue model is to drive movie rental sales.

2. iPhone update is free - because the revenue model is based on cellular usage. 

3. iPod touch update is $20 - because there's no other way for Apple to do cost recovery on existing iPods. For new iPods, cost may be factored into the pricing.

Basically, they're pushing a software licence model to make it attractive for software vendors to write applications for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Nothing wrong with that if you think about it.


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## Macified (Sep 18, 2003)

RISCHead said:


> Interesting question about charging for this.
> 
> 1. AppleTV update is free - because the revenue model is to drive movie rental sales.
> 
> ...


Then why isn't this packaged as an app suite which will be for sale to all iPod Touch owners. Charging for this update is an insult to early adopters. Funny thing was that, less than five minutes prior to announcing the price for the update, Mr. Jobs touted Apple as being at the forefront in updating it's software and not nickel & diming users. Watch the keynote again.

I don't even own an iPod Touch and I feel insulted. It's a cash grab plain and simple. Take the current pool of iTouch product and multiply by 20. Apple stands to make a chunk of cash off the backs of early adopters without whom the iTouch would have languished and this software would have been a prop.


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## bringonthenite (Aug 7, 2007)

I thought the free Apple TV update was due to the price slash.


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## pictor (Jan 29, 2007)

wing said:


> Just wondering but where do you guys live that you find hot spots? I'm in Ottawa (well Kanata actually) only place I can connect to the net seems to be at home


Elgin St. Diner has a free hotspot (or used to). They are around. The other trick, is learn what the wireless router manufacturers use for a default password, you'd be amazed how many people don't change it. A friend of mine routinely got into hotspots that way, just try each one in range with a small set of standard defaults (i forget what defaults he used).


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## Sony311 (Nov 28, 2007)

Macified said:


> Then why isn't this packaged as an app suite which will be for sale to all iPod Touch owners. Charging for this update is an insult to early adopters. Funny thing was that, less than five minutes prior to announcing the price for the update, Mr. Jobs touted Apple as being at the forefront in updating it's software and not nickel & diming users. Watch the keynote again.
> 
> I don't even own an iPod Touch and I feel insulted. It's a cash grab plain and simple. Take the current pool of iTouch product and multiply by 20. Apple stands to make a chunk of cash off the backs of early adopters without whom the iTouch would have languished and this software would have been a prop.


Well, true to his words, Mr. I'm a Greedy Old Man Jobs isn't nickel and diming you...he's charging you $20 and you can pay that in bills! lol


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## spicyapple (Aug 17, 2006)

I'm an early adopter of the touch.  I bought the touch because it represented value to me as a kick-ass MP3 player, web browser and PDA-lite.

I don't feel slighted at all that Apple only charged me $20 to transform my mp3 player into a full-fledged PDA device. Now that's a value proposition!

I could spend three hours jailbreaking my touch (time spent downloading, reading up on instructions, pitfalls, etc) or I could save the trouble. My time is worth more than $20. The software upgrade is pretty cool. It integrates well with iTunes; I was able to transfer all my mail account information to the touch effortlessly. The pseudo-gps google maps locator is fun; I think I'll use that quite often to get driving directions in the city.

Overall, absolutely worth it!


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## Flipstar (Nov 7, 2004)

Crewser said:


> I paid a visit to the Yorkdale Apple store yesterday. The guy I spoke with said it will be at least two weeks before the new iPod Touch get the upgrade included.
> 
> I will be one of the users paying $20 for upgrade.
> 
> Steve


I believe you can get the $20 back if you mention the Apple price protection.


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## krug1313 (Apr 27, 2007)

I was lucky enough to get my ipod at the US price so I guess now I even out pretty much.


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## spicyapple (Aug 17, 2006)

1.1.3 Safari is faster. Some other things I noticed includes animated GIFs now animate. When you New Page and go back to the previous web page, it no longer gives you a blank page that reloads. Safari seems faster in general, including typing out this message without the usual keyboard lag. 

And music doesn't crash when I'm heavily browsing.


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

hmm, i hope my iPhone gets similar treatment with 1.1.3 (when they finally unlock it that is..)


