iPod Updater 2006-03-23 Released

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)

Now available via software update:
iPod Updater 2006-03-23 delivers:

New iPod Software 1.1.1 for iPod
New iPod Software 1.1.1 for iPod nano
For all other iPod models, iPod Updater 2006-03-23 contains the same software versions as iPod Updater 2006-01-10.

Important: After downloading the iPod Updater software, connect your iPod to your computer and launch the iPod Updater application. If iPod Updater determines that your iPod needs to be updated, click the Update button to install the latest software on your iPod.

Features of iPod Software 1.1.1 for iPod and iPod Software 1.1.1 for iPod nano:

Volume limit
Bug fixes
For more information on volume limit, go to http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303414.

This update allows users to set a maximum volume limit on 5th generation iPods and iPod nanos. It also allows for parents to set a maximum volume limit on their children's iPods, and password-protect that change with combination code.

[utkucan]

seems very totalitarian and should at least be an optional update instead of being channeled to every ipod through software update. Still, might be a legal requirement... At least choice is given where as we just get a volume cap in EU and have to use the hacks.

[MustardMan]

seems very totalitarian and should at least be an optional update instead of being channeled to every ipod through software update.

You are never forced to update an ipod. Ipod updater shows up in software update, and you either choose to download it or you don't. Even then, when you actually connect your ipod, you have a choice whether you run ipod updater or not. Apple has rolled out every ipod software update in recent memory in EXACTLY the same manner.

[devilot]

I'm glad. I always listen to my iPod with really low volume settings (and w/ certain earphones in, would definitely love this cap). Plus, my dad is worse about listening to his iPod than any other little kid/teenager I've seen! Psh. Maybe my family won't have to hear his lousy taste in music anymore. :D

[clonenode]

This is great. I've wanted this volume limit capability for a while. I have young kids who love music, but I've always been afraid that they might accidentally blow out their ear drums if they worked the volume control incorreclty. Now, with a limit on the max. volume, I can be sure this won't happen.

[Ashapalan]

With much younger kids getting given ipods as gifts i think that this is actually a very important issue. I think apple get a plus for this one.

Many younger kids dont understand that loud = bad.

[puuukeey]

why is this totalitarian? its not like it comes with the option set to -120 dB. I think its a great idea. hearing is something that doesn't grow back and kids are stupid. even for adults, its tough to not turn the volume up to loud (I do now and then anyway.)

nonono whats totalitarian is ITUNES. how bout we look to france for competition laws and not immigration policy.:0

[agentmouthwash]

i hope this fixes the bug on the iPod Nano - when you try to rate songs on the ipod using the center button and it gets stuck on that screen.

[milo]

seems very totalitarian and should at least be an optional update instead of being channeled to every ipod through software update. Still, might be a legal requirement... At least choice is given where as we just get a volume cap in EU and have to use the hacks.

You guys need to read the articles before spouting off. The update LETS you set a maximum volume. At a level of your choice. After the update, the ipod still defaults to maximum volume unless you change it yourself.

This is a nice update to have, and it sounds like Apple found a pretty slick way to implement it.

[macros]

I hope it alows to remove the volume cap entirely or adjust it abit higher than it is, without those hacks.
Sounds like a good freature, if this is possible. Im downloading it now

[mainstreetmark]

Does it happen to add a "Podcasts" section to the 3G iPods? That'd be great.

[drlunanerd]

I hope this has the long awaited fix for 1.1 that completely shagged the 60GB iPod - skipping audio and also video problems.

Shame it's too late for me - was so pissed I sold the thing.

[YetioDoom]

What about my iPod photo? Bastards!

[Macnoviz]

too bad this isn't for the mini anymore, the clickwheel isn't as good as the one from the iPod, and sometimes it can react pretty weird when I try to change the volume, and go from 10% to 100% in a blink of an eye. I set the volume +100% for all my songs (for some extra power on my creature speakers) but when using headphones it can be quite painful when this happens.:(

anywho, keep up the good work, Apple and gimme a macbook soon

[bigandy]

Does it happen to add a "Podcasts" section to the 3G iPods? That'd be great.


that was done a good long while ago.. i've got a podcasts option on my 3g 40gb...

[nagromme]

The lawsuit is absurd, but at least a halfway useful feature emerged because of it (although it may have been a planned feature anyway).

[JDOG_]

They realllllly need to start making the iPod updater program built-in to iTunes. I am so sick of having to install these things (which don't delete the previous versions) and then have a bunch floating around on my computer.

Even worse, I have had to explain the purpose of these updaters to at least 3 of my non-tech savvy friends and they don't get why it's not in the same program you have to use exclusively with the iPod.

Seems simple enough to me... :confused:

[mrgreen4242]

You know, normally I am not one who would look positively on any sort of indiscriminate electronic controls for parents to use on their kids [well, their stuff]. For example the so called V-Chip to keep your kids from watching ANYTHING with a certain rating rather than actually being, you know, involved in their life feels like dodging your responsibility as a parent.

But this is actually pretty cool. Since your not censoring content, but rather limiting potentially physically harmful activity. I hope Apple doesn't take this a step further and sets up a system to keep iPods from playing content flagged as explicit, though.

In any case, this is a pretty good idea, in the face of all the press that has been seen lately talking about hearing loss from iPod-like devices, which always seem to have a picture of an iPod with them...

[milo]

I hope it alows to remove the volume cap entirely or adjust it abit higher than it is, without those hacks.
Sounds like a good freature, if this is possible. Im downloading it now

Yeah, it's pretty easy to not have a volume cap. You do nothing. There is no volume cap until you set one. Period.

Is it really that hard to read the freaking article?

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303414

[(L)]

The health limit is 70 dB. As in, pumping it to 100% volume blasting right into your ears at really high SPL's is simply abuse when you think of your hearing, not the mind-numbing shockwaves. As in, even if you have open-air headphones (which are the good ones), if people two feet away from you can discern the lyrics, you're probably hurting your ears pretty darn good.

