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Apple iPod Touch (first generation, 32GB)

Manufacturer: Apple Part number: MB376LL/A

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$344.95 - $479.97 at 7 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
4.0 stars Excellent
Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 47 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Product series; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: The iPod Touch is a beautiful product, inside and out, but prepare yourself for sticker shock.
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CNET editors' review

Apple iPod Touch (first generation, 32GB)

price range: $344.95 - $479.97

Reviewed by: Donald Bell
Edited by: Lindsey Turrentine
Reviewed on: 09/17/2007
Updated on:09/15/2008
Released on: 09/14/2007

The good: The Apple iPod Touch has a large, video-worthy screen, a cutting-edge interface, and Wi-Fi Internet, e-mail, and music download capabilities.

The bad: The iPod Touch may cost too much for you, depending on your needs. It has a small capacity for a portable video player.

The bottom line: The iPod Touch is a beautiful product, inside and out, but prepare yourself for sticker shock.

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iPod Touch

Editors' note: On September 9, 2008, Apple released their second-generation version of the iPod Touch and discontinued the older model described on this page. Our full review of the iPod Touch (second-generation) can be found here.

If you find yourself dazzled by the Web, video, and music capabilities of Apple's iPhone but can't stomach the contract commitment, the iPod Touch might be just what you're looking for. Offered in 8GB ($299), 16GB ($399), and 32GB ($499) capacities, the iPod Touch is a premium-priced device with an attractive set of features for a midsize portable video player. Still, the Touch's limited storage capacity makes it a difficult choice when held up to higher capacity products like the iPod Classic or Archos 605 WiFi.

Design
For better or worse, the iPod Touch is clearly the iPhone's baby brother. Like most products that roll out of Apple, the Touch shows the love of committed designers, hardware engineers, and usability experts. The iPod Touch measures a slim and pocketable 4.3 inches by 2.4 inches by 0.31 inch, with an all-metal-and-glass design that feels as expensive as it looks. Because nothing will ruin a portable video player faster than a gouge across its screen, we're happy to see that the face of the Touch uses the same scratch-resistant glass found on the iPhone. Most users will still want to buy a protective case, however, since the iPod Touch feels a little fragile and the back is covered with the glossy, scratch-prone, smudge-loving chrome exterior common to most iPods.

Although the iPod Touch (center) shares most of its features with the iPhone (left), it is technically a sibling of the iPod Classic (right).

There are only two physical buttons on the iPod Touch: a button on the face of the player used for calling up the main menu; and a screen deactivation button found on the top-left edge of the case. The iPod Touch is controlled largely using an icon-based touch-screen navigation menu nearly identical to the iPhone's, but with greater emphasis placed on music, photo, and video playback.

The two design details that distinguish the iPod Touch from the iPhone are the downward-facing headphone jack and volume controls. In the absence of dedicated volume control buttons, the Touch gives users the ability to bring up an onscreen volume slider by double-clicking the main menu button. The same volume screen offers controls for playing, pausing, and skipping through tracks.

When it comes down to it, the iPod Touch's most unique selling point is not its feature set, but its interface. You can find products that offer more features, as well as higher quality audio and video performance, but you won't find any other product that can match the feeling you get using the iPod Touch interface. In the absence of jetpacks or flying cars, the futuristic novelty of zooming photos with a pinch of the finger or flying through your music collection in Cover Flow is difficult to quantify into a bullet point, but it is probably the most justifiable reason to invest in the Touch.

Features
The iPod Touch draws 99 percent of its features from the iPhone. While iPhone owners have zero incentive for buying the Touch, the rest of us now have a way to get our hands on many of the iPhone's features without costly and contractual AT&T service plans. The bad news is that the iPod Touch does away with more than just the iPhone's phone capabilities--it also gives up built-in speakers, microphone, camera, and Bluetooth. Remaining features such as a Safari Web browser, POP/IMAP e-mail, YouTube video portal, photo viewer, music player, video player, stock tracker, weather forecaster, notepad, and iTunes Wi-Fi music store still place the iPod Touch on the cutting edge for portable video players, however. In fact, at the time of this writing, the only product that can even compete with the iPod Touch's combination of a Wi-Fi-enabled Web browser, wireless music store, wide-screen video playback, photo viewer, and audio player, is the Archos 605 WiFi.

