iPod Mini Software Update?

[MacRumors]

According to Think Secret (http://www.thinksecret.com/news/ipodsoftware.html), Apple is set to pull the wraps off of a software update for the iPod Mini which would provide the same functionality as the current big brother click-wheel iPod. The update should include the single-click shuffle function, variable-rate audiobook playback, multiple editable on-the-go playlists, and interface sounds through the headphones. A release date apparently hasn't been set yet, but may appear as early as today.

[chuckzee]

I hope it breaks rhapsody

[relimw]

According to Think Secret (http://www.thinksecret.com/news/ipodsoftware.html), ...The update should include the single-click shuffle function, variable-rate audiobook playback, multiple editable on-the-go playlists, and interface sounds through the headphones. A release date apparently hasn't been set yet, but may appear as early as today.
Here's to hoping! :D

[Peej]

Cool!

[QCassidy352]

ooh, that would be great! As I said when the 4th gen. ipods were released, it makes good business sense not to upgrade the 3rd gen. ipods, but the mini is still an actively selling product... it's not a matter of making old customers happy, it's a matter of continuing to sell minis!

hope it's true!

[musicpyrite]

This is probably just an excuse to stop Real.

And I hope they provide an update to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation iPods, but I doubt it. :(

[Le Big Mac]

And I hope they provide an update to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation iPods, but I doubt it. :(

BTW, am I missing something on the one-click shuffle or whatever it is? On my 3G iPod, if I press play on the remote from teh main menu, I get a shuffle of all songs on my iPdd. Isn't that the same thing?

[pkradd]

This is probably just an excuse to stop Real.

And I hope they provide an update to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation iPods, but I doubt it. :(

This was a foregone conclusion, updating iPod minis to have feature functions as the 4G iPod. Apple is smart and does think of its customers. Has nothing to do with Real/Harmony. Just smart business.

Some of the early iPods (1, 2 and 3G) may not be able to be ugradable since Apple has made some internal hardware (via PortalPlayer) and other changes in the mini and 4G iPods.

[Frobozz]

I can't wait. One of the nicest things about the iPod these days is the ability to create an on-the-go playlist. Multiple on-the-go playlists will be awesome. I can't wait.

I have only 1 friend out of 10 that doesn't have an iPod. 6 of us have minis: 2 pink, 2 green, 1 silver, 1 blue. :-)

[pkradd]

I can't wait. One of the nicest things about the iPod these days is the ability to create an on-the-go playlist. Multiple on-the-go playlists will be awesome. I can't wait.

I have only 1 friend out of 10 that doesn't have an iPod. 6 of us have minis: 2 pink, 2 green, 1 silver, 1 blue. :-)

Your friend better get with the program! :D

[The Red Wolf]

That's very cool. To give the feature of variable rate to the Mini's. Moreover, the fact that the 4G iPods have Variable rate is awesome. Perhaps time to upgrade. Or maybe I'll wait until mine runs into some sort of trouble. Macintosh II cx is still alive and well running 8.6. Maybe I shouldn't curse my iPod to such longevity. It's quite nice to sync cds at variable rate when DJing. It was the thing the G2 lacked. Or am I wrong? Anyone?

[biscool]

That's very cool. To give the feature of variable rate to the Mini's. Moreover, the fact that the 4G iPods have Variable rate is awesome. Perhaps time to upgrade. Or maybe I'll wait until mine runs into some sort of trouble. Macintosh II cx is still alive and well running 8.6. Maybe I shouldn't curse my iPod to such longevity. It's quite nice to sync cds at variable rate when DJing. It was the thing the G2 lacked. Or am I wrong? Anyone?

The 4G pods only have variable rate playback for audio-books not aac's or mp3's....

[bankshot]

BTW, am I missing something on the one-click shuffle or whatever it is? On my 3G iPod, if I press play on the remote from teh main menu, I get a shuffle of all songs on my iPdd. Isn't that the same thing?

No, the difference is they put it in the main menu on the 4th gen iPods. I suggested it to them, but that was for the 3rd gen that I have! :eek:

So let me be the first to say... WAAAA!!! I want the new features on my 3rd gen iPod!! :rolleyes: :D

But seriously, I won't be buying a new iPoduntil they finally solve the gap problem. It can't be difficult. When importing CDs, iTunes could store the exact cutoff time of the end of the track, down to the sample level. Then during playback, just play up to that time before switching to the next song so you don't get the remaining silence in the last frame. If you buffer your audio output, you can start reading the next song and filling the buffer before the current one finishes, to guarantee there'll be no delay in changing songs.

I mean come on, CD players have done this for 20 years. How hard is it? WAAAAAA!!! Hehe. :p

[barbaloot]

I can't wait. I have been using a learn french audiobook on my mini and it goes to dame fast.

[morkintosh]

I hope it breaks rhapsody

no you want them to wait a while until a bunch of people buy songs at 0.49 each, then after consumers have spent a bunch of money do a critical update rendering the real songs worthless or some iPod users without outdated firmware. Either Real gets left holding the bag.

