The Advantages and Disadvantages of Owning an Ipod Touch vs. an Ipad Essay Example

The report also tries to show which product is more suitable for certain situations as in having one of these products on the go and seeing how mobile it would become when being in tight places or how accessible it would become when having to just take it out and put it back in wherever it belongs quickly and efficiently. The scope of the report is going to focus on the products mobility, reliability, and compatibility. These different attributes will determine which product shall be the one that outperforms the other through different tests of comparison.

As far as limitations go, the only thing that may hinder true results of this research is a hardware or software defect in the product. Methods of Research The methods of research that have been used to acquire the needed information to perform this study was the World Wide Web and an interview with Eric Gerren, a consumer of an iPod Touch, an iPad, and many other technologies, mostly from the same manufacturer. I found both sources just as useful. The interview pretty much gave me a first-hand experience of the product in question because I was able to interact with the consumer and the product in person and be able to experience what it’s like to almost own one, which gave me a very different experience than just reading up on it online. On the other hand, the World Wide Web helped me out enormously.

It was pretty much the main source of information for the products in question. Not to mention, it helped a lot by elaborating on almost all of the technical jargon associated with the technology that

may be hard to understand when looked at first. Report Organization The report is organized into five segments of comprehension, basically what the contents page already illustrates. It starts off with giving a brief synopsis of what the research is going to be about.Then it takes a step back, and lets you enjoy a little history about the iPod Touch and the iPad in order for the reader to develop background information of the material that is going to be explained and talked about later on only so there’s no misinterpretation of what is really being talked about. After you get comfortable with the subject at hand, it goes into depth about advantages and disadvantages of the two and illustrates critical issues that set the two apart.

After technically differentiating the two, it goes on with describing personal experiences that I’ve had with the products and what I personally think of them. Shortly after, the paper ends with a conclusion of the subject as a whole and lists recommendations for future consumers.

Background and History

iPod Touch The iPod Touch (ranging from $229-$399) is a portable media player with Wi-Fi capabilities that is designed and manufactured by Apple Inc. Over the years, it has evolved into new generations which have carried slight variations but have still maintained the same overall design. The iPod Touch has four generations of its kind.

The first iPod Touch that was introduced in September 2007 was the first generation and that one in particular was apparently the most primitive one with the least functionality built in. There were a couple things that it lacked since the release of its upgraded version, one of them

being an external speaker which meant that the ear-phones would have to be plugged in in-order to listen to media. And its overall design and shape was thick and bulky unlike the newer generations that have a more sleek a slim look to them. Knowing these issues, Apple introduced the second generation in September 2008 which ultimately fixed those problems. The second generation had been upgraded with external volume controls, a built-in speaker, the ability to connect a microphone, and its overall design was reduced in size and weight to make it more convenient to carry. Following the second generation, came the third generation in September 2009 which had an upgraded operating system and upgraded hardware which ultimately made it faster than it’s previous versions.

But there were still a couple things that Apple felt that it lacked and that was the ability to take pictures and the ability to have a GPS on it. Nevertheless, Apple introduced the fourth and final generation of the iPod Touch in September 2010 which fixed those issues. The fourth generation had significant improvements. It had two cameras, one on the front and one on the back.

The one on the front was intended for the “FaceTime” application which gave you the ability to talk to someone on the other end while video broadcasting yourself through the camera through a Wi-Fi connection as if you were on a phone. The camera on the back was of coarse intended for taking pictures and videos, and not just any old regular pictures and videos, but HD (high-definition) pictures and videos. The fourth generation also contains an improved processor, the “A4”, for faster processing

time; a microphone for communication and voice memos; and a three-axis gyroscopic sensor which enables the device to recognize approximately how far, fast, and in which direction it has moved in space which is utilized by the GPS. Figure 1 – iPod Touch Generations Comparison [pic] Source: MakeTechEasier. com iPad Like the iPod Touch, the iPad (ranging from $499-$829) is very similar in the overall design. It was manufactured and released by Apple Inc.

In April 2010 and in the first 80 days of it being released on the market, Apple managed to sell nearly 3 million units. It is particularly marketed as a platform for audio and visual media such as books, periodicals, movies, music, and games, as well as web content. And it’s not exactly what you would see as a typical mobile computer as a laptop but it’s definitely more mobile than a laptop because it doesn’t have to carry all of the extra accessories needed for it to function properly such as a keyboard or a mouse. The iPad, in a nutshell, is a “tablet computer”.It is a “tablet computer” or simply a “tablet” because it’s a mobile computer that doesn’t use a mouse and it doesn’t exactly use a keyboard.

