First Generation vs. Second Generation iTouch

The first generation iTouch was released in the US on September 5, 2007.  It came in two sizes: 8 GB and 16 GB, eventually adding a third model with 32 GB of storage space was released in February of 2008.  It functions just like an iPod.  It can play music, videos and podcasts.  It offered roughly 22 hours of audio-based playback with just about five hours of video-based playback.  When introduced, the iTouch also offered the use of Safari, YouTube and other Internet-based applications as long as the device was within range of a Wi-Fi hot spot.

The second generation iTouch was released in the US on September 9, 2008.  It came in 8 GB, 16 GB and 32 GB models and uses USB 2.0 to both charge and transfer data from computer to device and vice versa.  It offers about 36 hours of audio-based playback and six hours of video-based playback.  The second generation iTouch does everything the first generation one does with the addition of a built-in speaker that allows for it to be used without headphones.  It also visually looks more like the iPhone than the previous generation.

The second generation iTouch resembles the iPhone much more than the first generation model, not just in style but in features. When Apple released the iPhone 3.0 OS update, the applicable update for the second generation iTouch will make it Bluetooth capable. This will give the second generation iTouch much more value and usability than its first generation counterpart.

When Apple first released the iTouch, it seems they did not anticipate the market value for such a device especially among those not willing to leave their cell phone providers for AT&T and the iPhone. The first and second generation iTouch units give consumers the chance to get familiar with the device and decide without investing in the iPhone if it truly lives up to the hype.