But then, what's the point of loud "music" like heavy metal this or that (not making fun of *all* heavy metal), if you can't feel it blurring your vision? Easy answer : if you can't enjoy it at normal volumes, you are only listening to it for the Sound Pressure Level. In other words, it really doesn't matter what it is, so long as it is loud to a beat and your friends or culture idols (to whom you leave your music taste decisions) rave about it. Harsh? Sure, but let me make it clear that this only reflects the view that true music is not about the sound pressure level but about the art.

So for all the classical music lovers and any other music lovers that love music for music and not THUMP THUMP JAKKA JAKKA XING XING, this move means having a greater range of comfortable volumes. Whereas before, I could only select between levels of 0~50% of the maximum volume, say, I could select more sublevels from 0~50%. (0,10,20,30,40,50 might become 0,5,10,15,20,25,30,35,40,45,50). On that level, this is pretty good, because it make the impossible but should be possible possible.

For most people that prefer higher volumes, perhaps a minimum volume cap would have been far more helpful.

Just my 2c.

[(L)]

You know, normally I am not one who would look positively on any sort of indiscriminate electronic controls for parents to use on their kids [well, their stuff]. For example the so called V-Chip to keep your kids from watching ANYTHING with a certain rating rather than actually being, you know, involved in their life feels like dodging your responsibility as a parent.

But this is actually pretty cool. Since your not censoring content, but rather limiting potentially physically harmful activity. I hope Apple doesn't take this a step further and sets up a system to keep iPods from playing content flagged as explicit, though.

In any case, this is a pretty good idea, in the face of all the press that has been seen lately talking about hearing loss from iPod-like devices, which always seem to have a picture of an iPod with them...

yup. Pretty sad, but then, to be expected with any music player. In other words, this was in part a pr stunt, notsomuch an act of appeasing the public demands.

[mainstreetmark]

that was done a good long while ago.. i've got a podcasts option on my 3g 40gb...

Same iPod I have, yet "Podcast" doesn't seem to show up anywhere, aside from being just one of the genres. I was hoping for the equivalent of Audiobooks which you can even have on the main menu.

lemme see what iPod software I have...Version 2.3, model P9245LL.

[(L)]

too bad this isn't for the mini anymore, the clickwheel isn't as good as the one from the iPod, and sometimes it can react pretty weird when I try to change the volume, and go from 10% to 100% in a blink of an eye. I set the volume +100% for all my songs (for some extra power on my creature speakers) but when using headphones it can be quite painful when this happens.:(

anywho, keep up the good work, Apple and gimme a macbook soon

That would be smart...having preamp volumes tied to hardware detection.

[mcstewart37]

Does anyone know if the update fixes the problem on the ipod nano where it shows the wrong album art for songs?

And about the podcast menu not showing up: did you try going to Setttings, then Main Menu and turning Podcast to "on"?

[macros]

Yeah, it's pretty easy to not have a volume cap. You do nothing. There is no volume cap until you set one. Period.

Is it really that hard to read the freaking article?

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303414

There is !, on European ones :-(
But this update does not consern me, cause I have 4G ipod and not the latest one :rolleyes:

[Kingsly]

I like the volume cap. No more blown earbuds (and ears!)

[sith33]

A whole page of posts and not one person saying "This must be in preparation for video ipods on April 1st!!!1111eleven1!" ???

You're slipping.

[mainstreetmark]

Does anyone know if the update fixes the problem on the ipod nano where it shows the wrong album art for songs?

And about the podcast menu not showing up: did you try going to Setttings, then Main Menu and turning Podcast to "on"?

My Settings->Main Menu has Playlists, Artists, Albums, Songs, Genres, Composers and Audiobooks

[m-dogg]

This is good - It gives people the option if they want it, but doesn't force a limit on anyone that doesn't want it.

Unless you live in Europe I guess, right?

[calculus]

This is good - It gives people the option if they want it, but doesn't force a limit on anyone that doesn't want it.

Unless you live in Europe I guess, right?
I'm happy with the volume limit we have here. It's plenty loud enough. How much louder are the US ones?
*shouts* I said how much louder are the US ones?

[Modano]

I wonder if this will let me raise the volume cap on my nano. It's too quiet for my liking.

[Lord Blackadder]

This sounds like a response to that legal crap that was in the news a while back. It reminds me of that Will Ferrell switcher ad - "Santa got hit with a lawsuit"....:rolleyes:

[balamw]

I was just thinking about my desire for a volume cap while letting my 5 year old listen to music while waiting for an appt. Thanks Apple! This seems to fit the bill nicely.

B

[bluebomberman]

Same iPod I have, yet "Podcast" doesn't seem to show up anywhere, aside from being just one of the genres. I was hoping for the equivalent of Audiobooks which you can even have on the main menu.

lemme see what iPod software I have...Version 2.3, model P9245LL.

This is the 3G iPod, right? You probably have to go to Settings>Main Menu and turn Podcasts ON. (You can also turn on and off a whole bunch of other Main Menu options, including Shuffle Songs.)

I got the 4G iPod, so don't hate me if this doesn't work...:p

[thejadedmonkey]

Just as long as it fixes that bug where the nano's screen gets stuck on the rating page all the freakin time!

[Verto]

Just as long as it fixes that bug where the nano's screen gets stuck on the rating page all the freakin time!

It seems to! :D

[thejadedmonkey]

It seems to! :D
Thank G-d!

If only the linked holding down menu back to backlight like every other iPod.

[Cioni2k]

Still doesn't fix the major bug that major video bug. Unbelievable. Watching user-encoded videos is still not worth the headaches. Thanks a lot apple.

[p0intblank]

I've never had a problem with high volumes since I am actually knowledgeable enough to set it where I am comfortable at... :p But this is a nice update. This one gets a Positive. :D

[zac4mac]

Overall, I'll call this update "good" as it still leaves options to the iPod's owner or parent. I still have Major Issues with corporate entities or govenments putting too many hands too far down my pants. Poor Europeans and their French mandated listening levels. I suppose loud anything is generally bad for one's hearing, but I have to say, I'm 51 and I've been listening to LOUD rock and roll for several decades now. My first concert was The Who in 1970 - my ears rang for 3 days. Once in the Navy I had a roving patrol tell me to turn down my stereo because he could hear it 50 feet down the hall. I told him I was wearing headphones(Koss Pro4AA studio cans) and he freaked(I think it was Black Sabbath). I still have excellent hearing so I debunk the automatic hearing loss myth.