It uses a virtual keyboard that’s integrated into the operating system or the software it uses. As a result of that, it takes input through its flat touch screen that you can interact with through using a digital pen or your fingertips. Like the iPod Touch and the iPhone, it runs the same operating system. Having that said, it can also run the same applications that the iPod Touch can run and

mostly all of which the iPhone can run.Like the iPod and its counter-part, everything is controlled by a multi-touch display – a break from most previous tablet computers that utilize a pressure-triggered stylus pen to produce input or interaction. The iPad also uses a Wi-Fi data connection for the ability to browse the internet and to stream web content.

Aside from having a Wi-Fi connection, certain iPad models can even come with a wireless 3G data connection which can connect to a GSM 3G data network such as AT&T. Figure 2 – iPad being used as a “tablet computer” [pic]Source: WSJ. com (The Wall Street Journal)

Advantages and Disadvantages

Mobility When it comes to mobility and one being more mobile than the other, it seems that the iPod Touch would be more suitable. Aside from it weighing less than six times the weight of an iPad, the iPod is a lot smaller and is a lot more portable. There are just some things you can do with an iPod that you can’t with an iPad and one of those things is placing it in your pocket for carrying purposes as if it were a cell phone or just having it on a holster. It’s impossible to do either of the two with an iPad, it can’t fit into a typical pocket and it sure wouldn’t look right sitting in a holster on the side of your hip if that were ever to be a trend.

Besides it being six times heavier than an iPod, it’s also six times bigger in size which makes it bulkier and less convenient to carry as with a laptop. And with the fast-paced world

as we know it now, everything is about convenience when on the go. Basically, it’s almost like comparing a cell phone to a typical laptop. You almost need a suitcase to carry a laptop when you can just slip a cell phone right in your pocket. But the best part of it all is that both of the devices pretty much do the same thing as far as functions and applications go, but it’s just that one is a lot bigger.

The iPad would probably make more of a house entertainment piece than something you would carry with you on the go, unless you want to add additional burden to whatever you’re already carrying with you. As you can see and even imagine, carrying something the size of a laptop when it could just be the size of a cell phone is just not practical in day to day situations, especially where convenience and mobility go hand-in-hand. Reliability After viewing the different hardware specs of the two products, it’s clear to see that the iPad would most definitely be more reliable. Some of the key components that set it apart from the iPod are: bigger screen size and resolution, GPS capability, longer battery life, and more network choices to choose from.

Starting with the screen size, the size of the screen on the iPad is much bigger than the one on the iPod, almost 3 times bigger in diameter. Having this said, it makes life a lot easier for your eyes because you don’t have to strain them when trying to read some very condensed web content or a newspaper article online. Also, when put into landscape

mode or simply turned sideways, it makes reading as easy as if you had an open book on your lap – everything is clearly visible. On the contrary, it would be impractical to try and read something like a book on a iPod because of all the scrolling you would have to perform to be able to view all of the content since all of it isn’t displayed at once like it would on an iPad.Moving on to the GPS capability and availability, it’s the one thing that hasn’t really been considered for any of the four iPod generations. This is one of those things that can sometimes make all of the difference in certain situations.

Imagine a situation where you’re stuck and have no idea of where you’re at or where you’re headed, this tiny addition could mean the world in certain predicaments – like making it to your new job conveniently and efficiently. Another aspect that would make this product more reliable than the other is that it has a longer battery life. The iPad has up to 10 hours of battery life when the iPod has only 7 when viewing a video. Seeing that it has an extra 3 hours of battery life than the iPod is nice, especially when you’re doing something important as in checking your email or bank account online or just simply watching a movie or playing a game – it gives you the overall advantage in how you want to spread out your extra hours.Finally, the last thing that sets this product apart from the iPod which proves it to be more reliable is that it has a

bigger variety of networking choices to choose from. Both the iPad and the iPod Touch have a Wi-Fi connection that they can both utilize when searching for a “hot-spot” to connect to, but what happens when you can’t connect to those “hot-spots” because of a low signal, or a limited connectivity, or a password protection?This is where the iPad comes in and introduces the capability of being able to use its wireless 3G data connection that it can obtain from various GSM 3G data networks such as AT&T to connect with.