One of the few notable features that put the iPod Touch ahead of the iPhone is the ability to output video and photos to a television using an optional Apple AV cable, Universal Dock, or qualifying third-party video accessory. We are a little disappointed that the iPod Touch is the only iPod that does not support a generic USB storage mode, but we doubt many users will be upset by this.

Audio format support is unchanged from previous iPods. The Touch supports standard and purchased AAC, as well as MP3, Audible, WAV, AIFF, and Apple Lossless. Video format support is likewise unaltered from the H.264/MP4 files playable on 5G iPods, as well as the third-generation iPod Nano and the iPod Classic. The Touch supports video resolutions up to 640 by 480 at 30 frames per second.

The iTunes Wi-Fi music store lets you browse, preview, and download music over a Wi-Fi Internet connection.

Safari
The Safari Web browser found on the iPod Touch is more or less the same great browser found on the iPhone, minus a few features. For instance, when using Safari on an iPhone, street addresses, e-mail addresses, or phone numbers displayed on Web pages can instantly launch a location map, phone call, or impromptu e-mail anywhere with mobile phone reception. On the iPod Touch, however, maps and e-mail functions require Wi-Fi reception, and phone calls are obviously out of the question. Our major complaint using Safari on both the iPod Touch and iPhone is its incompatibility with Flash-based Web objects, such as embedded video players and music players.

Despite these few limitations, using Safari on a small mobile device like the iPod Touch is still fun and useful. The intelligent touch-screen keyboard and multiple browser window management are a big plus. Beginning with firmware Version 1.1.3, iPhone and iPod Touch users can now use Safari to save bookmarked Web pages as menu screen icons, providing quick access to commonly-used sites.

iTunes Wi-Fi
Both the iPod Touch and iPhone allow users to browse, preview, purchase, and download music from the new iTunes Wi-Fi music store. The store is limited strictly to music downloads--no movies, TV shows, podcasts, or games--at least, not yet. You'll have to hop onto an available Wi-Fi Internet connection to take advantage of the wireless music store, but once connected, you can search for any artist, album, or song in the iTunes catalog, as well as browse by genre, top sellers, featured artists, and new releases. Store purchases require you to enter your iTunes password as a security measure. Once the download is complete, the song is immediately available to listen to and will transfer to your computer's iTunes music library the next time you sync the device. The feature seems to work without any kinks. Even interrupted downloads pick up once a Wi-Fi connection is re-established.

Apple has also announced a partnership with the Starbucks coffee chain that will allow iPhone and Touch users the ability to access a Starbucks-branded version of the iTunes Wi-Fi music store when the device is used at participating cafes--without paying to use the hot spot. We doubt that anyone will purchase the Touch based on this added functionality, but it bears mentioning.

Firmware 2.0 improvements
Launched in July 2008, version 2.0 of the iPod Touch's firmware adds support for many third-party applications available in the iTunes App Store. Developed primarily for the iPhone 3G, many of the iTunes App Store applications let you extend the functions of the iPod Touch to include features such as streaming Internet radio, sophisticated video games, and instant messaging. You can download App Store applications directly to the iPod Touch using a new App Store menu icon, or load them through iTunes after connecting the Touch to your computer.

Some of our favorite music-related applications for the iPod Touch include AOL Radio and Pandora, which let you stream music directly to the iPod Touch over Wi-Fi. Apple released an application called Remote which transforms your iPod Touch into a full-featured remote control for your computer's iTunes music library or a separate Apple TV system.

Wish list
Complaining about the iPod Touch's lack of FM radio or voice-recording features feels like complaining about a Porsche's lack of cup holders. Still, there are some missing features on the iPod Touch that we would have enjoyed. High-capacity SD memory card expansion is at the top of our list of most-wanted features for the Touch. We could easily forgive any PVP's limited built-in memory capacity if the option of SD memory card expansion was available (the Archos 405 or Creative Zen are perfect examples of video players that give us the option to expand).

We'd also love to see embedded Flash support in the otherwise fabulous Safari browser. Whether video content from sites like DailyMotion or Viddler or music from Web sites like iMeem and Muxtape, embedded Flash media content is a big part of the Internet media experience. And while we're being picky, we also stereo Bluetooth transmission and the ability to use the Touch as an external storage drive like the iPod Nano and iPod Classic.