Anyway, back on topic, thanks for letting us run our own lives, music at least, Apple.

[ColoJohnBoy]

Still doesn't fix the major bug that major video bug. Unbelievable. Watching user-encoded videos is still not worth the headaches. Thanks a lot apple.

Does that bug only affect the 60 GB models? I encode my own videos all the time and haven't encountered a single problem with my 30 GB.

[rtdunham]

"This must be in preparation for video ipods on April 1st!!!1111eleven1!"

[Sharewaredemon]

Anyone know if Apple restored holding Menu down to turning on the Backlight in this update?

I wish they would put that back on.

[TheSpaz]

I'm another guy who likes loud music. It doesn't bother me at all. I have 2 10" sub woofers in my car (and they're not for rap music) but, music sounds better with a nice bass sound. Without the bass there, it doesn't sound full. I am also a drummer in a band so I listen to loud live music too. It doesn't matter what kind of cap they put on the iPod as long as I can plug it into my car stereo and turn up the stereo.

If you think about it, there is a lot of things that people do that is bad for their health like: Smoking, Drinking, Drugs, Poor diets or Stressful work. Loud music is just another thing people do to destroy just another part of their health.

[MattyMac]

A whole page of posts and not one person saying "This must be in preparation for video ipods on April 1st!!!1111eleven1!" ???

You're slipping.

HAHA I was looking for that post....good call!
I Sure hope its a right one.

[yac_moda]

HEY GUYS, CHECK OUT APPLE'S STOCK TODAY, SHE'S SHOOTING THE MOON ...

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=AAPL&t=5d

Better BUY, BUY, BUY, while YOU still CAN :eek: :eek: :eek:


I have been buying since Friday, all my buys are possitive now, knowing that this would happen :D


WHAT'S COMING OUT FOR APRIL FOOLs :confused:

[Eraserhead]

i hope this fixes the bug on the iPod Nano - when you try to rate songs on the ipod using the center button and it gets stuck on that screen.
and 5g ipod too, i hope so!

[quigleybc]

I hope this has the long awaited fix for 1.1 that completely shagged the 60GB iPod - skipping audio and also video problems.

Shame it's too late for me - was so pissed I sold the thing.



Things like this are the reason i've stopped trusting updates for everything....too paranoid now.

[marcobugarin]

This is great news, this is my first post even though I visit macrumors every single day. Anywyas, i am glad Apple is doing these updates for more sensitive people. Sorry to put this here, but i am so sad, i went to my cousins house and there was some people i did not know and somebody stold my ipod, 30G 5th. Generation. I am sad and mad:( Just thought i shared.

[cobraverde]

still doesn't fix the backlight problems that appeared with the last update... on my 5g, holding 'menu' no longer toggles the backlight, but instead takes you to the top of the menu. meaning, most significantly, that when watching movies you cannot choose to have the blacklight off. lame

[boncellis]

I agree that this is a welcome addition for a parent who is so actively involoved with his or her children as to sit down and program their iPods to a safe and acceptable volume level (as unlikely as that seems to me). It might even help sell a few more, who knows?

The issue I always had with my 3G before I traded up was getting the right settings with the iTrip in the car. For some reason the music sounded better being broadcast at a high volume with the car stereo volume set more modestly.

I don't use the iTrip anymore (Aux input now) but I suppose if you were to be able to program the right volume setting, one could, with apologies to Mr. Ron Popeil, set it and forget it!

[Le Big Mac]

A whole page of posts and not one person saying "This must be in preparation for video ipods on April 1st!!!1111eleven1!" ???

You're slipping.

And 2 pages without a "why won't this apply to my [1G, 2G, 3G, 4G] iPod." I'll ask the question--why not, on at least some features? Not to stir the debate, but having just gone to teh ipod software page to see if I have the latest for my 3G (i do, this is the same as 1/10, which is the same as teh one before that, which is the same as the one before that), you would think apple would find life easier by having a single update for all ipods that simply knows to disregard/disable features that aren't supported (like video on non-video ipods).

[Mechcozmo]

They realllllly need to start making the iPod updater program built-in to iTunes. I am so sick of having to install these things (which don't delete the previous versions) and then have a bunch floating around on my computer.

Even worse, I have had to explain the purpose of these updaters to at least 3 of my non-tech savvy friends and they don't get why it's not in the same program you have to use exclusively with the iPod.

Seems simple enough to me... :confused:

I like having it separate; iTunes does too much as it is. This way, I can download once and send to multiple computers, or copy around from one to the other. Also, if one update botches the job the older updater might be a savior.

[FaasNat]

A whole page of posts and not one person saying "This must be in preparation for video ipods on April 1st!!!1111eleven1!" ???

You're slipping.
Seaking of this event, has Apple sent out invitations of any sort?

[oliverlubin]

i hope this fixes the bug on the iPod Nano - when you try to rate songs on the ipod using the center button and it gets stuck on that screen.

ive noticed that. also, another thing, if you hold down the menu button for a few seconds it just jumps back to the main menu rather than turning the backlight on temporarily. anyone else noticed this?

[MarkCollette]

And 2 pages without a "why won't this apply to my [1G, 2G, 3G, 4G] iPod." I'll ask the question--why not, on at least some features? Not to stir the debate, but having just gone to teh ipod software page to see if I have the latest for my 3G (i do, this is the same as 1/10, which is the same as teh one before that, which is the same as the one before that), you would think apple would find life easier by having a single update for all ipods that simply knows to disregard/disable features that aren't supported (like video on non-video ipods).

