Mossberg likes the iPod Touch, at least while it lasts
Apple pulled off a nifty reinvention of the iPod with the iPod Touch, but it better work on improving its battery life in future models, according to gadget guru Walt Mossberg.
The iPod Touch carries over many of the design attributes that Mossberg and others loved about the iPhone, but the personal technology columnist for The Wall Street Journal found a few flaws he felt compelled to point out. Overall, the newest iPod is "elegant and capable," but Mossberg was puzzled by poor battery life.
The new iPod Touch captivated gadget guru Walt Mossberg, but its battery life didn't.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)"For all its beauty and functionality, the Touch has some quirks and downsides. It's the first iPod model I've ever tested that fell significantly short, in my tests, of Apple's battery-life claims," Mossberg wrote. Usually, his tests show that Apple applies conservative ratings to the battery life for its iPods, but that wasn't the case this time around.
Mossberg also noted that Apple has confirmed that a small number of iPod Touches were shipped with defective screens, and the company is working to fix the issue. Mossberg's unit worked fine, as did the one reviewed by CNET's Donald Bell a few days before Mossberg's came online, but some early iPod Touch customers have noted problems with displaying dark images, and it appears Apple is accepting returns.
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Internet search, including Google, Yahoo, online advertising, and portals, as well as the evolution of mobile computing. He has written about traditional PC companies, chip manufacturers, and mobile computers, spending the last three years covering Apple. E-mail Tom. 
life for a giant screen? And how is this "typical Apple"? You
probably don't even use Apple, so how can you intelligently
comment?
- Missing details
- by ckurowic September 21, 2007 1:40 PM PDT
- I like how the author left out all the positive aspects of the new
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- It's bad if you expected 22
- by Tom Krazit September 21, 2007 2:20 PM PDT
- His tests reported 17 hours of music playback, for the record.
- Like this View reply
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(5 Comments)iPod which Mossberg had in his article in the WSJ. Also, how in the
world is 14 hours bad? Don't like it? Don't buy one, its very simple.
Mossberg's contention was that there was a difference between the Apple-provided numbers and the results he got through his tests. He was surprised, because usually the real-world battery experience is better than Apple's ratings, that's why it's interesting.
And, by the way, I noted twice that he found it beautiful. But most of his praise is for the touchscreen interface that we've already seen in the iPhone, and not any specific new features of the iPod Touch itself.