Performance
Putting aside the Touch's sleek design, futuristic interface, and innovative feature set, the quality of its audio and video playback rank only slightly above average. The iPod Touch reportedly uses the same audio chipset as the iPhone, but a different one than the iPod Classic. The Touch offers good audio quality, but not the stellar audio we were hoping for in an expensive product. The audio issue is compounded by Apple's long-standing history of preventing iPod users from defining their own custom EQ settings. Apple's 20 built-in equalization presets are handy, but there's just no substitute for rolling your own five-band EQ curve. With the Touch's emphasis on video playback, it would have been especially useful to have a surround-sound emulation effect similar to the Cowon A3's or Sony NWZ-S610's.

We've heard some complaints about the iPod Touch's video performance, but we found the overall quality to be good. Viewing angles are less than great, producing some color and contrast shifting from even slight tilting. We also found that the glossy glass screen kicks back a lot of glare. Still, despite the common complaints, the Touch is unquestionably the most video-worthy iPod yet.

Apple rates the iPod Touch's battery life at 22 hours for music playback and 5 hours for video. Our CNET labs found that the iPod Touch lasted an average of 23 hours for audio playback and 6 hours for video--which is better than expected, and more than adequate for a few in-flight movies.

The iPod Touch comes with a small, clear plastic stand for hands-free viewing. It took us only two days to lose it.

Final thoughts
We think the iPod Touch is a great product with lots to offer, but its premium price tag should give some shoppers pause. Don't assume that Apple's most expensive iPod is the best solution for your needs. If you're planning on watching a lot of video, high-capacity products like the iPod Classic or Archos 605 WiFi will allow you to load entire seasons of your favorite TV shows. Also bear in mind that if you're not around an available Wi-Fi network, features like the Safari Web browser, Internet radio, e-mail, iTunes Wi-Fi music store, and YouTube video portal won't mean much at all. While the iPod Touch may not be the slam dunk we were hoping for, it is an unquestionably cool product that continues Apple's legacy of sleek, innovative design.

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 47 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 47

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7 stars

Its a nice player, but not that nice

by pdxstoney on February 6, 2008

Pros: Beautiful screen, Safari browser, easy to use

Cons: No external controls, too expensive, coverflow

Summary: I bought the iPod touch when it first came out late September, and have been using it on daily basis since then. This is one of few products that the ...

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Summary: I bought the iPod touch when it first came out late September, and have been using it on daily basis since then. This is one of few products that the more I use it, the more it annoys me.

If I had known how much I'd miss not having external controls I wouldn't have bought the unit. When the unit has turned off the screen it becomes a mult-step process to do anything. You can't just push a button to play/pause. This is made worse by that fact the device does not work well with gloves. I live in a nothern climate so this a problem for me.

This is a personal preference issue, but I hate cover flow. It looks neat, but its a hugely ineffecient way to get to my music. I don't browse that way, I use play lists. What really gripes me is you can't turn it off. If you tilt the player the wrong way it will switch to cover flow.

To me cover flow is pretty much a stupid pet trick. It looks neat, but you can't do anything practical with it.

The Safari browser on the unit is terrific. I've yet to see anything on mobile device that comes close to it. The video player is also top notch.

There's a lot to like about this player, but for $400, I want external buttons. Or at least the ability to turn off cover flow.

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17 out of 18 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Made me ditch WMA

by benion on February 17, 2008

Pros: Lightweight, stunning interface

Cons: Had to spend all weekend converting WMA files

Summary: I have always avoided Apple. Never owned a Mac or PowerBook. Always been a Microsoft/Windows man. Spent time and dollars on "iPod Killers" such a Cowon's iAudio X5 ...

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Summary: I have always avoided Apple. Never owned a Mac or PowerBook. Always been a Microsoft/Windows man. Spent time and dollars on "iPod Killers" such a Cowon's iAudio X5 and Phillips GoGear 30GB. Even chose my Home Theater Reciever based on the ability to play WMA files (Denon AVR-4306). No More. I am a convert. This is an amazing device that utilizes cutting edge technology. My decision came down to a Zune or iPod - and once I tried the iPod touch side by side with a Zune, it was all over. Compared to my previous MP3 player experiences, this is an amazing device to use. Throw in syncing with my Email, Contacts and Calendar along with Wi-Fi web browsing and song downloads and there is no question this should be your next device. The only reason I don't rate this a 10 is the hard drive size, which may be a drawback for some. Oh, by the way, 90% of my downloaded WMAs were converted to MP3 by iTunes - don't know how or why, but I didn't have to go online to buy all my downloaded songs all over again. Gotta go enjoy my iPod now.

