Tell Apple To Free The iPod touch App Upgrade
Feb 23rd, 2008 | By James Lewin | Category: iPods & Portable Media Players 
Via a comment on our coverage of the iPod touch app upgrade, Jackson let us know about two ways that people are protesting Apple’s $20 charge for the update that adds several apps left off the initial release.
Jackson’s reaction to the $20 update reflects a lot of early buyers’ attitudes:
I am outraged that Apple is charging early buyers of the iPod Touch $20 for a system update that ought to be free.
While I understand Apple’s decision to charge money for the new applications the new $20 “application pack” also includes a SYSTEM UPDATE in the form of the home page editing, web clips, and lyrics features. All of these are updates to the currently existing iPod Touch software and NOT new applications, which means that they ought to be free to all users of the iPod Touch.
Adding insult to injury these applications are all hidden in the 1.1.3 system update, a whopping 104.4mb file that all users must download if they want to fix bugs in the system. These applications can only be used when you pay Apple $20 to “unlock” them, but even if you decide not to buy them they stay on your iPod taking up precious space that could be used for songs, videos, or photos.
Apple is normally wonderful when it comes to providing system support and updates, but having them shaft early adopters and loyal fans like this is offensive and shows that Apple has absolutely no regard for the iPod Touch community.
Think the iPod touch upgrade should be free? Here are ways you can share your thoughts with Apple on this:
You can leave Apple direct feedback here:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipodtouch.htmlYou can also sign this petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/freeappi/petition.html
Currently the petition has over 16,000 signatures.
Apple are obliged legally (Sars/Oxbain) to charge an upgrade where they do not have an ongoing revenue stream. They have a revenue stream from the iPhone, they do not from the iTouch. If they were to provide it free, then they would have to restate earnings from the period of original sale of each iTouch.
That’s just the way it is folks.
Philip
Nonsense.
First, there is no such thing as “Sars/Oxbain”. Now, if you’re talking about the Sarbanes/Oxley of 2002, you the text of the act is here: http://www.sec.gov/about/laws/soa2002.pdf
You will not find anything there that says that a company can not offer a free upgrade without an ongoing revenue stream. If it were otherwise, Microsoft’s regular free upgrades (including new features) to Windows would be in violation.
Second, Apple has not claimed that to be the case either. Instead, it was based upon a Wall Street Journal report that an unattributed source at Apple used the excuse of GAAP (not Sarbanes/Oxley) for the $1.99 fee to enable 802.11n. That has been thoroughly discredited by the accounting community.
Nonetheless, some individuals in the Apple fanboy community think this is the reason, even though nobody (not Apple, not the WFJ) has said so.
The fact is simple: Apple charged $19.99 for the iPod Touch upgrade, and $1.99 for the 802.11n upgrade, because it can. And the people who bought these products paid it.
addictanggames.com
You people are sad.
Sure you spent $300 on your touch more than likely, i myself spent $450, after tax and over night shipping to be one of the first people to get one of these. i also got the first update that no one else seemed to get for $10, then i got the next one for $20. So now i’m up to $480, almost the price of the 32 GB touch they offer now. Yet i’m not bitching like all of you about it i’m just happy they are offering to make it possible to update my Ipod when they could easily market it as the next gen of the touch.
So stop bitching you cheap bastards!
That’s fucking outragous man come on that’s screwed up they get enough money from apps and music I mean WTF man