Punishing ATT And Solidify the iPod Touch As the Premiere Mobile Device

There has been grumblings about ATT in recent weeks.  First, it's ATT.  Second, when Apple unveiled iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3.0 at the WWDC keynote a couple of weeks ago, we find out that ATT has not pulled its weight in the iPhone partnership.

So, talks about Apple and Verizon hooking up intensified, if not in reality then at least with tech bloggers.  I even called out that Apple may even bring the iPhone to T-Mobile just to let ATT know that the iPhone has outgrown it.  Seriously, bring just the iPhone 3G at $99, $149, or even the original price of $199, and Apple will have no problem find millions of T-Mobile fans switching to the only other GSM network in the US.

More and more I think that's not likely to happen.  So what should Apple do?  Well, Apple has created a viable and advanced mobile platform of the which no one has seen before.  When Apple came out with the iPod Touch, even ATT was surprised.

Perhaps Apple can surprise ATT once more with the following changes to the iPod Touch:

• Add a camera just like the one on the iPhone 3GS.  But let iPod Touch owners shoot HD video, namely, 720p.  According to some blogs, the iPhone 3GS is capable of handling 720p video.  I surprise that battery life is the only reason Apple decided against bring 720p video to the iPhone 3GS.  Of course, that can still change with future iPhone 3.0 updates.  
• Give iPod Touch a digital compass as well.  I think this is a given since future apps are likely to take advantage of this new feature.  
• Last, give the iPod Touch GPS.  This too should be a natural upgrade since third parties will be bring turn-by-turn apps to the iPhone platform.  Hence, it stands that Apple will take a percentage of each app sale.  Why limit these apps to iPhones only?

Now, those features seems like evolutionary additions to the iPod Touch.  What Apple ought to do is to bring features to the iPod Touch that the iPhone does not have.  There were talks about an radio antenna just before the iPhone 3GS was introduced.  Perhaps, it would be a feature that Apple can enable for the iPod Touch.  There is no sense for Apple to make iPod Touch play second fiddle to the iPhone.

Oh, and remember some of those doctored pictures that made many, including myself, believe that video chat was coming to the iPhone?  Perhaps, Apple should grace the next generation of iPod Touch this this killer app.  Imagine the kind of pressures this will put on ATT and the other wireless providers.  Millions of iPod Touch owners will be able to chat and see each other through iChat. 

Furthermore, Apple can enable video chat with Macs.  I'm sure that'll sell a few hundred thousand extra Macs a year.  

Apple has been a leader in technology and taking the mobile and computing world in whole new directions for decades.  Perhaps, by providing the iPod Touches with new features not seen in the traditional smartphone market, Apple can finally loosen the grip mobile providers have on us.