IPHONE NEWS
Free a good price for iPod touch 3.1.3 upgrade
Apple eliminates price for update on older handsets |
Apple has eliminated the price for upgrading your iPod touch to the latest firmware, making version 3.1.3 free for everyone.
That's a significant shift by Apple, which had recently lowered the price of the firmware upgrade in hopes of coaxing iPod touch owners into purchase.
Instead, it's free to download.
Syncing a second generation iPod touch today with an older version of the software prompted me to accept the free upgrade. How exciting.
Just as when asked to download and install the latest firmware on an iPhone, iTunes simply asks for confirmation - no signing in to pay for the software.
This is great news for iPod touch gamers with older devices. Now you're free to upgrade and play a swathe of games that are only compatible with 3.0-specific features.
While some features remain specific to iPhone such as 3G push notifications, making the software free ensures access to every game on the App Store regardless of what handset and firmware you possess.
WilhelmR | 15 February 2010
iPod touch also gets push notifications, over wifi of course, but it works just as expected.
I wasn't too surprised about this update being free, apple NEEDS users to upgrade so they buy more apps, it wasn't a hard decision for them :)
Bryan | 15 February 2010
Not to mention the 3.1.3 update closes up the hole used by jailbreaking software. Very clever, Apple.
zztfox | 15 February 2010
What about those of us that paid for the 3.0 update!
Should have been free to begin with...
Welsh_Dragon | 15 February 2010
You had to pay for firmware updates? WTF!?
Curious | 15 February 2010
I remember paying for OS2.0 wen it came along and also 3.0 but I don't remember being charged for any of the smaller updates inbetween so I wasn't surprised at all that this latest one was free.
Joined:
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Apple is about to drop FW 4.0 so this is not that big of a charitable contribution. Plus their ulterior motive was to unjailbreak users with this update.
FW updates should be free for everyone or everyone should be charged. I don't agree with Apple's decision on charging iPod Touch users.
tim
ps - there is a jailbreak for 3.1.3 - but do your research first.
Gromit | 15 February 2010
These are not Fireware updates in the traditional sense, as they add a lot of new functionality to the product you initially bought. Apple has charged Touch users for the new full upgrade, 2.0 and 3.0 but has never changed for these intermediate tweaks.
It will be interesting to see if Apple give the 4.0 update to Touch users for free. The phenominal success of the app store means that it is far more beneficial for Apple to have Touch users on the latest software than to put them off the upgrade by charging for it.
We shall see.
Jonathan | 15 February 2010
> Not to mention the 3.1.3 update closes up the hole used by jailbreaking software. Very clever, Apple.
Except that a new version the cracks and jailbreaks 3.1.3 was released less than 24 hours later.
Joined:
Dec 2008
Post count:
1459
Yeah, everyone went nuts over the 3.1.3 saying its the end of jailbreaking! OMG! The next day there was a jailbreak for 3.1.3...
All worked up over nothing.