[The Red Wolf]

The 4G pods only have variable rate playback for audio-books not aac's or mp3's....

Well then the curse of longevity may remain. iPod live as long as the cx.

[macphoria]

This is probably just an excuse to stop Real.

And I hope they provide an update to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation iPods, but I doubt it. :(

If it does block Real's Harmony, I wonder if this will be the start of legal battle between Real and Apple?

[Jerry Spoon]

Still makes me glad that I bought my mini when I did. I was a little bummed out when the new iPods came out with some of those new features.
Today is a good day.

[AoWolf]

Yay I just got a mini...

[Lancetx]

If it does block Real's Harmony, I wonder if this will be the start of legal battle between Real and Apple?

This update won't block Rhapsody because in order to do that, Apple will have to change their copy protection scheme up some (again). If they were to do that, they would have to update all iPods or else they would no longer play music from the iTMS.

This rumored update would be just to bring the iPod minis (a current model) up to spec with the 4G iPods (a current model). The 1-3G iPods won't get these enhancements naturally since they're legacy models, but they'll always get updates to keep them compatible with the iTMS of course.

[macridah]

What about the 3G iPods? Is apple going ever going to update those iPods?

[JohnGalt]

In my earlier posts, I assumed that Apple might (should!) do this since the mini is a current product.

I just assumed they'd do it when the mini backlog was more under contol so that customers would order the 4g which they could ship much faster. So maybe this means the 4 week backlog on minis won't last too much longer.

[fabsgwu]

If you buffer your audio output, you can start reading the next song and filling the buffer before the current one finishes, to guarantee there'll be no delay in changing songs.

I mean come on, CD players have done this for 20 years. How hard is it? WAAAAAA!!! Hehe. :p

The iPod does buffer, 25 minutes worth to be exact. So it's basically always playing from memory anyway...

[JDOG_]

Yeah, this is some really sweet news. I just bought a mini a couple of days ago and have been looking at pictures of regular iPods longingly and contemplating a switch for some of those new features. One of my favorites is the pausing when the headphones come out, I really hope that comes along with this update as well...

I also really hope this isn't just a rumor, but Thinksecret is pretty much the Apple site updated 24-28 hours early :)

[applekid]

Even though I'm a proud owner of the 3G iPod, I have doubts about us ever seeing any updates to get us the features the 4G iPod has. There's so many internal changes in the 4G iPod, I don't think it's even a possibility to get the same features.

[Stella]

Even though I'm a proud owner of the 3G iPod, I have doubts about us ever seeing any updates to get us the features the 4G iPod has. There's so many internal changes in the 4G iPod, I don't think it's even a possibility to get the same features.

Your right.. I'd be really surprised if you'll ever get G4 functionality in the G3 iPods. Apple didn't give G1/G2 iPod owners the G3 functionality.

There would be even less incentive for G2/G3 owners to buy a G4 iPod.

[joeboy_45101]

This is garbage on Apple's part. Weeks ago people were telling me that it MUST be impossible for Apple to bring the 3.0 software features to the 3Gen. iPods. This same group of people also said that it would be stupid to bring such features to older model iPods. But now they are saying this is a brilliant marketing plan for Apple, now that they are supporting an older iPod model. I thought being an Yes-Man was a characteristic only exclusive to the Windows world.

[ART5000]

I hope it breaks rhapsody

It will! no doubt!
unknowing mini users will see the update
cut off the REAl joke :eek:

[Surreal]

i hope apple doesnt break real.

and not for the immedieately seen reason.

real is bad.

very bad.

and apperently rhapsody isnt all that well implemented.

and it doesnt EFFECTIVELY work with ipod.

so...let people use it. and simply emphasize the first party goodness that it is a well designed stystem.

it would also be one big "i don't give a left loogie" to real.

[Doctor Q]

I misunderstood the last iPod update, thinking it put Shuffle on the main menu for minis too. Now at last it looks like I'll get what I thought I was already getting.

I'm going to guess that they won't have new code to detect Real tunes in the iPod Mini update, because I think they would issue updates for all iPods if and when they do that.

[ART5000]

Your right.. I'd be really surprised if you'll ever get G4 functionality in the G3 iPods. Apple didn't give G1/G2 iPod owners the G3 functionality.

There would be even less incentive for G2/G3 owners to buy a G4 iPod.

it's a tactical choice that Real's intrusion inspired.
Apple, I'm sure, didn't havve this update in there plans until Real broke the door down.

I think it's smart and good for mini users

[MacKenzie999]

no you want them to wait a while until a bunch of people buy songs at 0.49 each, then after consumers have spent a bunch of money do a critical update rendering the real songs worthless or some iPod users without outdated firmware. Either Real gets left holding the bag.

Forgive me if this has already been asked, but wouldn't it be the consumers who purchased from Real the ones geting screwed?

[JDOG_]

This is garbage on Apple's part. Weeks ago people were telling me that it MUST be impossible for Apple to bring the 3.0 software features to the 3Gen. iPods. This same group of people also said that it would be stupid to bring such features to older model iPods..

