Now that the latest iPod Touch design has been announced, there’s no reason to put off buying an old style Touch. The upgrades to the Touch design were so minor (slight case change and addition of Nike+) that it may make sense to purchase a refurbished model. As usual, once Apple introduces their new model, the old style (but perfectly usable) models move into refurbished status. Some of these refurbs are items that buyers returned. Others may be old style models that Apple reduced in price so they could clear out their stock.

Now available in the Apple Store are the old style Touch’s (throw it in a case and nobody will know) that are even cheaper than the ones announced today:

iPod Touch 8 GB Refurb - $179 (new model with similar capabilities is $50 more )
iPod Touch 16 GB Refurb - $239 (new model with similar capabilities is $60 more )
iPod Touch 32 GB Refurb - $319 (new model with similar capabilities is $80 more )

I may be alone on this one, but I like to be able to play my videos with the screen off. If I’m at work and want to listen to a video on my iPod, normally you’d have to have the screen on, wasting battery. Sure I could drop the screen brightness (and I do), but I found a way to turn the screen off and keep the video audio playing. You don’t need to hack anything, just your regular, unhacked iPod Touch will do.

If this isn’t new and has been mentioned somewhere before, please tell me, but I didn’t find this anywhere.

Note: Sorry about the quality, was captured with an N95 is not the best lighting. Get’s the point across though.

From now until September 15, 2008 Apple is offering up to a $299 iPod rebate to Students and Faculty who purchase both a qualifying Mac (MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and iMac all qualify) and iPod (8GB Nano and 8,16 & 32GB Touch qualify). Unfortunately you’ll have to shell out money for both the Mac and iPod and wait to claim the refund for the iPod. However, if you’re lucky enough to live in Connecticut or Rhode Island, the rebate is instant - so there’s no waiting for them to send your free iPod!

Link: Apple Back To School Promo
Link: Apple Rebate FAQ
Link: Apple Promo Terms & Conditions (PDF)