As a result, even if you’re in a “dead zone” where you don’t have any Wi-Fi “hot-spots”, you can always reserve to your 3G data connection to connect to the internet. Compatibility As far as compatibility goes, there are a few key things to point out that will set the iPod Touch apart from the iPad in a good way which will prove its worthiness.Some of the integrations that the iPod holds that make it more compatible are: ability to have two cameras, ability to have a video editing application, and the ability to have video feed put out to the TV. First, the ability to have two cameras, as if one wasn’t enough. Each of these two cameras serves its own purpose, and neither of which the iPad manages to get a nimble at. As mentioned earlier, the camera on the front gives you the capability of talking to someone while broadcasting yourself simultaneously through a Wi-Fi connection as if you were on a actual phone.

And while the front camera can still take pictures and videos, the back camera is more suitable for that

purpose and that’s exactly what it does – in High-Definition. Also, the iPod comes with the capability of having a video editing application. This is just one of those applications that could be used for fun purposes or for business like purposes where you absolutely need to take a video of something and edit it later for adjustments and improvements that will somehow suit your business needs. This application may be more practical in the world of photography or filming.Lastly, the iPod comes with the ability to have video feed put out to the TV via composite or component cables. And this is a great attribute to have when declaring compatibilities because the iPad doesn’t even seem to have such compatibility to such appliances.

Who wouldn’t want to view a movie on a big screen TV that you had saved on your iPod? Especially if you have a crowd of people that are trying to get a peek at whatever you have on your device, what other way would be better than to have it shown on a TV for everyone to see?

Personal Experiences

From personal experience and a little bit of research, it seems to me that the iPod Touch is the way to go if I were to choose either of these products.

And even though they tend to be very similar, they absolutely are very different and have very distinct traits and attributes that make them the unique piece of technology that they are. The iPod Touch to me seems very versatile and compatible. You can have it on the go just as conveniently as if you were to have a cell phone on the

go, maybe even a little more. And because it supports free Wi-Fi connections in designated areas, it almost out sources the cell phone sometimes when it comes to using the internet or acquiring some kind of data connection.Not to mention, with the rapid rate of applications being developed these days and the technology that’s associated with them, you can simply turn something like an iPod Touch into a full functional cell phone by using its integrated microphone, speakers, and Wi-Fi in conjunction with a cleverly crafted application that can put that hardware to great use.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it seems that the iPod Touch is the winner here.

Overall, it’s the better piece of technology to go with. Although it’s not as reliable as the iPad, it’s still twice as good because it has way better mobility when it comes to being out and about and it’s got better compatibility with different appliances as described earlier with putting out feed on a TV via composite or component cables. Also, a very important thing to consider is the price comparison between the two.The iPad (ranging from $499-$829) can easily be worth two to three times as much as an iPod Touch (ranging from $229-$399) and still not deliver as much functionality. So why would you pay more for less? Recommendations Check the mobility. You wouldn’t want to feel like your always carrying some luggage or some burden with you.

If that’s ever the case, you will slowly start losing interest and appreciation for the product. This could result in a loss of money if you decide to just get rid of it only after having it for a small period

of time. Or if you don’t get rid of it, it’ll just lay around and collect dust for all its worth. Check the reliability.

You don’t want to get stuck with something that only works for a certain amount of time and then dies on you.You want to have something that you can have a little faith in once in a while, if not all the time, and be able to rely on. It’s the same thing as buying a car of good quality like a Honda or Toyota versus buying something like a Kia or a Hundai which is typically made out of cheaper parts. Check the compatibility. Everyone wants something that can do a little extra for their buck.

It’s like buying an HD TV knowing that your Comcast cable provides HD channels. As a result, you can watch HD channels later if you ever decided to and not have to worry about not having that little detail that could benefit you later on.

Works Cited

1. Costello, S. (2010). Comparing Features: iPad vs. iPhone 4 vs. iPod touch. Retrieved from About. com website: http://ipod. about. om/od/ipadcomparisons/a/ipad-iphone-3gs-ipod-touch. htm Gerren, E. (2010, November 2).
2. iPod vs. iPad. , Smyrna, DE.iPad. (2010). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/IPad iPod Touch. (2010).
3. In Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ipod_touch Oh, D.(2010, November 15).
4. SocialCompare: Products Comparison With A Social Twist. Retrieved from Make Tech Easier website: http://maketecheasier. com/socialcompare-products-comparison-with-a-social-twist/2010/11/15 Scheck, J. (2010, January 28).
5. PC Makers Ready iPad Rivals . Retrieved from The Wall Street Journal website: http://online. wsj. com/article/SB10001424052748703798904575069681174687948. html