The iPod mini is kind of a Gen 3.5 iPod when you think about it. It came out with a bunch of little hardware upgrades (like the clickwheel and a newer processor). It also sports a few of the features that the 3G doesn't have, like headphone recognition and USB 2.0 charging. So you see it is possible to bring the 3.0 software to minis (in the form of 1.2), but the mini's been around less than 8 months while the 3G iPod's been around a lot longer than that man--give em a brake.

[Porchland]

This is probably just an excuse to stop Real.

And I hope they provide an update to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation iPods, but I doubt it. :(

Rhapsody, judo chop!

[Porchland]

Forgive me if this has already been asked, but wouldn't it be the consumers who purchased from Real the ones geting screwed?

Yes. Next question.

[iGuy]

It may just be me but I've never really thought of my mini as a small 3G iPod, but rather the first 4G iPod, using the click wheel as the dicerning factor.

After all, didn't it's big brother just catch up?

So it seems only natural that the iPod Mini has the latest features available.

But maybe it's just me. :confused:

~iGuy

[G4-power]

Cool! Nice to hear the minis get the 4G features too, it's just a smaller 4G after all.
This doesn't affect me though, I bought a 4G one last month, just waiting it to ship, should be today...I never was in the iPod mini market anyway. They're in many ways superior (durable alu casing, weight, size) to the normal iPods, but I can't fit 6.7 gigs of music, plus my home directory on that. And I just couldn't wait 3 months for the mini arriving to Finland.
Speaking of waiting, I got an e-mail from Apple telling that "due to huge demand for this product" my shipping date was being moved from 18th to 20th August, not a big change, but still. And I haven't yet got an Shipping confirmation e-mail. Can't wait...! What's weird is, that it's not only the iPod (wait 6-8 days), but the new 4G dock and 4G 20 GB case (wait 1-2 weeks). Also, the In-Ear headphones had a longwaiting time, 6-8 days. I have been already waiting nearly 3 weeks though, my order was dated 29th July. Lucky I'm not on the PowerMac delays though...

[ryanw]

no you want them to wait a while until a bunch of people buy songs at 0.49 each, then after consumers have spent a bunch of money do a critical update rendering the real songs worthless or some iPod users without outdated firmware. Either Real gets left holding the bag.

The earlier apple "fixes" their problem with Real the better for apple. The more people that have songs from REAL on their iPod the more people are going to cry and whine and cause apple problems.

[vienna]

This update won't block Rhapsody because in order to do that, Apple will have to change their copy protection scheme up some (again). If they were to do that, they would have to update all iPods or else they would no longer play music from the iTMS.

You'd think that Apple could update the firmware easy enough to just not play any 192K encoded songs with DRM as they must have come from Real. Any 128k encoded songs with DRM would be from iTMS and would still play fine. Also any 192k songs that people encoded themselves would not have any DRM and would still play just fine.

[G4-power]

But maybe it's just me. :confused:

Nope, not only you, I've been thinking about it the same way too.

[jbembe]

Come on, Apple. Update the older iPod Generations PLEASE!

[nagromme]

I won't be buying a new iPoduntil they finally solve the gap problem. It can't be difficult.

I'd REALLY like crossfade. So many songs end choppily when taken out of order. iTunes' crossfade for 2 seconds makes my music less intrusive and choppy between songs.

I'd also like iTunes custom equalizers to show up on iPod. So you can custom-adjust for different headphones, noise conditions, etc. (I don't even care whether you can set EQ levels on the iPod itself.)

[Stella]

Apple did warn people -
DO NOT BUY AAC FILES FROM REAL.. THEY MAY NOT WORK IN THE FUTURE.

So really, Apple aren't screwing them - they have been warned, and they can still play these files in Realplayer - just not on iPod.

Yes. Next question.

Originally Posted by MacKenzie999

Forgive me if this has already been asked, but wouldn't it be the consumers who purchased from Real the ones geting screwed?



Yes. Next question.

[Perushka]

it's not widely realized that REAL has very few customers compared to ITMS. I don't see how this can be bad for Apple. Yes, it's bad that the copy protection was cracked, but the only thing that Harmony will really do is allow it's users to use the iPod. This will only sell more iPods for Apple. As long as other groups don't start cracking the iPod, this developement isn't that bad at all for Apple. What's happening to Apple here is the equivalent of them licensing other computer makers to make macs, but the difference is that Apple isn't allowing it. When IBM licensed the PC to other companies, it was good for their business. then they screwed up and had to basically withdraw from it, but hopefully Apple won't have to do that.

[Wash!!]

I'd REALLY like crossfade. So many songs end choppily when taken out of order. iTunes' crossfade for 2 seconds makes my music less intrusive and choppy between songs.

I'd also like iTunes custom equalizers to show up on iPod. So you can custom-adjust for different headphones, noise conditions, etc. (I don't even care whether you can set EQ levels on the iPod itself.)