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5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

exceeded expectations

by runlsd on June 13, 2008

Pros: OS, screen, overall responsiveness, safari

Cons: no external buttons

Summary: I bought this iPod touch 3 days ago. Before I made up my mind, I had the date July 11th all over my head. Didn't know whether the new ...

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Summary: I bought this iPod touch 3 days ago. Before I made up my mind, I had the date July 11th all over my head. Didn't know whether the new iphone meant there will be a new iPod touch. If it is just a software upgrade, no big deal. I hesitated also due to my general dislike for touch screen only devices. Most touch-screens I used were slow and not very intuitive. After doing some research of my own, I finally made my purchase.

I only had this iPod touch for 3 days now. So far, the Touch has exceeded my expectations for a media player that CNet gave 8.7/10 on. I found the operating system to be somewhat ahead of our time compared to other products available. It looks sharp and it is responsive for the most part. I thought I would dislike having use a OS that is solely touch-screen but this iPod touch made that "fun" somehow.

Before I bought the Touch, I also had concerns over its audio quality which apparently is only above average. However, with a pair of Sennheiser HD485, the sound was fantastic.. but again, what wouldn't. The point is, the audio quality issue is often quite negligible unless 1) the user is a true audiophile and/or 2) the audio quality is awful.

So far, I've found the basic applications quite handy. But when the App store opens, so will the availability of a vast number of 3rd part apps. I can wait until then. A couple of my friends suggested "jailbreaking" but I certainly don't want to risk my new favourite toy.

If it is that great, why did I give it 8/10? There are no external controls! No matter how great the touch-screen interface is, a simple volume control would take any product closer to a 10/10. Also, the iPod Touch is simply too expensive. The retail price + sales tax + service plan + case + earbuds or etc. could land you a new laptop. Sure. You don't need to get a case or earbuds. But if you don't have either of those, why wouldn't anybody want to get more protection for and better sound quality out of their pricey product?

The bottom line: This is a fantastic media player that has a potential to improve.

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2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

By Far the Best and Coolest MP3 Player on the Market

by alqaqish on May 29, 2008

Pros: User Interface, Capacity, Profile, WiFi, all the other things it can do.

Cons: Price, and ulike the iPhone software updates are not free. Ridiculous for an item as costly as the Touch!

Summary: I've owned several different MP3 players over the past five years. From iPod classic, shuffle, nano's to Microsoft's Zune and I can honestly nothing I've used ...

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Summary: I've owned several different MP3 players over the past five years. From iPod classic, shuffle, nano's to Microsoft's Zune and I can honestly nothing I've used is better or cooler than the iPod Touch (so far).

I would have given the iPod Touch a 10 rating had it not been for Apples policy to charge Touch owners each time there is a software update.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Hot! Hot ! Hot!

by smoothbassman on March 16, 2008

Pros: Sweet Interface with Wi-Fi Music Store

Cons: No External Buttons

Summary: For years I have stayed away from Apple products, but a month or so ago I decided to try a 8G touch. I fell in love with it and immediately ...

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Summary: For years I have stayed away from Apple products, but a month or so ago I decided to try a 8G touch. I fell in love with it and immediately went and got a 32 Gig unit to slam with all my favorite tunes and videos.

This hands down is the best MP3/Video player that I have ever owned. Love the touch interface, email, contracts, Wi-Fi, Safari. It is so sweet I never leave home without it.

With all the positive I have to say the 3 major drawbacks to the touch is the elimination of all the buttons.

It would be nice to have a Play/Pause, Track control, and volume control buttons on the side so You didn't have to pull up the touch interface to make an adjustment on the fly. Its hard to do that while your riding a bike or moving around.

The 2nd drawback is that almost all the videos default to landscape mode and there are no landscape iPod docks. I have an alarm clock dock and it will not let me watch a video in portrait mode while in the dock.

The last drawback is the new Apple chip set in the touch. This unit is not compatible with older iPod equipment. Right now the only cable that lets you display the video on a TV is the Apple specific one. I must add, that it is extremely hard to find that cable at the local retailers since everyone is scooping them up. I finally just order the component HD cables direct from Apple. Also you must make sure any docks you buy say that it is compatible with "iTouch" specifically. Not all of them work with the touch.

