With the release of Apple’s latest product, the iPhone 4S and iOS 5, Apple’s lineup has 3 great products all operating with the same OS. There is no longer a distinction between these devices in terms of software. The world of Apple now revolves around OS X and iOS with both of these revolving around iTunes. Steve Jobs may have left us, but Apple’s ecosystem is far from gone. However, the question still comes down to whether we need all three of these devices or just one or maybe two. Today, I’d like to compare all three and let you decide.

Let’s start with the iPod. Here’s a device that changed the portable music industry forever. Of course, during its humble beginnings, it was simply a music device. For whatever reason, Apple felt like there needed to be more, so they have created numerous iterations of this one device over the years and today, we have iPod Touch.

iPod Touch vs iPhones

The iPod Touch has seen 4 revisions since it was first introduced back in 2007 and this latest one is the closest they’ve come to the iPhone since. Because of this, let’s first compare the Touch to the latest iPhones:

	iPod touch	iPhone 4S	iPhone 4	iPhone 3GS
Capacity	8 GB 32 GB 64 GB	16 GB 32 GB 64 GB	8 GB (as of Oct ’11) 16 GB 32 GB	8 GB 16 GB 32GB
Screen size (inches) /Resolution	3.5 / 960 x 480	3.5 / 960 x 480	3.5 / 960 x 480	3.5 / 480 x 320
Processor	Apple A4	Apple A5 1 dual-core 1 GHz	Apple A4	Samsung ARM Cortex-A8
Battery Life	Video: 7 hours Audio: 40 hours	Talk/Video/Web: 8/10/9 hours Audio: 40 hours	Talk/Video/Web: 7/10/10 hours Audio: 40 hours	Talk/Video/Web: 5/10/5 hours Audio: 30 hours
A-GPS	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Camera	under 1 megapixel	8 megapixel & VGA	5 megapixel & VGA	3.2 megapixel
Video Camera	720p HD	1080p HD	720p HD	Yes
FaceTime	4th gen. and later	Yes	Yes	No
Siri Support	No	Yes	No	No
Phone	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Wi-Fi	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Size (in inches)	4.4 x 2.3 x .28	4.5 x 2.31 x .37	4.51 x 2.31 x .37	4.5 x 2.4 x .48
Weight (in ounces)	3.56	4.9	4.8	4.8
iOS 5 Support?	3rd gen and later	Yes	Yes	Yes
Monthly Fees	No	$55-$99	$55-$99	$55-$99
Price	$199/$299/$399	$199/$299/$399 (w/ 2-year contract)	$99 (w/ 2-year contract)	Free (w/ 2-year contract)

Clearly, the 4th gen Touch most closely resembles the iPhone 4. The great thing about that is for all of you who don’t want an iPhone because you already have another device you love or you’re stuck in a contract, the iPod Touch is the perfect replacement. It can give you access to all the apps that iPhone owners rave about and now with the new generation of Touch, you have the dual cameras, iOS 5 software and it comes in white too! Also, with iMessage, you can now send instant text messages to every other iOS device over wi-fi.

Now I no longer own an iPhone, I’ve been seriously considering the new iPod Touch. Not only for its music capabilities in my car, but also for the apps that I miss—mainly my Chase bank app that allows me to deposit checks just by taking a photo of it. With the front-facing camera, you can use the Facetime app to communicate with every iOS device over wi-fi. So essentially, you can use the iPod Touch just like an iPhone when you’re connected to a network.

iPad vs iPod Touch

The iPad was a “revolutionary device” that Apple made us believe that we needed. And despite the fact that it’s the best selling tablet on the market today, some people still wonder what its main purpose is. Those of us who have owned an iPad at some point understand that it’s really nothing more than a large iPhone. Although I make that sound like a negative thing, it’s actually the one fact that is what makes the iPad such a popular device. Apple’s ecosystem of devices and their connectivity to iTunes has made these products indispensable.

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	iPod touch	iPad	iPad 2
Capacity	8 GB 32 GB 64 GB	16 GB 32 GB 64 GB	16 GB 32 GB 64 GB
Screen size (inches) /Resolution	3.5 / 960 x 480	9.7 / 1024 x 768	9.7 / 1024 x 768
Processor	Apple A4	Apple A4	Apple A5 dual-core 1 GHz
Battery Life	Video: 7 hours Audio: 40 hours	Video/Web: 8/10 9 hours on 3G	Video/Web: 8/10 9 hours on 3G
A-GPS	No	Yes (3G models)	Yes (3G models)
Camera	0.7MP back, 0.3MP front	N/A	0.7MP back, 0.3MP front
Video Camera	720p HD	N/A	720p HD
FaceTime	4th gen. and later	No	Yes
Wi-Fi	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Size (in inches)	4.4 x 2.3 x .28	9.56 x 7.47 x .528	9.5 x 7.31 x .346
Weight	3.56 oz	1.5 lbs/td>	1.32 lbs
iOS 5 Support?	3rd gen and later	Yes	Yes
Monthly Fees	No	AT&T – 250MB $14.99 per month 2GB $25.00 per month Verizon – 1GB $20 per month 2GB $30 per month 5Gb $50 per month 10GB $80 per month	AT&T – 250MB $14.99 per month 2GB $25.00 per month Verizon – 1GB $20 per month 2GB $30 per month 5Gb $50 per month 10GB $80 per month
Price	$199/$299/$399	Wi-fi only $499/$599/$699 Wi-fi + 3G $629/$729/$829	Wi-fi only $499/$599/$699 Wi-fi + 3G $629/$729/$829

The iPad and iPods are not to be directly compared of course due to their very different sizes, but the point of these charts were to show you just how close the iPod touch is to Apple’s other mobile products.

My two cents

I owned an iPhone since the first one came on the market right up until I sold my iPhone 4 just a few months ago. I did this in hopes that the new iPhone would be a significant upgrade, but it looks like I’ll have to wait until the next phone until I get back on iPhone. In the past year or so, I’ve also owned an iPad and an iPod Classic. For a phone, I’ve been using the Samsung Focus with Windows Phone 7 on it and I love it. However, I do miss some of the apps I once had on the iPhone and as a result, I’ve been tempted to buy an iPod touch. After researching the information above, I’ve concluded that the 4th generation iPod Touch is the closest thing I can get to an iPhone without having to buy an iPhone.

I don’t like the iPad as much because of the pricing, so I’m willing to try the new Kindle Fire in November before I consider ever going back to an iPad. My new lineup might consist of the following before Christmas: MacBook Pro, iPod Touch (white 32Gb), Samsung Focus and Kindle Fire. It’s crazy how times change!