I love the crossfade feature on itunes, I wish Apple would put it in the ipods... :cool:

[SiliconAddict]

Hi guys. Question. How does Apple notify, if at all, users of new firmware on their iPods? Is it an iTunes feature? Sort of like a notification prompt? I ask because releasing a "fix" for harmony is all well and good but how many users would know about the new firmware to install it? If Apple is looking at breaking harmony across the board they need to have it installed on as many iPods as possible otherwise they are going to simply confuse users:

Joe: "Dude, have you tried Real's music for .50 cents?"
Bob: "Nope it doesn't work on my iPod"
Joe: "But it works on mine and Franks, you must have a busted iPod."

Something along those lines. :confused:

[pyrotoaster]

This is garbage on Apple's part. Weeks ago people were telling me that it MUST be impossible for Apple to bring the 3.0 software features to the 3Gen. iPods. This same group of people also said that it would be stupid to bring such features to older model iPods. But now they are saying this is a brilliant marketing plan for Apple, now that they are supporting an older iPod model. I thought being an Yes-Man was a characteristic only exclusive to the Windows world.
There's nothing "yes-man" about it.
It makes sense for Apple to update the software on the mini, because they didn't release a new iPod mini.
The mini and the regular iPod are not related the same way the 3G and the 4G iPods are. They're two different product lines. Coexisiting at the same time.

On the hardware side of things, you should realize that the mini's are more like the 4G than the 3G on the inside. Much of the technology and design packed into the 4G iPod has been adapted from that of the mini. The 3G iPod was eight months old when the mini was introduced, while the mini was only six months old when the 4G iPod was released.

You might not like the fact that Apple won't update the 3G iPod's software, but there's no reason for Apple to do it. From a business standpoint (remember, Apple is a company), the best thing for Apple to do is let the older models get outdated so people have a reason to upgrade.

The only thing this update for the mini means is that Apple won't release new mini's any time soon.

[xsmi]

Its in Software Update. But my wife has the iPod with her so I can't update my 3G if there are any from the last update. :(

[dongmin]

Does this mean LONGER BATTERY LIFE for the minis???

please please please...

[bonk]

No, the difference is they put it in the main menu on the 4th gen iPods. I suggested it to them, but that was for the 3rd gen that I have! :eek:

So let me be the first to say... WAAAA!!! I want the new features on my 3rd gen iPod!! :rolleyes: :D

But seriously, I won't be buying a new iPoduntil they finally solve the gap problem. It can't be difficult. When importing CDs, iTunes could store the exact cutoff time of the end of the track, down to the sample level. Then during playback, just play up to that time before switching to the next song so you don't get the remaining silence in the last frame. If you buffer your audio output, you can start reading the next song and filling the buffer before the current one finishes, to guarantee there'll be no delay in changing songs.

I mean come on, CD players have done this for 20 years. How hard is it? WAAAAAA!!! Hehe. :p

I dont have an ipod (yet - c'mon 60gb!), but I recently set up airport express and this gap issue is driving me nuts. never heard anyone mention in before anywhere - glad it's not just me. itunes can obviously buffer enough to deal with this - you can set a 12 second cross fade. it really surprises me that these gaps exist - as you said, if cds fixed the problem 20 years ago...

sorry for off-topic....

[micvog]

This update won't block Rhapsody because in order to do that, Apple will have to change their copy protection scheme up some (again)...

This is not necessarily true given that it is being reported that only the iPod recognizes the Real Music Store songs; iTunes refuses to play them. Given that, on a bit-level basis, there is something different about the Real songs that does not make them 100% compatible. Whatever that is, Apple just needs to implement it on the iPod and can leave their existing DRM system in tact.

Although I agree with another poster that Apple should just forget about it. If you go to Real's Music Store and read what is involved in playing these "compatible" songs on your iPod you wouldn't want to bother.

[pyrotoaster]

Does this mean LONGER BATTERY LIFE for the minis???

please please please...
I'm not sure, since the extended battery life of the 4G's mostly comes from highly increased efficiency in the software.

The new mini software will probably be billed as "iPod mini Software 2" or "1.1" or something like that. It won't actually be Version 3.0.1, so it might not have all the advatages of the latest iPod software.

Since Apple's probably plugging regular iPod features into the mini's pre-existing software, we might not see the same battery life increase we saw with the 4G.

That said, let's hope I'm wrong.

[morkintosh]

Forgive me if this has already been asked, but wouldn't it be the consumers who purchased from Real the ones geting screwed?

sure they would, but an unhappy customer base makes for an unhappy company. given the nature of what real has done I don't think apple owes it to either them or the customers to play along.

[G4-power]

I'm not sure, since the extended battery life of the 4G's mostly comes from highly increased efficiency in the software.

The new mini software will probably be billed as "iPod mini Software 2" or "1.1" or something like that. It won't actually be Version 3.0.1, so it might not have all the advatages of the latest iPod software.

Since Apple's probably plugging regular iPod features into the mini's pre-existing software, we might not see the same battery life increase we saw with the 4G.

That said, let's hope I'm wrong.

