iPod Touch Possibilities

The mantra at Apple these days is iPhone, iPhone, iPhone. But what about the iPod Touch? Okay so the iTouch isn’t a phone or texting machine…but it does do all the rest an iPhone can do! iPod Touch puts music, movies, websites, and now games and applications in the palm of your hand. There is a huge growing and transitional market for new iPod Touch {and iPhone} applications. With the ever growing rate of smart phone purchases…now is a great time for application of these apps. You can download them wirelessly and use them right away. The accessibility and immediacy of these apps is genius and with the arrival of the newest 3Gs iPhone…tens of thousands of iphone purchases, along with the creation of new apps, will allow marketers to reach an even broader consumer base!

The widgets and other applications that were little more than digital window dressing a few years ago have exploded into a vast new advertising venue. Many apps now draw millions of users each day at the same time they’ve become a broadly networked social medium in their own right. And, that, in turn, has given rise to a new sort of apps-only media-buying agency. {AdAge, The New World of Apps Only Advertising}

Wayne Pitout, Chief Executive Officer of iTouch, commented, “This is a great opportunity for us. I believe iTouch is in an excellent position to take advantage of the growth expected in mobile internet services. It is clear that with the greater proliferation of 3G mobile phones and the broadband capabilities this will bring, we are at the beginning of an era where accessing information and entertainment on one’s mobile will become more widespread than on the PC. This has already happened in Japan and South Korea and will have the same impact that broadband brought to the internet (generally referred to as Web 2.0). As part of the For-side group, we have benefited from international support and funding in order to consolidate our market position as well as add to our stable of operations around the world. I think, now as an independent company we will be in a very powerful position to leverage this growth opportunity.”

The iTouch currently generates in excess of $230 million in revenues on an annual basis. It now has operations in 13 countries and provides services in a total of 22 countries across three continents.

Now the biggest debate is whether branded apps should be toys or tools…

Craig Cooper says,”Depends on the marketer’s need. Financial services? Probably leans tool. Entertainment industry? Toy. There is no one-size-fits-all solution in adland despite the efforts of evil research fiends to find one. But whether toy or tool, what the app really needs to do is reinforce the marketer’s overarching brand message. Otherwise, it is just a waste.”

I agree…It’s not branded tools vs. branded toys, anyway; it’s branded tools vs. branded games. Branded Apps are very hot right now. Clients want them because they are cool and agencies want to build them because they want to be cool. The iPod Touch is even making these apps more accessible and affordable for those who do not want to pay the monthly phone bill and internet charges of the iphone. So what can we make of all this? The iPod Touch is in a great place right now for where the future of Apps and Smartphones are going.