The different generations of iPods probably use different CPUs and different chipsets, so the code for each one would be different. It's not just a matter of putting buttons in different places, and enabling new features. Each update to an older generation incurs development costs, but with no matching sales revenue. So, besides major bugfixes, I'm surprised they do these updates at all.

[parrothead]

This is the 3G iPod, right? You probably have to go to Settings>Main Menu and turn Podcasts ON. (You can also turn on and off a whole bunch of other Main Menu options, including Shuffle Songs.)

I got the 4G iPod, so don't hate me if this doesn't work...:p

Podcasts work with my 3G iPod. I remember having to go into the iPod prefs in iTunes to tell it to update podcasts, it was turned off by default.

[yac_moda]

This is great news, this is my first post even though I visit macrumors every single day. Anywyas, i am glad Apple is doing these updates for more sensitive people. Sorry to put this here, but i am so sad, i went to my cousins house and there was some people i did not know and somebody stold my ipod, 30G 5th. Generation. I am sad and mad:( Just thought i shared.

NeXT time protect yourself with a proximity alarm :eek:
http://www.megamacs.com/v1/index.php?action=view&pid=2847336&D=1

The part that would go with the ipod is 1 x 1.5 x 3/16", or find a better one, but anyway see if you can find a case that will let you slide it in the back.

NOT this one but it looks GOOD !!!
JUICY !!! (http://www.switcheasy.com/index.htm)

[MacCheetah3]

Hi
Will anyone tell me if this added the backlight toggle [back in]? I haven't updated from 1.0 because I really like that feature and they took it away in the 1.1 update. Thanks.

[milo]

I still have excellent hearing so I debunk the automatic hearing loss myth.

Have you had it tested? I doubt your hearing is still good, especially if you've had ringing in your ears multiple times.


I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the shuffle. Why does it keep missing out on features the other ipods have? Can't load podcasts automatically, can't autofill with podcasts. Now this.

[Stridder44]

They realllllly need to start making the iPod updater program built-in to iTunes. I am so sick of having to install these things (which don't delete the previous versions) and then have a bunch floating around on my computer.

Even worse, I have had to explain the purpose of these updaters to at least 3 of my non-tech savvy friends and they don't get why it's not in the same program you have to use exclusively with the iPod.

Seems simple enough to me... :confused:


Couldn't agree more. Isn't it bundled with the Windows version?

[oliverlubin]

Hi
Will anyone tell me if this added the backlight toggle [back in]? I haven't updated from 1.0 because I really like that feature and they took it away in the 1.1 update. Thanks.

1.1.1 update DOES NOT fix/add this. Damn. Just tested.

[200paul]

There was a bug that made some home-encoded videos stop playing sound after 1 minute. Its FIXED!!! This affects the people that have aquired the iPod encoded versions of all the Family Guy epidsodes that have been going around - great for a bus or subway ride home.

It also does bog down so easily when I really fly through the menus.

[rye9]

Why is it 3-23 and not 3-29? All previous releases were the same date as the updater.

[MrCrowbar]

Well, next update will be 4-01 and 2 days between updates just looks bad on the record :p .
Any significant size increase compared to the last update (vPod update included?)?

[iMeowbot]

This is the 3G iPod, right? You probably have to go to Settings>Main Menu and turn Podcasts ON. (You can also turn on and off a whole bunch of other Main Menu options, including Shuffle Songs.)

I got the 4G iPod, so don't hate me if this doesn't work...:p
The 3G never had that added to its menu. There is a just a regular playlist with all the podcast tracks lumped together.

The last update for that model was in February 2005, about four months before Apple added podcasts to iTunes.

[gregarious119]

One of the things I love about Apple:

They write clean, tight code quickly.

Rather than get bogged down in a ton of frivilous legal crap about db limits, howbout this - write some code that fixes the issue before it even gets considered in court. Silence the dumb ones and make it a "feature" choice for everyone else who was already content with the superior player that it is.

Oh yeah....and get it shipped out the door. MS seems to be struggling in that arena as of late.

[sam10685]

apple must not like all the crap they're getting about hearing damage from ipods. (ok, WTF... every single other electronic music thing out there can damage ur hearing. somebody's probably pissed at apple because they're doing so well. GO APPLE!!!)

[Cioni2k]

There was a bug that made some home-encoded videos stop playing sound after 1 minute. Its FIXED!!! This affects the people that have aquired the iPod encoded versions of all the Family Guy epidsodes that have been going around - great for a bus or subway ride home.

It also does bog down so easily when I really fly through the menus.

This is fixed for you with this update? Do you have a 30GB Ipod Video? I still have this issue on mine (I just upgraded software about a few hours ago) and its driving me absolutely nuts. I'm most likely just going to factory reset my ipod and revert to the original software where I never had a problem. :mad:

[chubad]

I now have a playlist entitled Home's LimeWire Tunes. It cannot be deleted from either the menu or by hitting delete. When I right click on it it gives the option to disconnect. Seems like a hack to me.:mad:

[shadownight]

This is an option. You can install the update and still have your volume as high as you want.

[joeboy_45101]

Why is this update not available for older model iPods? Those iPods are just as capable of this feature, and many more, as the newer iPods. I remember when Apple added "Shuffle Songs" to the iPod and a bunch of people "claimed" it just wasn't possible to add that feature to older iPods. Well, bull$h!t! I think Apple ought to open the older iPods to newer features; at least, the features that they are capable of. I would buy a new FM Tuner if it worked for my iPod Photo.

[aafuss1]

This is great. I've wanted this volume limit capability for a while. I have young kids who love music, but I've always been afraid that they might accidentally blow out their ear drums if they worked the volume control incorreclty. Now, with a limit on the max. volume, I can be sure this won't happen.
I've also wanted such a feature. I wished Apple would offer a volume limit capability for the color display 4th gen as well.

[MrCrowbar]

I now have a playlist entitled Home's LimeWire Tunes. It cannot be deleted from either the menu or by hitting delete. When I right click on it it gives the option to disconnect. Seems like a hack to me.:mad:

Lol. I guess you have to disable iTunes sharing in Limewire itself. I suppose you're sharing everything in this playlist with the world.