It's true that Apple said 4G model software was made more efficient, but I think most of the extra playback time was made with increasing capacity. The 1G and 2G iPods had Lithium-polymer batteries worth of 1200 mAh! And 10 hours of playback. 3G had moved to lithium-ion, but had only half the capacity, 630 mAh! Playback time dropped only to 8 hours. (From Mactracker (http://www.mactracker.ca/) ) I say, there's some efficient software. With only dragging the battery capacity up, it should be about 950 mAh to reach the claimed 12 hour playback time. But what Apple also said, not about battery capacity, nor software, but more efficient hardware. New chip, more efficient HD etc. Since the mini has the same chip, I doubt playback time will be increased much, even by the most efficient software in the world. I think so because the mini has pretty much the same hardware as bigger iPods, but sure, a lot smaller battery, because of weight and size reducing.

Just what I reckon.

[damson34]

Well I gues since they are updating the software to be like the 4g then that means hardware updates to the mini are a ways off.

[morespce54]

BTW, am I missing something on the one-click shuffle or whatever it is? On my 3G iPod, if I press play on the remote from teh main menu, I get a shuffle of all songs on my iPdd. Isn't that the same thing?


... also if you press 2 times on PLAY (even without the remote).

[swissmann]

Makes me wonder if they could update the 3G and older iPods to be able to do a lot of the things the 4G can. Not saying they will but could they?

[JDOG_]

I think this whole crossfade thing is possible with an iPod, but not really necessary right now. I think Apple will implement it in the next generation of iPod to have a few new features as a selling point.

You have to remember part of the reason the battery lasts as long as it does is that the songs are loaded up into the cache off the hard drive and including cross-fading into the picture would mean not only a faster cache-refresh (for the additional 5-15 seconds of the next song) but also processing power dealing with the crossfade itself.

I think this can easily be fixed on Apple's iPod design-side by making the cache larger and having Portalplayer design a chip with some nice cross-fading power that will do just that without using up too much energy. The extra cache would also be a selling point to runners & active-folk with longer anti-skip.

I just see the whole cross-fading thing as a future feature. :rolleyes:

[awinn233]

*crossing fingers* ;)

[bigandy]

there be two reasons i'm not even thinking about a 4g ipod right now:

1. i have a 6month old 3g. it's 40gb. it didn't cost me anything (learning difficulties + university = free ipod and powerbook :-)). Until 60 or even 80gb mine's fine.

2. am i the only person in the world that thinks the click wheel doesn't look right on the ipod? i mean ipod mini yes, looks great, but the whole white on grey thing going on isn't quite spot on for me. what was wrong with the 3g design? i like it!

until they fix my quibbles i'm sticking with my 3g 40gb.


---------
40gb 3g ipod
15" powerbook g4, 1.5ghz, 80gb hdd, 1.5gb ram, superdrive, backlit keyboard osx 10.3.5
powermac g5, dual 2.5ghz, 1.6tb hdd (4x400gb), osx 10.3.5 server
sony ericsson p900
2meg sdsl + wireless router
and you'll be upset to hear none of it cost me a penny! :eek:

[elo]

It's not just you--I actually hear people complain about this all the time. I love everything about my mini except the gap between songs (which often interrupts instruments that are [supposed to be] holding between tracks), but won't buy another iPod as long as that issue remains.

Complain to Apple, though, and not just here. They don't record any comment that isn't sent to them.

elo


I dont have an ipod (yet - c'mon 60gb!), but I recently set up airport express and this gap issue is driving me nuts. never heard anyone mention in before anywhere - glad it's not just me. itunes can obviously buffer enough to deal with this - you can set a 12 second cross fade. it really surprises me that these gaps exist - as you said, if cds fixed the problem 20 years ago...

sorry for off-topic....

[puckhead193]

why can't they do it for the 3G model...... i would like those features!

[puckhead193]

2. am i the only person in the world that thinks the click wheel doesn't look right on the ipod? i mean ipod mini yes, looks great, but the whole white on grey thing going on isn't quite spot on for me. what was wrong with the 3g design? i like it!

:
I agree it is so ungly. i wish the 4g would have the same buttons but the lights were differnent instead of red, (maybe even a customizeable light scheme) that would be nice. i like my 3g, i only got the new one because it was basicly free with the cram and jam through apple. so i fig. i would give to my parents as a gift for paying for my laptop :p

[pyrotoaster]

Makes me wonder if they could update the 3G and older iPods to be able to do a lot of the things the 4G can. Not saying they will but could they?
why can't they do it for the 3G model...... i would like those features!
Well, yes and no.
The 3G's chip may not support the variable-rate audiobook playback, but most of the other features (other than the better battery life) could probably be added to "Version 2" of the iPod's software.

That said, it ain't happenin'. Don't bother complaining about it, because those complaints were done to death when Apple moved from the 2G to the 3G 'Pod.

[SoGood]

Would this bring in an Ext FW HD functionality to the Mini? I understand this is one area of differentiation b/n the iPod and the Mini.

