Please help.... do I have a 2nd or 3rd gen iPod touch?

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Level 1

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Please help.... do I have a 2nd or 3rd gen iPod touch?

I bought an iPod Touch for my father in February from an Amazon seller (happybook1). I ordered a 3rd generation iPod Touch on purpose because I don't have Snow Leopard OS and I wanted to be able to plug it into my OS 10.4 computer.

Yesterday my father decided to bite the bullet and asked me to upgrade his iPod Touch from iOS 3.1 to iOS 4.1. However, when I tried it kept freezing (not the issue here). I wen't to apple.com and put the serial number into their warranty section and it said the iPod is a 2nd generation iPod!!!!!!!!!

Here is the serial number 9C035RM475J

Angrilly, I wrote the Amazon seller and insisted she give me a refund.... I couldn't believe she had sold me a 2nd generation iPod!! But she immediately responded with this:

Thank for your e-mail, the ipod I sent you is considered the 3rd gen, its part number MC086ll/A is the part number matches amazons listing category for the 3rd gen. You can find this part number on the bottom of the box as well as under settings.

The part number for the 2nd gen. touch is MB528LL/A. The model MC086ll/a does show in apples website as a 2nd gen because the only difference between the two is that the 3rd gen. model MC086ll/a came preloaded with the iphone 3.1 software and the second gen. didn't. So apple changed the part numbers and the software from the 2nd to the 3rd but it will show as a second in their website, there is no touch that shows as a 3rd gen in apples website.

Apple can verify this with you if you call them but I just wanted to explain why it shows that way in there site, but I did list it in Amazons 3rd gen. category because it is listed by the part number and they categorize it as a 3rd.

So I just wanted to let you know I didn't list it wrong you can check it by the part numbers in Amazon. Apple is up to 4.2 software version now so it will prompt you to update the software anyway when you connect it so you should have the lastet software. Is the ipod working ok now that you updated.

Now I'm confused.... do I have a 3rd gen or is this seller just lying her pants off??

I was able to restore the software into 4.1 but it is sluggish..... I'm thinking because it is really a 2nd gen with a slower processor?

Can someone please help me to figure out the truth?? Should I insist she refund me (though she probably won't) or accept this answer as the truth? Does it make a difference... the difference between 2nd adn 3rd gen?

Please help... thanks!!

Power Mac dual G4

Posted on Aug 18, 2011 12:49 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

roaminggnome

Level 10

106,365 points

Aug 18, 2011 12:52 PM in response to Animatrix

Identifying iPod models

If it is an 8GB model, then it is a 2nd gen as Apple did not make a 3rd gen ipod in 8GB model.

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Answer 2

Animatrix Author

Level 1

30 points

Aug 18, 2011 12:53 PM in response to roaminggnome

But... is she correct in saying this 2nd gen is considered a 3rd gen?

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Answer 3

varjak paw

Level 10

170,200 points

Aug 18, 2011 12:58 PM in response to Animatrix

Look at the back of the iPod. What model number is actually shown on the unit? And what is the capacity of the unit? If it's an 8GB iPod touch it's a second-generation, regardless of what your seller is claming. Apple never made a 3rd-generation 8GB iPod touch. Some resellers incorrectly refer to the 8GB with iOS 3 as "3rd generation", but that was never a designation approved by Apple."3rd-generation" properly only applies to the 32GB and 64GB iPods Apple released in September 2009, models which have faster hardware.

Regards.

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Answer 4

roaminggnome

Level 10

106,365 points

Aug 18, 2011 12:57 PM in response to Animatrix

Animatrix wrote:

But... is she correct in saying this 2nd gen is considered a 3rd gen?

Huh?

A 2nd gen is a 2nd gen.

A 3rd gen is a 3rd gen.

Did you look at the article to determine what model it is?

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Answer 5

Animatrix Author

Level 1

30 points

Aug 18, 2011 1:01 PM in response to varjak paw

Thank you Dave and roarmingnome....

It is an 8g so it cannot be a 3rd gen as she claims. I'm filing a claim ASAP... don't know if it will go anywhere but this is really just frustrating beyond belief.

Thanks very much!!

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Answer 6

varjak paw

Level 10

170,200 points

Aug 18, 2011 1:05 PM in response to Animatrix

Correct; if it's an 8GB it is not a 3rd-generation unit. Your seller is misinformed and should take the unit back, if you asked for a 3rd-generation iPod touch and did not specify that you wanted an 8GB unit.

If she insists she's right, just point her to the Apple support article RoamingGnome posted above. That clearly states that the 3rd-generation iPod touch exists only in 32GB and 64GB versions.

Good luck.

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Answer 7

Oct 9, 2011 1:33 PM in response to Animatrix

This is probably too late for your problem, but my sons & husband bought me an Touch for my 75th birthday on Sept. 12, 2009 at the Apple Store. We were told that it was a 3rd generation. The box even said it was a 3rd generation. A while back my son tried to get it to upgrade to the lastest version of software. We found out that the 8GB is not able to upgrade to the latest version because the 8GB didn't have the capability. I feel that I was misled too so don't blame the seller.

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