[chubad]

Lol. I guess you have to disable iTunes sharing in Limewire itself. I suppose you're sharing everything in this playlist with the world.
I don't have LimeWire and there is nothing in the playlist. My concern is how it got there and how do I get rid of it?:confused:

[foureyedsoul]

According to this ilounge.com article (http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/listen-safely-your-ears-and-your-ipod/), the European maximum is 100dB and the US maximum is 130dB.

In case you're curious what 130dB compares to, it sits right between close thunder and an airplane taking off (at least on this chart (http://www.quiet.org/noiseletter/Spring2002/Page5.htm)). 130dB can easily screw up your hearing if you're listening to things this loud repeatedly. As for the older guys who say they don't have hearing problems, it's true that everyone's ears differ in how much abuse they can take... but you've most likely just gotten used to your hearing damage since it's occured over time.

I'm in my twenties and play bass in a band, and I had a really big scare with tinnitus a couple years ago. Not only was there a constant ringing, but every sound in one of my ears - no matter how loud - sounded both muffled and robotic (a little like a vocoder version of Lisa Simpson, to be exact). This went on for a couple months, but thankfully it's gone away (but I had to not be at our last recording sessions, which massively bit). The ear doctor says that since it got better it was probably just a very strange inner-ear infection, but if that's what long-term hearing damage is like, I promise you that you don't want to experience it! I still play bass and still go see bands all the time, but I've always got earplugs with me.

For more information on this kinda thing, go check out H.E.A.R.'s website for music fans (http://www.hearnet.com)! They've even got a couple of Quicktime movies that let you know what hearing loss and tinnitus actually feel like, just so you'll know what you might be risking.

[chubad]

I disabled look for shared music in preferences and it disappeared. Possibly some one on my network?:confused:

[milo]

I disabled look for shared music in preferences and it disappeared. Possibly some one on my network?:confused:

Looks like it. Do you have a wireless network, and if you do, do you have security enabled?

[j-a-x]

Sounds good to me, but I sure wish they would tell us which bugs this was supposed to fix!

[zap2]

i think it is a bad idea, teach the kids to not play to loud, not to force a lower limit!

I like having my options open!(howevr i see were Apple is coming from, also i never play my iPod on max

[iZoom P5]

I for one am thankful for this update because I now have my iPod set to a point where if my cell phone gets too close to it, it won't blow out my ears. :)

[milo]

i think it is a bad idea, teach the kids to not play to loud, not to force a lower limit!

We're talking about something that can cause permanent physical damage. I agree that parents should teach their kids how to listen safely. But it's also nice to be able to stop the kids from injuring themselves if they don't listen to their parents.

[japanime]

Has anyone taken a can opener to this update to see if there's anything in it that may be tailored to a next-generation iPod?

[Tupring]

This is great. I've wanted this volume limit capability for a while. I have young kids who love music, but I've always been afraid that they might accidentally blow out their ear drums if they worked the volume control incorreclty. Now, with a limit on the max. volume, I can be sure this won't happen.The volume limit is dumb. It's not like iPods are that loud to begin with. Not nearly as loud as a Sony Discman for instance. Plus, you could just change the volume of the mp3 files themselves with iTunes as a workaround, so there really isn't a point except for the winers that think "my kid will go deaf."

[JAT]

We're talking about something that can cause permanent physical damage. I agree that parents should teach their kids how to listen safely. But it's also nice to be able to stop the kids from injuring themselves if they don't listen to their parents.
Duh. How do others not get this? My kids (4, 6, 7 years) know more than most adults about things like this since I'm an audio/video nut and (specifically on hearing) since my dad has been at the top of the hearing aid world for 3 decades. But they still disobey!

It's amazing how headphones make people do it wrong, too. If I play my HT system at reference (it's capable of around 110db sustained and could cause ear damage), it scares my kids, and most other people. But with headphones in a noisy car or walking outside, they'll gradually turn it up to nearly the same if I'm not careful. Anything like this new feature helps, I wish it was on their Gameboys.

[fatfish]

Still doesn't fix the major bug that major video bug. Unbelievable. Watching user-encoded videos is still not worth the headaches. Thanks a lot apple.

What are you talking about, my own videos are just fine, perhaps the bug is with the user not the ipod.

[milo]

The volume limit is dumb. It's not like iPods are that loud to begin with. Not nearly as loud as a Sony Discman for instance. No one complained about the volumes being to loud on those that I recall.

iPods can put out over 115 dB, which is extremely loud and can cause hearing damage pretty quickly. Virtually ANY music player with headphones can cause hearing damage used at full volume.

Just because a feature doesn't interest you doesn't make it "dumb", it just makes you narrow minded. Plenty of people on this thread have said they're glad to have the feature. I wish you could do it on the shuffle.

[milo]

Duh. How do others not get this? My kids (4, 6, 7 years) know more than most adults about things like this since I'm an audio/video nut and (specifically on hearing) since my dad has been at the top of the hearing aid world for 3 decades. But they still disobey!

It's amazing how headphones make people do it wrong, too. If I play my HT system at reference (it's capable of around 110db sustained and could cause ear damage), it scares my kids, and most other people. But with headphones in a noisy car or walking outside, they'll gradually turn it up to nearly the same if I'm not careful. Anything like this new feature helps, I wish it was on their Gameboys.

The noisy car is the key. A house is a quiet environment, so loud music seems loud. With headphones on a bus or train or plane, the environment is so loud already that when you crank up the volume it doesn't seem that loud. While on a plane, I've had podcasts and books on tape that I couldn't fully hear even with the volume all the way up. I guess it's time to look into noise cancelation headphones for that.

[JAT]

The volume limit is dumb. It's not like iPods are that loud to begin with. Not nearly as loud as a Sony Discman for instance. No one complained about the volumes being to loud on those that I recall.
There have been negative news reports and parental warnings from groups like Consumer Reports on these babies for 2 decades. Not frequently, but they exist.