[LaMerVipere]

WHERE THE HELL ARE ALL THE IPOD MINI'S???

There is still a month or more long waiting list for them, I mean what the hell. I know a lot of people, including myself, who would have bought one by now if they were AVAILABLE. :rolleyes:

[plastics2]

got the ipod software update. no new mini update.

[simX]

Yeah, this is some really sweet news. I just bought a mini a couple of days ago and have been looking at pictures of regular iPods longingly and contemplating a switch for some of those new features. One of my favorites is the pausing when the headphones come out, I really hope that comes along with this update as well...

Wow, I didn't even notice that my 4G iPod did that -- but it does indeed pause the music when I pull the headphones from the jack. That's really slick, even though it usually takes 1 or 2 seconds to pause.

[Zaty]

Would this bring in an Ext FW HD functionality to the Mini? I understand this is one area of differentiation b/n the iPod and the Mini.

You can already use the mini as external FW/USB2 HD.

[AoWolf]

WHERE THE HELL ARE ALL THE IPOD MINI'S???

There is still a month or more long waiting list for them, I mean what the hell. I know a lot of people, including myself, who would have bought one by now if they were AVAILABLE. :rolleyes:

Well if you really want a mini heres what you need to do. Go to an apple store and go early in the morning. Don't bother to call them either because they never seem to know if they are getting any.

[PowerMacMan]

WHERE THE HELL ARE ALL THE IPOD MINI'S???

There is still a month or more long waiting list for them, I mean what the hell. I know a lot of people, including myself, who would have bought one by now if they were AVAILABLE. :rolleyes:

I went to Best Buy and saw like 20 of them all at once, I just couldn't take it :p

[bankshot]

The iPod does buffer, 25 minutes worth to be exact. So it's basically always playing from memory anyway...

Well, yes and no. I believe the iPod's memory is used for buffering the contents of the files. That makes sense because its purpose is to prevent the hard disk from spinning too much. This means that it's always reading from the memory buffer but it still has to decompress the audio (MP3/AAC/whatever) in real time as it plays.

What I'm talking about is the actual audio output - once it's been converted to 44.1 KHz 16-bit stereo audio. If the iPod buffered this, it would only have about 3 minutes worth, so obviously it doesn't. Even though it's buffering the file contents, I believe there's still a slight delay when switching songs because the iPod has to reinitialize things and restart playback with the new file. iTunes suffers the same problem - a while back I experimented with manually setting the end times of songs in the song info to see if that would produce no gap. No good. There was still a gap, even if I set the end of playback well before the end of the song. It's poor design, plain and simple.

If they were to use just a small portion of the iPod's memory to buffer, say, 5 seconds of audio output, this part of the problem would be solved. The playback software would simply keep filling this buffer as long as it has room, while the hardware reads from it to send the actual audio signal out. Portable CD players have had anti-skip buffers like this for years now. In the case of the iPod, it wouldn't be for preventing skips (the main 32MB file buffer handles that), but for prevent gaps at song change. Same with iTunes, except it could buffer a lot more if it wanted to.

I just don't believe that this is such a difficult problem, and it amazes me that Apple - a company that prides itself on attention to detail - has let this go for so long. Because listening to music is a very important thing to me, I have to make this my personal crusade. ;) I send Apple feedback on this regularly, and I post to message boards hoping to recruit others to do the same.

Join me, won't you? :cool:

And of course, other than that issue, I absolutely love my iPod and you can pry it from my cold, dead fingers. :D

[picklescott]

I'd also like iTunes custom equalizers to show up on iPod. So you can custom-adjust for different headphones, noise conditions, etc. (I don't even care whether you can set EQ levels on the iPod itself.)


The custom equalizers set in iTunes are supposed to also be in effect on your iPod. (To save battery life, override all of them by going into iPod settings and setting the EQ to "Flat".)

[JDOG_]

Hmmm...looks like they're not going to post this update til next week.

Maybe they're saving it for the Paris Expo as something to talk about and "release." That's what I'd do.

--------

In regards to the aforementioned post about buffering, Apple uses a 32mb buffer because it's cheaper than providing a 64mb or higher buffer. There isn't really that big of a need to give people a bigger buffer, but it would be nice.

[xsmi]

Hmmm...looks like they're not going to post this update til next week.

Maybe they're saving it for the Paris Expo as something to talk about and "release." That's what I'd do.

--------

In regards to the aforementioned post about buffering, Apple uses a 32mb buffer because it's cheaper than providing a 64mb or higher buffer. There isn't really that big of a need to give people a bigger buffer, but it would be nice.

[macsrus]

While I love my 40 gig... I really dont see the interest in the iPOD mini.

When I want something smaller than the iPod .... I use a usb flash player...

The mini just seems like a waste of money to me.....But to each his own

[jimsowden]

While I love my 40 gig... I really dont see the interest in the iPOD mini.

When I want something smaller than the iPod .... I use a usb flash player...