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## Crewser (Jun 12, 2007)

I went ahead and got the update. I have only tried the Maps function so far. It says it can't locate me. Not sure how it can pinpoint a location with a wifi signal.

Any tips on how to get my iPod Touch to locate itself on my home network? I have an Airport Extreme gigabit hooked to a Rogers cable modem.

Steve


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

I believe it needs to be able to triangulate from a few seperate signals.. if there aren't many wifi networks in your area, it could have a hard time locating you.


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## NewGuy (Jun 23, 2005)

I've got a 1.1.2 jailbroken unit, with the iPhone apps, a couple of fun games, and it runs great. I'll upgrade to 1.1.3 eventually and probably pay the $20 but I'll wait for the 2nd wave of apps (post SDK) to do so.

I'm not bothered by the $20 program (roughly $5 per app), and don't feel that Apple is sticking it to me. I do sympathize with the very new owners and hope that some of them will at least be covered by price protection.

Bottom line for me is that if I didn't have a jailbroken iPod i'd pay and enjoy the new apps and features.


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## johnnaryry (Jun 4, 2007)

NewGuy said:


> I'm not bothered by the $20 program (roughly $5 per app), and don't feel that Apple is sticking it to me. I do sympathize with the very new owners and hope that some of them will at least be covered by price protection.


I agree with you. The $20 I spent to upgrade was money well spent, an investment. When I bought my Touch back in November, I thought was getting a media-player with a decent web-browser. That's I thought it was going to be. I was pretty sure that Apple would eventually make improvements, but I was quite sure at the time they would come in the form of new models, or new devices. So I was very pleasantly surprised when the software upgrade package was announced. I have paid $20 or more for many pieces of Palm or mobile phone software that only possessed a fraction of the functionality the new bundle brings to the Touch...

 --ryan


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## doole (Jan 6, 2008)

Apple must have known that the $20 would cause grumblings in the ranks. Speculating on why they would have done it this way, the only thing I can think of is they wanted to cover any potential extra support costs. (Yes, I know, I'm wrong, stupid, etc etc etc.  ) OR: Maybe it's licensing fees for that Skyhook map deal.

It's never been like Apple to do the cash grab thing, though.


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

doole said:


> It's never been like Apple to do the cash grab thing, though.


lol!! :lmao:


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## johnnaryry (Jun 4, 2007)

doole said:


> Apple must have known that the $20 would cause grumblings in the ranks. Speculating on why they would have done it this way, the only thing I can think of is they wanted to cover any potential extra support costs. (Yes, I know, I'm wrong, stupid, etc etc etc.  ) OR: Maybe it's licensing fees for that Skyhook map deal.
> 
> It's never been like Apple to do the cash grab thing, though.


A big part is they have to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley. The iPhone updates were "free" because it generates a continuous revenue stream (via subscription contract) to Apple. In contrast, there is no assurance of future revenue from the sale of an iPod (or an iMac). Also, the new improved Touch is technically a new model.

Given the crap I've heard from some folks, I think that if Steve Jobs would have said, "_Hey guys, we're really sorry about leaving out the Mail app, so we're giving you Mail and four other apps and, for the trouble we caused you here's $20"_, they'd still be cheesed off that it wasn't $30 or $50...

--ryan


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## RISCHead (Jul 20, 2004)

I'm not a SOX expert and wouldn't be able to quote you the relevant SOX sections, but I find it hard to believe that Apple would be out of compliance if this was structured as a free update - in any case, they _could've_ nickle'n'dimed us and made it a 99c update per app instead of $20 

As I said, in all other cases, revenue streams justify the free updates except for this one (maybe that as you say is the SOX issue - seems common sense to me).

In general, they are opening up the post PC computing platform - they need vendors writing apps, they need to establish a viable commercial model for it, and it would seem that this is the first step. To me, that alone for Apple justifies the price tag.
Obviously from all the comments in this thread, they're not necessarily out of line.

Someone else raised the point earlier (I think it was Macified) about why then not always charge everyone for it - this model just penalizes early adopters.
I would argue back that early adopters always pay a price for being early adopters. It's not unusual to change h/w, s/w bundling and pricing at any point in a product life cycle - often the best deals are to had near end of life


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