My first iPod is enroute, so I can't claim you're wrong about their volume capabilities. But I have a feeling you are. Perhaps it's an encoding issue. Or headphones or just your perception.

[shambolic]

Does anyone know if the update fixes the problem on the ipod nano where it shows the wrong album art for songs?


That was my number one hope for this update too. Unfortunately it seems not. I cleared all the tracks off my nano, installed the update, then put all the tracks back on. The first few songs I listened to were fine (which they often are), but when I selected a podcast to listen to on the commute home: wrong album art.

Until your post, though, I thought maybe it was just me - I'd googled for "nano wrong album art" a few times and never found much...

[RayCon]

I like the idea of setting a limit on the volume, but along with making it lower, I'd like the option of making it louder. I listen to audiobooks in my car, and sometimes the volume on these books is quite low, even when adjusting the volume in iTunes. If the heater or air conditioning is going, the sound really gets muffled. The option to go below or above current settings would be a great benefit.

[kim0785b]

has anyone had problems with finder after installing this ???

for some reason my finder keeps on stalling esp when right clicking on the itunes icon in the dock, any help??

also maybe this update was the result of a law suit in which someone was suing for damaging hearing, (class action suit maybe?)

anyhow, http://forums.macrumors.com/images/smilies/mad.gif

[1020]

What a disappointment. Instead of fixing video playback issues, or bringing back the ability to toggle the backlight on and off, we get this? Are people unable to set an appropriate volume themselves?

I've reverted to 1.0, and only turn the backlight on when I need it. I no longer need to charge my iPod's battery every single day.

[Tupring]

iPods can put out over 115 dB, which is extremely loud and can cause hearing damage pretty quickly. Virtually ANY music player with headphones can cause hearing damage used at full volume.

Just because a feature doesn't interest you doesn't make it "dumb", it just makes you narrow minded. Plenty of people on this thread have said they're glad to have the feature. I wish you could do it on the shuffle.Okay, it's not dumb, it's idiotic. http://www2b.abc.net.au/science/techtalk/newposts/318/topic318825.shtm

[Tupring]

There have been negative news reports and parental warnings from groups like Consumer Reports on these babies for 2 decades. Not frequently, but they exist.

My first iPod is enroute, so I can't claim you're wrong about their volume capabilities. But I have a feeling you are. Perhaps it's an encoding issue. Or headphones or just your perception.No, it's a setting in iTunes (and even SoundJam). Just edit the ID3 tag and you'll see. You can clearly change the volume of the .mp3 file itslef, and it DOES work and sound louder. Just plug in your iPod, select the songs (Command+A) and then, Get Info (Command+I) and move the volume slider up (or down) and save them. The volume will now be changed. It can also be done on a per-track basis, just like the EQ settings. And I do have an iPod, so I'm not making it up. Also, look at post 14, Macnoviz knows it works too.

[NicP]

I disabled look for shared music in preferences and it disappeared. Possibly some one on my network?:confused:


Yes, those blue librarys are shared librarys, you can either disable sharing on your computer, or find the offending computer and disable the sharing in limewire there.

Note: the sharing works using bonjour which only works over a local network, not over the internet or anything like that

[solvs]

The volume limit is dumb.
That's why it's an option. ;) If you don't care, or you use something other than earphones to listen to your music, like when I play mine in my car and I have to turn it up because my cassette adapter sucks, you don't have to use it. That's what makes it so brilliant. It's an option for those who would. :rolleyes:

I have a shuffle that works fine that I never play too loud in my ears anyway, so for me it's actually pretty pointless.

[matticus008]

still doesn't fix the backlight problems that appeared with the last update... on my 5g, holding 'menu' no longer toggles the backlight, but instead takes you to the top of the menu. meaning, most significantly, that when watching movies you cannot choose to have the blacklight off. lame
That's not a problem or a bug. If the backlight were off, you wouldn't be able to see anything while watching videos! Without the backlight, you'd lose almost all color and it'd just be a shadowy, murky mess of black and dark grey.

[Tupring]

I wonder if this will let me raise the volume cap on my nano. It's too quiet for my liking.Just raise the volume level from within iTunes itself. Edit the ID3 tags of the songs and move the volume slider on the ID3 tag window.

[Tupring]

If only the linked holding down menu back to backlight like every other iPod.WHAT?

[FoxyKaye]

Well just to jump into the fray here, I've only got a few thoughts:

1) If I had a latter-day iPod, I might actually appreciate installing this - riding on BART and MUNI, things get pretty loud - so I pump up the volume accordingly on my iPod, and have always wondered just how many db I'm being exposed to between public transit and my iPod.

2) That being said, I've already got poor hearing (just on the threshold of normal, just above measurable hearing loss). This I blame squarely on my walkman from 20 years ago, oh, and all those loud concerts and dancing next to giant speaker setups at clubs and raves... C'est la vie.

3) And, completely off topic, every time Apple releases an iPod update, I think the same thing: It wouldn't kill them to update the 1G and 2G software to support Apple Lossless. But, you know, I'm also wishing for a million dollars, too.

[Tupring]

I agree that this is a welcome addition for a parent who is so actively involoved with his or her children as to sit down and program their iPods to a safe and acceptable volume level (as unlikely as that seems to me). It might even help sell a few more, who knows?

The issue I always had with my 3G before I traded up was getting the right settings with the iTrip in the car. For some reason the music sounded better being broadcast at a high volume with the car stereo volume set more modestly.

I don't use the iTrip anymore (Aux input now) but I suppose if you were to be able to program the right volume setting, one could, with apologies to the late Mr. Ron Popeil, set it and forget it!http://www.deadoraliveinfo.com/dead.nsf/pnames-nf/Popeil+Ron

[Tupring]

And 2 pages without a "why won't this apply to my [1G, 2G, 3G, 4G] iPod." I'll ask the question--why not, on at least some features? Not to stir the debate, but having just gone to teh ipod software page to see if I have the latest for my 3G (i do, this is the same as 1/10, which is the same as teh one before that, which is the same as the one before that), you would think apple would find life easier by having a single update for all ipods that simply knows to disregard/disable features that aren't supported (like video on non-video ipods).I thought that's what the iPod Updater does...

