iPod Touch OS BS
by john on Aug.19, 2008, under Uncategorized
I’m often asked by people what computer they should buy. If they have to ask I almost always point them towards a Mac. Usually they end up getting a MacBook. If they qualify for an educational discount I point that out as well. This week a friend purchased a new MacBook with a free iPod Touch. The iPod Touch did not come with the 2.0 OS.
I knew that it cost $10 to upgrade the OS of existing iPod Touches, but I had no idea that they were selling the devices with the old OS still installed. I would have guessed that devices sold after the release of 2.0 would come with 2.0. I told my friend to call Apple and see if they’d just give him the upgrade.
No dice.
Apple told him that there is currently no plan to sell iPod Touch with OS 2.0 installed. The only way to get the new OS is to pay the fee to upgrade.
This is, to put it simply, stupid. Why slap your customers in the face over $10? Why would you sell a device with the last generation OS on it rather than your best software?
In the past I’ve bought Macs a few weeks after an OS upgrade or even an iLife upgrade and gotten the old software pre-installed. In both cases Apple gave me a free upgrade, and earned my respect. My friend is feeling something quite different today: the desire to jailbreak his iPod Touch rather than jump through a $10 hoop for the new features.
August 29th, 2008 on 8:00 am
Unfortunately this isn’t Apple’s call. It has to do with accounting and legal compliance. I agree it sucks, but the frustration is misdirected.
August 30th, 2008 on 11:44 am
Victor,
I disagree. In the past Apple has charged for upgrades to old equipment but has included them in equipment sold after the upgrade is released. Apple has discretion here and has made the decision to not sell iPod touch with the new OS. I assume that they’ll release new hardware soon and are waiting for that. But that’s like not putting Leopard on MacBook Pros because a MBP revision is coming out in a few months.