The mini just seems like a waste of money to me.....But to each his own
I don't see the appeal of the regular ipod over the mini. Its heavy in your pocket, and you can't convince me you really like 10,000 songs. You may have that many, but on a scale of 1-10, how many are 8-10? Those are the only ones I spend time listening too, ergo my mini has room to spare. To hell with CD filler music.

[macsrus]

I don't see the appeal of the regular ipod over the mini. Its heavy in your pocket, and you can't convince me you really like 10,000 songs. You may have that many, but on a scale of 1-10, how many are 8-10? Those are the only ones I spend time listening too, ergo my mini has room to spare. To hell with CD filler music.

I use my iPod for much more than music....
Mine is bootable for xserve repair... I carry system images and diagnostics on it...
I use it for large file transfers...
The mini is just too limiting for me....
Besides its almost as expensive as a 20 gig....

I agree with your statement about not needing 10k songs... but I can and could if I wanted to

[savar]

Some of the early iPods (1, 2 and 3G) may not be able to be ugradable since Apple has made some internal hardware (via PortalPlayer) and other changes in the mini and 4G iPods.

It really pisses me off that early adopters were left out in the cold. While the 1G interface was good, it certainly could have benefitted from some of the improvements of subsequent series. Namely, on-the-go playlists could probably be implemented with ease on earlier ipods and would be such a big improvement!!

I really hate how when I'm listening to one song and I want to hear another, there's no way to queue it up. Even if I go through the menus to select the 2nd song while the 1st is playing, after a few seconds the menu disappears and the interface shows the first song again.

Of course, I'll probably buy 2 new iPods when I graduate--one for me and one for my girlfriend. ;)

So maybe it is "good business" but its still irritating.

[savar]

I don't see the appeal of the regular ipod over the mini. Its heavy in your pocket, and you can't convince me you really like 10,000 songs. You may have that many, but on a scale of 1-10, how many are 8-10? Those are the only ones I spend time listening too, ergo my mini has room to spare. To hell with CD filler music.

Trust me, I like 10,000 songs. The only reason I stopped building my collection is that my current 5Gb iPod got filled up and I couldn't stand to have to cut songs from my iPod library. When I get a new one, though, the floodgates will be opened. :D

[aswitcher]

Come on, Apple. Update the older iPod Generations PLEASE!

Here here. Apple are not going to endear themselves with this current attitude. Seems to me that whilst its attractive to buy the latest, anyone who buys something that has been on the market about a year can expect to "superceded" within 6 months. Not a good look.

[aidamahn]

I'd still rather have the full size ipod. the mini really doesn't do it for me, small all over.

[macsrus]

I'd still rather have the full size ipod. the mini really doesn't do it for me, small all over.

Especially considering the cost

[mickhyperion]

Well, since the original topic here has kind of gone by the wayside, here's my wish for an iPod update. I have a 2G model and the most irritating thing to me is the SoundCheck feature which doesn't always work consistently. Several times a day a song will start playing that is noticeably louder or quieter than the last. But if I press the back button and start the song over, the SoundCheck setting kicks in like it should and the volume becomes normal again. It's as if the song starts playing before SoundCheck has had a chance to get the volume setting set. Maybe this was a problem solved since the 2G model.

I would also like to see user programmable EQ settings. Maybe not an unlimited number like in iTunes, but just 5 or 10. Actually I'd be happy with just one. I'd like to be able to kick the bass up more than the R&B setting allows for. The one custom EQ setting I use for everything on iTunes would be just fine.

[solvs]

I wonder if it will include support for microphones. Hardware supports it, but software doesn't. Might rethink selling my mini if I can attach an iTalk. Too much to hope for?

[morespce54]

I love the crossfade feature on itunes, I wish Apple would put it in the ipods... :cool:

that would be awsome :D

[appleface]

Once upon a time... (saturday evening), i went to a certain apple store (millenia mall, orlando), and i attempted to play with the ipod minis. they had the usual rainbow of flavors on display. only one was working.

does anyone know what the deal is? do they crash normally? does this happen to you that use minis? has this happened to others when visiting apple stores? i'm considering the purchase of an ipod or (more likely) a mini, but i don't know if i want a music player that blue screens.

[appleface]

The one custom EQ setting I use for everything on iTunes would be just fine.

that would be sweet to be able to upload eq settings. that seems like something apple would do more quickly than putting a fully adjustable eq on an ipod. the full eq might "clutter" the user's experience.

[robbieduncan]

Here here. Apple are not going to endear themselves with this current attitude. Seems to me that whilst its attractive to buy the latest, anyone who buys something that has been on the market about a year can expect to "superceded" within 6 months. Not a good look.

This is not going to happen. The newer iPods have newer hardware. They can do things that the old iPods can't. Live with it. Did eveyone whine when Sony did not provide updates to everyones MiniDisc players when the NetMD came out? No I would have loved my old player to get updated to talk to my comptuer bit it did not happen. If you think thats a bit far fetched does everyone whine when new DVD writers come out that contain identical chips to the old ones but are dual-layer and faster. No (and this did happen and some enterprising people found a way to hack the firmware from the new drives to the old ones providing a free upgrade to dual layer). You buy something and its good. Then something better comes along. That's just the way things are.