Other than that this is the best iPod ever, and its the only one that lets you download HD video content and view it in HD on your TV with the Apple component cables.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

32GB!! SWEEET!!

by tech_junkie14 on February 12, 2008

Pros: high capacity, touch screen interface, web browsing, music downloads, youtube, the list goes on and on!!1

Cons: no flash support in safari, the back of the iPod touch is still <big>very</big> scratch prone, and where's the wireless sync???

Summary: This iPod is an awesome MP3 and video player. The 32GB storage is pretty big and the Wi-Fi makes it even more useful than a standard MP3 player. The touch ...

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Summary: This iPod is an awesome MP3 and video player. The 32GB storage is pretty big and the Wi-Fi makes it even more useful than a standard MP3 player. The touch screen is awesome! It's very responsive and easy to use. I love having to watch youtube videos and surf the internet on one little device! It's very cool. The only downsides are no wireless sync (which is a bummer) and no flash support in safari. Hopefully, Apple will deal with these issues later in firmware fixes...
Otherwise, this iPod is spectacular!! I love it!

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
5 stars

Great multimedia features with poor battery life

by dejoyf on September 15, 2008

Pros: Versatile, intuitive interface with addictive applications. Great WiFi capability and email integration.

Cons: Horrible battery life. Overpriced. Software too buggy. Extra memory capacity very difficult to use as external hard drive (required purchased application, WiFi, and is slow/buggy).

Summary: I bought the first generation version about a week before the lower-priced second generation came out so I'm a little bitter that Apple provides no rebates. Second generation is ...

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Summary: I bought the first generation version about a week before the lower-priced second generation came out so I'm a little bitter that Apple provides no rebates. Second generation is cheaper and has more features, such as speaker. Recommend buying second gen version of a used first generation if you can find a good deal. Also, unless you intend to fill the memory with songs and videos, don't spend all the extra money for high capacity as device is NOT a good external hard drive.

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8 stars

Great for those not expecting the world

by lordtroah on September 9, 2008

Pros: Nice sound quality
Nice video play back
Pretty
Wireless Internet
Hooks up to exchange
2.0 seemed to have taken care of previous bugs (constant crashing of safari)

Cons: Auto fill can get annoying
No FM radio
No flash support
Slow response (But I am impatient)

Summary: Judging by some of the reviews, its obvious that 1) People didn't use it 2)Some are Apple haters 3)Others expected a phone.

Now I am no apple ...

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Summary: Judging by some of the reviews, its obvious that 1) People didn't use it 2)Some are Apple haters 3)Others expected a phone.

Now I am no apple enthusiast (in fact i find apple very pretentious without much cause), but the touch is a fine piece of work. Of course with all products there are a few drawbacks, but for anyone who born after the Jurassic Era, that should be expected. The wireless function works much better than I expected. Playback is very fine, if one feels the sound quality is poor, they may need to get a surround sound stereo system, or better headphones. Video playback again, is much better than expected. 2.0 greatly improved its function.

What can be improved is response time, flash capability and for a state of the art item, throwing in a little FM radio wouldnt be too hard to ask (but i guess apple is above such things). The keyboard is a mess at first, but gets easier once you are used to it, or if you are a texter.

All in all, its a very fine toy that I personally didnt mind wasting a few dollars on. But if you are expecting something that would program your house, your car, and spin straw into gold, this product is seriously not for you.

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3 stars

complicated and not enough battery life

by daetobg912 on September 7, 2008

Pros: wi fi and sound quality

Cons: battery life -not enough it must be at least 55 hours

Summary: fm tuner is good

Summary: fm tuner is good
9 stars

Couldn't live without it

by myles taylor on August 21, 2008

Pros: Great interface, great screen, easy to use, App store makes it very versatile.

Cons: No external speaker, no physical volume, pause, and skip buttons.

Summary: When I got the iPod Touch, I already had a 30 gig iPod 5G, which was woefully underused. I was afraid that the same would happen to this, but that'...

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Summary: When I got the iPod Touch, I already had a 30 gig iPod 5G, which was woefully underused. I was afraid that the same would happen to this, but that's not the case. It's a lifesaver on long trips, a great thing to show off to people, fun and easy to use, I've yet to see why it doesn't deserve the name PDA, and I don't know what I'd do without it. While I would love to see an external speaker and a couple more physical buttons on it, I absolutely love this device. I hope that the price drops soon because I think it's slightly overpriced, but if you can reconcile the price, it's one of the best products you'll buy.

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Apple iPod Touch (first generation, 32GB)

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