$20 iPod Touch update adds Mail, Maps and more

A lot of cool information has been coming out of the Macworld Expo, such as the introduction of the Macbook Air and some pretty impressive sales results surrounding the iPhone. They also announced a significant firmware update to the iPhone and iPod Touch. The Touch got more of the attention here, with the update promising some worthwhile changes. Unfortunately, those changes come at a cost – the fee to upgrade the iPod Touch is listed at $20, which is bizarre for what amounts to a firmware upgrade.

However, for that $20 you get a lot more than bug fixes. The update brings the Maps, Stocks, Notes and Weather apps that come stock on the iPhone over to the Touch. It also includes Mail, which altogether sounds like a significant deal. Although I'd hate to think of Apple switching to a “pay for upgrades” system, they are at least expanding functionality in this case. You can read more regarding the updates and the cost at Apple's site. New units from the factory will include the new firmware by default.