So you just unwrapped your brand spanking new iPod Touch and are wondering how the iTunes music store fairs? I have had the iPod Touch for about 5-6 months now (yes, I bought it the second it was released). Having been an early adopter, I have seen what this device is like from the very beginning and have the advantage of using these features for months.

In my opinion, Apple has really nailed the WiFi iTunes store. First, the ability to search is probably most critical to any music download software. The iPod Touch displays live suggestions of artists or songs just like the desktop version of the software does. This is a nice addition and I feel helps me to discover music even faster.

Next, the WiFi music store is organized by Featured Artists, Top Tens by category, and a Downloads menu. In the first version of the iTunes WiFi store, Apple had no way for a person to redeem gift cards. With the latest software you can find this feature in the downloads section.

How about download and purchasing features. Apple was obviously concerned that if your iPod was stolen a thief could download 10,000 songs and make you go broke. You must manually enter a password upon the purchase of any song in iTunes WiFi store. I find this to be a bit annoying but well worth the piece of mind. You cannot disable that feature at all. The downloads are super fast (matching desktop speeds) and when you plug your iPod back into the computer the new song will be automatically placed into your iTunes folder.

All in all the iPod Touch WiFi iTunes store is pretty impressive. I forgot to mention that free 30 second clips of each song stream quickly when tapped. Some things I want to see in the future: Access to TV and Movie purchases/rentals and Podcasts. These features will most likely take a few more months to roll out but will add hours of enjoyment.

While I still don't buy much music I find that the Store is a great way to kill time while on the iPod Touch and a good time to explore new artists (for 30 seconds at a time!)

[sniplet ipod]

This entry was posted on Friday, February 1st, 2008 at 12:52 am and is filed under Apple. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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