Until the September 2010 release of the iPhone 4, this was probably the only other Apple product in the (i) range that gave Steve Jobs a lot of headache. He released it intending for it to be a practice run for a touch screen iPhone, but since he had promised an iPod, and Apple is Apple, the market was not going to let him get away with it.
It's hard to imagine why Apple would release a product that had poor storage, screen issues, a weak battery life and that was very expensive, but that's precisely what they did. Putting it to rights however has borne a magnificent iPod, really the best that it could have been.
Rehabilitations included adding applications that had been deliberately left out that made it less than comparable to anything Apple. They added a software update, which was closely followed by another one for and started to sell the Apple iPod Touch 8GB's gaming potential. They lowered the cost by as much as 0 dollars, and although initial buyers had gripes about all the new additions and improvements, Apple managed to attract a lot of new buyers.
They physically redesigned it for a better feel; it was much handier and much lighter, added a chrome bezel and got a battery upgrade. Most importantly, the much sought after Nike+Apple software was thrown in at no extra cost, maybe a way to placate the frowning market.
Features:
Its added storage capacity means that you can store up to 1750 songs on it, get 10 hours of video and pack up to 10,000 photos. The enhanced battery life allows for great playback time - you can get up to 30 hours on music and 6 hours on video. It's also notable because most multi-function touch screen devices will hardly ever give you such battery life. Its Wi-Fi enabled - another feature that took Apple fans by surprise. You can now surf and access mail on the Apple iPod Touch 8GB, which makes it really an iPhone without a phone! It uses Safari, the best mobile device web browser and will be able to trace wireless networks if there are any to be found. Its Bluetooth enabled. It has an internal speaker that's said to improve sound quality, but if you're looking for really great sound from Apple, go for an iPhone. The Nike+iPod software means that you don't have to purchase any extra gadgets for measuring vitals when you exercise.
It's a great thing that Steve Jobs got such a beating from iPhone and iPod lovers, because it was eventually the birth of much better touch-screen and wi-fi enabled devices. Maybe if he had done a pretty good job the first time round, he would not have been under pressure and we wouldn't see all the great stuff we do today.
When all is said and done, as far as iPods go, the Apple iPod Touch 8GB took off to numerous hiccups, but today, it stands as good an iPod as any other.