[solvs]

Once upon a time... (saturday evening), i went to a certain apple store (millenia mall, orlando), and i attempted to play with the ipod minis. they had the usual rainbow of flavors on display. only one was working.

does anyone know what the deal is? do they crash normally? does this happen to you that use minis? has this happened to others when visiting apple stores? i'm considering the purchase of an ipod or (more likely) a mini, but i don't know if i want a music player that blue screens.
I know a lot of people with iPods, myself included, and none of us has ever had a problem. The ones you were looking at were demo units, used very harshly by lots of looky-loos. The batteries were probably dead or they were just non-working units that hadn't been replaced yet. Don't believe the hype, I have a friend who still has a perfectly working 5 GB model. No battery problems or anything.

Edit: BTW, I'm selling my mini only because I'm unemployed and am not using it at all right now (plus I can use the money). I'm hoping to buy a 4G after I start working again in a few months. My sister has one and she loves it. I just have to wait until I can afford a new one. That's the only thing I don't like about them, the price.

[appleface]

I know a lot of people with iPods, myself included, and none of us has ever had a problem.

thanks for the reply. that's what i wanted to know.

[AoWolf]

Once upon a time... (saturday evening), i went to a certain apple store (millenia mall, orlando), and i attempted to play with the ipod minis. they had the usual rainbow of flavors on display. only one was working.

does anyone know what the deal is? do they crash normally? does this happen to you that use minis? has this happened to others when visiting apple stores? i'm considering the purchase of an ipod or (more likely) a mini, but i don't know if i want a music player that blue screens.

Really thats odd I just bought a mini from millennia and it works fine I will be back to buy a powerbook in a few days I want to see this for my self

Also I bought their ex demo palm tungsten T and the case was really beat to hell people are not kind to demo's

[JDOG_]

I think the minis that you see dead on display are from some serious all-day abuse that comes with living in the Apple Store where they're played with constantly for like 80-hours a week. It is a little odd the store doesn't replace the ones that die out since it's kind of a really bad way to show off your glamorous products...

It looks like Apple's not going to throw out this update until the Paris Expo...that's my bet. Either that or they're having trouble with the windows version of the update because of SP2. Blame it on Billy ;)

I want my headphone clicker!

[markh]

I was recently looking at getting an ipod.. When to an apple dealer here in aus, and they had just gotten the minis....I mean, the mini in the flesh is just so appealing!!!..... So i endup with a silver ipod mini... LOVE IT!

[Foxbat]

The battery pack exploded in a serie of explosion and high flames coming out of the power book. Every cell burned fully out. The gases where pretty disturbing, but no permanent damage of the lungs or eyes (thanks to lots of fresh air).

On agreement with apple, no pictures have been (shot?) released.

If "he" would been asleep he would be dead. The house burned down.
If he would be inside a plane when that happend,... imagine yourself.

Thats the only reason apple voluntarely replaces the batteries for 0$

How pathetic to lie, telling people it "just" over heats and "might" cause trouble. Reality is: It could have killed people.

bye

[JDOG_]

The battery pack exploded in a serie of explosion and high flames coming out of the power book. Every cell burned fully out. The gases where pretty disturbing, but no permanent damage of the lungs or eyes (thanks to lots of fresh air).

On agreement with apple, no pictures have been (shot?) released.

If "he" would been asleep he would be dead. The house burned down.
If he would be inside a plane when that happend,... imagine yourself.

Thats the only reason apple voluntarely replaces the batteries for 0$

How pathetic to lie, telling people it "just" over heats and "might" cause trouble. Reality is: It could have killed people.

bye

WHHHHHHAAAAT Are you talking about? I can't seriously believe anybody's been killed by a 2" li-ion battery unless they ate it.

[CHess]

WHHHHHHAAAAT Are you talking about? I can't seriously believe anybody's been killed by a 2" li-ion battery unless they ate it.

:confused:
I guess this IS a rumor site...

[CHess]

I use my iPod for much more than music....
Mine is bootable for xserve repair... I carry system images and diagnostics on it...
I use it for large file transfers...
The mini is just too limiting for me....
Besides its almost as expensive as a 20 gig....

I agree with your statement about not needing 10k songs... but I can and could if I wanted to

I just bought a mini two days ago and am very happy with it. :D

Being a Mac consultant, I considered getting one (or rather, rationalized getting one) to store system images and carry diagnotics and a variety of updater files, but I didn't like the size of the larger iPods.

I can comfortably carry the mini in my pocket. But the full sized model, as small as it is, is still just a little too large to carry around for my taste. Because of that, I'm less likely to carry it on me.

Even with the smaller capacity mini, I still carry about 600 songs with me, plus I get all my calendars, contacts and have room for some files.

It just made more sense for me to simply tote a small firewire hard drive in my car for the system stuff.

Still, it was a really close decision and I wish that the mini had a little more hard disk space, but I'm really happy I got it.