MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - ipod touch 3g 8gb --have a made a terrible mistake?

pen_sq · 06-27-2011, 02:08 PM

Take it from someone who has owned the same 8GB "3rd" gen, and returned it to buy a 32GB model. The difference in RAM is the killer between the two (128MB vs 256), and will always limit what the 8GB can do. More and more games will either fail to run on it, or require you to reboot every time you want to play. The better model is more likely to task switch without a reload penalty, so it's easier to flip back and forth to, say, a dictionary.

Seeing as the 4th gen still has the true 3rd gen's 256MB, I bet that they both COULD receive updates for the same lifetime, though Apple will certainly cut them off at different OSes. App developers are going to be much slower to cut off 3rd gen once that split happens - the main reason developers give for breaking device compatibility is lack of RAM. The difference in graphics performance between models is much easier for developers to solve, and they nearly always do so.

Apple has a refurb 3rd Gen 32GB for $179 right now. You get a new case, glass, and battery with any refurb bought direct. In my estimation, it's more than twice as useful as the 2nd gen 8GB, plus the extra years of usage you get with a fresh battery.

(edit reason: less ramble, more accurate numbers)

06-27-2011, 02:08 PM	#32
pen_sq Enthusiast Posts: 23 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: none	Take it from someone who has owned the same 8GB "3rd" gen, and returned it to buy a 32GB model. The difference in RAM is the killer between the two (128MB vs 256), and will always limit what the 8GB can do. More and more games will either fail to run on it, or require you to reboot every time you want to play. The better model is more likely to task switch without a reload penalty, so it's easier to flip back and forth to, say, a dictionary. Seeing as the 4th gen still has the true 3rd gen's 256MB, I bet that they both COULD receive updates for the same lifetime, though Apple will certainly cut them off at different OSes. App developers are going to be much slower to cut off 3rd gen once that split happens - the main reason developers give for breaking device compatibility is lack of RAM. The difference in graphics performance between models is much easier for developers to solve, and they nearly always do so. Apple has a refurb 3rd Gen 32GB for $179 right now. You get a new case, glass, and battery with any refurb bought direct. In my estimation, it's more than twice as useful as the 2nd gen 8GB, plus the extra years of usage you get with a fresh battery. (edit reason: less ramble, more accurate numbers) Last edited by pen_sq; 06-27-2011 at 02:23 PM.