Five new features for the 2010 iPod Touch 4G

[khy]

Apple announced its new iPhone 4 today (which many got a peek at months ago on Gizmodo). The new iPhone is faster, has a longer battery life and lots of new features like a front-facing camera.

All of which got me wondering what we can expect from the fourth-generation iPod Touch when it comes out soon. Apple has unveiled a new iPod Touch each September for the past three years so I think it's reasonable to assume they'll come out with the fourth-generation version this fall.

My first-generation 8GB iPod Touch has seemed sluggish for awhile now and its processor is so slow that the latest iPhone 0S 4.0 -- with neat new features like multitasking -- won't even run on it.

There are some features the existing iPod Touch has that I envy, like a built-in speaker (so I can hear music when I forget my earphones) and a mic (so I can use Skype). But those features have never seemed to quite justify spending $300 for an upgrade, since my existing model still does almost everything I want it to.

All of which got me wondering what it would take for me to upgrade to a new model when the new iPod Touch comes out this September. Interestingly, while some have complained the iPad is nothing more than a big iPod Touch, a lot of my wish list is based on making the Touch more like a smaller iPad. Here's my full wish list:

1. A camera. The iPod Touch's lack of a camera has been one of its most obvious drawbacks compared to the iPhone since Day 1. If the new Touch came out with a camera on the back and the front (for video chats) like the iPhone 4 that would be ideal, but I'd settle for just a single camera on the back so I can take a quick picture or video when I feel like it.

2. Longer battery life. One of the few things that really impressed me about the iPad (and there isn't much) is its crazy-long battery life -- 10 hours of video watching compared to six hours on the Touch. If Apple has figured out a way to power the huge iPad for 10 hours, I don't see why they can't apply the same technology to the Touch.

3. Automatic syncing. Given the iPod Touch has WiFi, I don't see why you still have to plug it into your PC to sync it with iTunes. Even the Zune has wireless syncing, for goodness sakes. I'd also like to see the ability to automatically download all podcasts you subscribe to directly to the Touch instead of having to do them one by one like you do now. I can see why this is limited on the iPhone -- all those downloads could clog the cellular data networks. But I see no reason why it's not available on WiFi.

4. 3G. This is probably the least likely to materialize but I wish the iPod Touch -- like the iPad -- had the ability to access the Internet through 3G cellular networks. I have no interest in buying an iPhone -- the voice and data plans are prohibitive. But every now and then I wish I could access the Internet on my iPod Touch while out of a WiFi zone -- like when I get lost driving and need directions back to the highway, for example. A pricing scheme like the iPad, where you pay by the month without a contract, would be ideal. If you go on a big road trip and want to be able to use the Touch for driving directions, you just sign-up for 3G that month and you're good to go.

5. A price drop. I know, how greedy can I get? I ask for four new features then want to pay less, too? But almost every new version of the iPod Touch or iPhone has come with -- at the very least -- a price drop on some models. It may not be realistic, but this is my wishlist. What would really convince me to upgrade my iPod Touch would be all these new features -- plus at least 16GB of storage -- for $199.

What about you? What features would you like to see on the new iPod Touch?

[Zach]

Syncing over Wi-Fi would be slo-o-o-o-o-o-w. There is a reason things are still wired. Anyways, I'm pretty excited about the new iPod Touch, but I can't foresee myself getting one.

[khy]

I think it's thinner and lighter, zack

[Zach]

And?

[khy]

have nothing new function
I think the wifi/3g function is not work very well in the new generation
so I still love my old ipod classic 160g

[AudCulori]

I haven't used an IpoD for a while now, and I won't buy another in the next 2 years.