Simple question: I am not sure whether the reader can be used with the Mac directly. I have to assume yes as I realize that there exist adaptors from the iPod type connector to the regular firewire one. Does this make any sense ?
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iPod (?) media reader
- Thread starter windwaves
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robbieduncan
Moderator emeritus
Re: iPod (?) media reader
What you say makes sense but I do not believe it to be true. I'm sure that if you could plug this into a Mac directly then this feature would be listed.
In addition the cables (or adapaptor as you call them) that enable you to connec the iPod to a firewire port will not attach to the media reader. The firewire <-> dock connector cable as a male connector on it and the iPod has a female connector. The media reader has a male connector on it so can connect to the iPod but not the cable. The dock has 1 male port (which the iPod sits on) and 1 female port that the cable connects to so you could not use this either. If a device exists with 2 female dock connector ports on it you might be able to use that to connect via firewire to a Mac but I don't think such a device exists.
Sorry.
[edit mail != male]
What you say makes sense but I do not believe it to be true. I'm sure that if you could plug this into a Mac directly then this feature would be listed.
In addition the cables (or adapaptor as you call them) that enable you to connec the iPod to a firewire port will not attach to the media reader. The firewire <-> dock connector cable as a male connector on it and the iPod has a female connector. The media reader has a male connector on it so can connect to the iPod but not the cable. The dock has 1 male port (which the iPod sits on) and 1 female port that the cable connects to so you could not use this either. If a device exists with 2 female dock connector ports on it you might be able to use that to connect via firewire to a Mac but I don't think such a device exists.
Sorry.
[edit mail != male]
mnkeybsness
macrumors 68030
the point of the media reader is so that you can take your ipod with you on trips and store all of your digital photos on their when you run out of memory card space, instead of lugging around a notebook everywhere.
i don't see why you would really want to connect the reader to your mac.
i don't see why you would really want to connect the reader to your mac.
then let me explain it to you. Because it's got firewire and I happen to take pictures not exclusively on trips so it would serve me twice as much if I could use it directly with my Mac; at home it would just be a lot faster than USB and that is nice when one takes lots of pics. In fact I have been looking for a FW card reader for some time now. This would be just perfect if indeed one could use it both ways.
robbieduncan
Moderator emeritus
You are assuming that it works via Firewire. There are a lot more that the 6 pins you need for firewire on the dock connector. There is a chance that the reader talks with the iPod using something other that Firewire.
robbieduncan
Moderator emeritus
Please accept my apologies. As you say the site (http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=1&Product_Id=158350) says that it uses Firewire.
In which case I'll really make some assumptions. The media reader presents itself to the iPod as a mass storage device and would work on a Mac with a suitable cable. Unfortunately these are not available 🙁
so I am back to where I started - if there is no cable, the additional functionality as a desktop reader for the Mac isn't there, which I find unfortunate. I would not be surprised though if someone, may be Belking itself, did come out with such cable.