[Tupring]

I now have a playlist entitled Home's LimeWire Tunes. It cannot be deleted from either the menu or by hitting delete. When I right click on it it gives the option to disconnect. Seems like a hack to me.:mad:You need to turn that option off from within LimeWire itself. But without having LimeWire installed, I have no idea how it could be there...

[redAPPLE]

do we really need Apple to help people regulate volume settings? a iq test (or an intelligence license) should suffice, no?

this, ladies and gentlemen, is the real reason, why Apple did not have enough manpower to develop the REAL powerbook G5. :D

in one point, there are not a lot of companies that care about customers (albeit, they were sued). good job Apple.

bad job, people without brains.

[DCapple]

Wait? I dont understand correct me if im wrong an iPod has a volume controller right?

i dont see a point why we should have this application when iPods already have a volume controller?

i dont see why these people are complaining for being deaf when this things are user controlled i mean its up to the user on how loud he would like the music...

:confused: :confused: :confused:

[dZp]

Does anyone know if the update fixes the problem on the ipod nano where it shows the wrong album art for songs?
That was my number one hope for this update too. Unfortunately it seems not. I cleared all the tracks off my nano, installed the update, then put all the tracks back on. The first few songs I listened to were fine (which they often are), but when I selected a podcast to listen to on the commute home: wrong album art.

Does the following help?
http://dizzypenguin.com/automac-it/index.php?id=support

# After updating/embedding the artwork for the tracks on my iPod, the wrong album cover now appears on the iPod when playing, although the right one shows in iTunes. How can I fix this?

* iTunes creates an invisible database file (on compatible iPods) to store a copy of the embedded album artwork. It may be "out of synch". Assuming that the artwork embedded into each track is the right one (as displayed in iTunes) you should be able to fix the issue by doing the following:
* - Plug your iPod into your Mac. iTunes should start up.
* - Go to the iTunes > Preferences > iPod.
* - Untick the box that says "Display artwork on the iPod". iTunes will quickly update the iPod and delete the database file.
* - Now re-tick the box that says "Display artwork on the iPod". iTunes will optimize the artwork for the iPod and recreate the database file.

[Cryocon]

Wait? I dont understand correct me if im wrong an iPod has a volume controller right?

i dont see a point why we should have this application when iPods already have a volume controller?

i dont see why these people are complaining for being deaf when this things are user controlled i mean its up to the user on how loud he would like the music...

:confused: :confused: :confused:

I totally agree. If people are so stupid to listen to music at such a loud volume then they deserve all they get, it is after all their choice. :p

[Stridder44]

Wait? I dont understand correct me if im wrong an iPod has a volume controller right?

i dont see a point why we should have this application when iPods already have a volume controller?

i dont see why these people are complaining for being deaf when this things are user controlled i mean its up to the user on how loud he would like the music...

:confused: :confused: :confused:


OK....just like many others have already stated, it's because they have to (unless Apple wants to get a lawsuit, etc.) I completely agree with you, and Im sure Apple does too; these people are morons. Morons who shouldn't make babies (the adults, not so much the kids; we'll give the kids the benefit of the doubt and assume they don't know any better). But it's obvious that if Apple doesn't do something these same morons will try and sue, just like one already has.

[Marky_Mark]

This new update breaks goPod 1.4. It now says 'no ipod detected'.

:(

EDIT 2 mins later: Scrub that...forgot to put it in disk mode first! Duh! :o

[(L)]

nonono whats totalitarian is ITUNES. how bout we look to france for competition laws and not immigration policy.:0

Competition laws? Read the comment by Anders regarding France vs iTMS (http://forums.appleinsider.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=62319). Sounded possible, if not probable, to me. Either way, this is a great reason for iTMS to pull out of France. The iPod is OPEN. The iTMS should be able to sell what it wants and can get the public to pay for (and they make money doing that). There is absolutely no sane reason they should HAVE to sell to Sony Walkman users or other mp3 player users, etc. If they can't find customers, it'll close. If they find customers, which is how it is, it's working fine.

[lorien]

I disabled look for shared music in preferences and it disappeared. Possibly some one on my network?:confused:

Yep, I have the same Home's Limewire playlist flying around on my network and I don't have Limewire installed, but obviously some other person on the LAN does. Very imaginative calling your computer "Home" :rolleyes:

[mainstreetmark]

You need to turn that option off from within LimeWire itself. But without having LimeWire installed, I have no idea how it could be there...

Because, if I recall, LimeWire puts up a iTunes-esque server, so iTunes thinks it's seeing someone else's iTunes on the net or somesuch. Acquisition just adds songs to an Acquisition playlist, which seems a better solution.

[starnox]

I noticed a new option in my videos called 'Movies' that I hadn't seen before.

[boncellis]

http://www.deadoraliveinfo.com/dead.nsf/pnames-nf/Popeil+Ron

Oops...why did I think he had passed away? Thanks for the correction!

[JAT]

No, it's a setting in iTunes (and even SoundJam). Just edit the ID3 tag and you'll see. You can clearly change the volume of the .mp3 file itslef, and it DOES work and sound louder.
Thanks. That is what I call encoding, btw.

[cobraverde]

That's not a problem or a bug. If the backlight were off, you wouldn't be able to see anything while watching videos! Without the backlight, you'd lose almost all color and it'd just be a shadowy, murky mess of black and dark grey.

well the point is that it used to be an option and now it isn't... besides, i've actually been in situations where i'm enjoying just listening to a movie, esp if it's a concert film or something. i'd rather not waste battery on an unused backlight. it's a feature that's been removed and replaced by nothing.

movies aside, isn't is useful to be able to turn the backlight on and off on a whim?

[greendayfan]

the update fixed the video bug on my 60 gig black ipod. All of my self-encoded videos play fine.

[itcheroni]

Would this update make any difference to a shuffle owner? I didn't see it on the list, but I thought I'd ask anyway in case I'm missing something.

