iPod Touch: Evolution of a Mobile Platform

iPod Touch:  Evolution of a Mobile Platform

According to EE Times, the Broadcom chip Apple used for the 2^nd generation iPod Touch has not only Wi-Fi function but FM and Bluetooth receiver as well.  With the right tweaking and updated firmware, both functions can be activated.

I don’t know what Apple has planned but we can only assume this chip, for now, only allow Wi-Fi access and no more and that it is largely a cost cutting measure. 

But at the same time, we have to wonder what the next steps are.  Through simple extrapolation (I’ve taken quite a liberty at this) based on what Apple has done with the iPod line, we can guess where Apple is going to take Touch next. 

The iPod has grown by offering a variety of functions through the years with each upgrade.  Album cover.  Colors.  Pictures and photos.  Games.  Calendar and contact.  A variation of the click wheel.  And longer battery life with each year. 

Games for sale on the iPod was the most significant advancement in my mind.  It paved the way for the future app store, the one as we know it today.

Now back to the iPod Touch.  The first generation was simply a mesh of the iPod with the multi-touch screen.   People like to think of it as an iPhone without the phone and camera.  But it’s more than given its lack of those features.

In  the latest revision, the Touch gained “voice recorder”.  Who is Apple trying to kid?  It’s the preparation for VOIP apps like Fringe (curiously, Fringe was made available after the new Touch was made available) and other voice related functions – voice command, perhaps?

We can look forward to additional features on the Touch that will provide Touch users with additional voice apps.  And this is not only an Apple related evolution.  Nokia already has such features on the N810. 

We can also anticipate Android to push the envelope on this front as well.  Good times for mobile warriors who don’t want an phone subscriptions ahead.

Link on BT/FM chip:  EE Times

Note:  I put this post on Onxo instead of On Apple because of the larger implication this has on mobile users.  Handset makers are tired of being shackled terms set by wireless providers.  Whether it’s more Wi-Fi or white space, as far as the future goes, it’s open sky for mobile warriors.