Choosing Between the iPod Touch and the iPhone

The iPod Touch seems to stand alone in its field. It has very little competition, and what there is, isn't much of a threat. There are a lot of reasons for this, and various industry watchers will offer their own opinions as to which reasons are most relevant. Frankly though, the various reasons that the iPod Touch has maintained its dominance is due to a combination of pretty much all of the noticeable factors.

While other companies are coming out with devices that claim to be better than the iPod Touch in a lot of ways, what they lack is the massive support of thousands of applications that users can download. Consumers know that they can get all kinds of software for their Touch and they know they can get it easily. The competitors are still far from being able to match that, let alone convincing consumers that their offerings are just as good.

The iPod Touch is marketed as a gaming device, and the music functionality is secondary. Much like the iPhone is a phone that "happens" to have a built in iPod, the Touch is a handheld gaming console that happens to have the same. Apple has pushed the Touch that way for several reasons. For one, it works. For another though, they don't want to distract you from buying the iPhone. So which one should you buy? The differences between the two devices are so minuscule that people already question buying the more expensive phone. It's not like the phone does a whole lot more anyway.

Consider the functions of both devices. Drawing the line between them isn't hard. The iPhone (based on the 3GS) has phone functionality, GPS functionality, a compass, and Bluetooth. It also has a great touch screen, incredible video display, an accelerometer, internet functionality and WiFi. As for the iPod Touch, it has all the latter, but lacks the rest.

If you were to purchase an iPod Touch today, you'll likely find that in the next year or so you want to take advantage of all the things you're missing out on that the iPhone offers. Those things are becoming more practical every day, and more people are expected to have access to such things for work. When this realization hits you, you'll end up with a second device - iPhone or competing product - that you wouldn't have needed if you just went a step above the Touch in the first place.

With all of that in mind, consider life with the iPod Touch. You can play the same games as iPhone users, you can watch the same videos and play the same music. If you want to take a picture, you use your camera or your cell. If you want to make a call, use that same cheap cell. If you want to surf the net though? Well, there's the kicker. But remember the WiFi? WiFi is now available all over the place. Cafes offer it for free, as do bars and restaurants. It's likely offered in your place of work and, in bigger cities, it's possibly offered on the sidewalks as well. That means you have internet in almost as many places as the iPhone owners. To take this further, if you want to make a call you can still use your Touch, so long as you are nearby one of those abundant WiFi networks.

With all of that in mind it's clear why the iPod Touch is the better choice. While people who are in the market for such a device shouldn't be shy to start shopping around, they shouldn't be surprised if it's the Touch that ends up in their cart.

Thanks to the iPod, we now listen to music in an entirely different way. Yet the sound isn't the only thing that captures the interest of many people. An iPod can also be a fashion statement, and there are lots of iPod gadgets that can dress up your device. Learn more at Gizmos, Gadgets and Toys.