[matticus008]

well the point is that it used to be an option and now it isn't... besides, i've actually been in situations where i'm enjoying just listening to a movie, esp if it's a concert film or something. i'd rather not waste battery on an unused backlight. it's a feature that's been removed and replaced by nothing.

movies aside, isn't is useful to be able to turn the backlight on and off on a whim?
You can still turn off the backlight when it's not playing a movie, just like before. To my knowledge, the backlight has always been on when playing a video with no option to turn it off. If you want to listen to the movie and not watch it, then just rip the audio. It'll save plenty of battery power that way.

[JQW]

I noticed an odd problem with this update yersterday.

My G5 iMac was powered off for the day. On returning home I first plugged the iPod into the USB cable ready for a recharge/sync, and then powered up the iMac. The iMac hung during the boot process with a grey screen. It happened again when the power was cycled. Then I got it to boot with the iPod disconnected.

[danielsan26]

Does this means that parents will be able to make their kids' volume levels only go up to 10 instead of 11? Looks like iPods won't be one louder anymore for poor kids with meddling parents.

No extra push over the cliff.

[MarkCollette]

You can still turn off the backlight when it's not playing a movie, just like before. To my knowledge, the backlight has always been on when playing a video with no option to turn it off. If you want to listen to the movie and not watch it, then just rip the audio. It'll save plenty of battery power that way.

Spending the time and disk space on having duplicate data is less optimal than pressing a button on the iPod.

[matticus008]

Spending the time and disk space on having duplicate data is less optimal than pressing a button on the iPod.
True, but if you are watching videos or listening to music, the thing is engineered properly. If you're not going to watch the video, then don't load the video on the iPod--no duplication. I wouldn't count on "listening but not watching videos" being built into the iPod any time soon.

It's a minor nuisance for a very small number of people, even if it's a minor fix. Adding one more setting to an iPod makes it more complex, and if they make concessions in one place, it gets opened elsewhere. Anything like this leads to a snowball effect, which is something most entities try to avoid.

[bagofbeef]

How freakin' long is it gonna take for Apple to give us PLAYLIST FOLDERS?!!! Cripes!

[Mechcozmo]

3) And, completely off topic, every time Apple releases an iPod update, I think the same thing: It wouldn't kill them to update the 1G and 2G software to support Apple Lossless. But, you know, I'm also wishing for a million dollars, too.

The 1G and 2G iPods can't support Apple Lossless. Physically cannot. The chips inside don't have enough cache to load in all the data to decode that format.

[yac_moda]

I want an iPod with a portable exercise program.

YOU KNOW EMS ( Electrical Muscle Stimulation ), BURRLY Mac USERs :eek: , with little electrodes that will plug into my PODmaker and SHOCK me in ALL the right places.

And track my workout for download to my MACintizer :eek:

And if I wanted to learn the latest dance it would also help me do that.

I suppose Apple would want to get into the designer clothing buis. that would have the electrodes built into the THEADs, my old EMS machine is totally 19th century but its still the best thing going in that genera :eek: :eek: :eek:

[MarkCollette]

True, but if you are watching videos or listening to music, the thing is engineered properly. If you're not going to watch the video, then don't load the video on the iPod--no duplication. I wouldn't count on "listening but not watching videos" being built into the iPod any time soon.

I believe that the purpose of the hard drive iPods is to have your entire music/media collection with you always. So choosing to add or remove files based on the current day's viewing patterns is not really typical. Also, depending on lighting conditions, one might still be wanting to watch the video, but not need the backlight, and want to save batteries.

It's a minor nuisance for a very small number of people, even if it's a minor fix. Adding one more setting to an iPod makes it more complex, and if they make concessions in one place, it gets opened elsewhere. Anything like this leads to a snowball effect, which is something most entities try to avoid.

There are two problems. First, they removed a feature. The person was not complaining that they should add something new, they were expressing frustration that current devices are now less functional than previous ones.

Secondly, there is no menu complexity. It's done by holding a single button down. If they don't want users to be confused by that, then they can take it out of the documentation, or increase the amount of time you have to press the button so others don't do it accidentally.

[cualexander]

In regards to turning off the backlight when the video is playing, if you want to listen to the video, but not watch it just set it to Music Video Type.

In case you haven't noticed, Music Videos can be both played as audio and video.

Simple solution really.

Its really not as complex as you all are making it out to be.

[JQW]

I noticed an odd problem with this update yersterday.

My G5 iMac was powered off for the day. On returning home I first plugged the iPod into the USB cable ready for a recharge/sync, and then powered up the iMac. The iMac hung during the boot process with a grey screen. It happened again when the power was cycled. Then I got it to boot with the iPod disconnected.

The iMac now steadfastly refuses to boot off the hard drive. The drive itself is fine, as I'm able to copy data off it when installed in another machine.

So could the iPod update have caused this?

[matticus008]

Also, depending on lighting conditions, one might still be wanting to watch the video, but not need the backlight, and want to save batteries.
No lighting condition can fix the lack of color depth with the backlight turned off. The displays on the iPod are just not that good. I agree that carrying media with you is a major benefit of the larger iPods, but if someone is going to listen to a video, chances are that it's for some other reason than to save battery life--unless it's a feature film, watching one video doesn't dent battery life that much.


There are two problems. First, they removed a feature. The person was not complaining that they should add something new, they were expressing frustration that current devices are now less functional than previous ones.
I don't see where they removed a feature. Maybe that's my mistake. Are you saying it worked differently before? My experience has been that the backlight was always on when playing a video, except with the music video option as outlined by another poster. The feature that you speak of being removed never existed as far as I can tell.

Secondly, there is no menu complexity. It's done by holding a single button down. If they don't want users to be confused by that, then they can take it out of the documentation, or increase the amount of time you have to press the button so others don't do it accidentally.
The button press deactivation never worked for me while playing videos...and someone who wants to save battery power, as you suggest, would seem to prefer a menu setting for all videos, which is where the complexity comes in. I meant only that adding additional backlight settings is a place they probably don't want to go.