3G iPod Questions (v. important)

[Matt01792]

Hello all!

I'm now the proud owner of an iBook G4 and am now thinking of getting an iPod to go with it (when I bought my iBook I couldn't help try out the iPod that was on display and I thought it was great).

Two important questions though.

One is battery life, I heard somewhere that after 18 months the battery won't keep its charge for long. Has the problem been solved with the 3G iPod?

Secondly, I'd like to use it as an external harddrive aswell. How do you access the iPod's drive? I assume to transfer music I'd go into iTunes or something. But what I really want to do is to be able (like I used to with external drives on my PC) is to be able to open it up (like I would a cd-rom) and drag files across into it. Is this possible?

Many thanks,
Matt.

 

[titaniumducky]

The 3G iPods have not been out for that long yet, so I doubt if anyone knows whether it will still keep it's charge after that amount of time. If it doesn't, you can either buy a new iPod, or get the battery replaced for $99.

Yes, the iPod can be used as an external drive. You're correct in saying that to transfer music you use iTunes or some third party program. To use it as an external drive, connect it and then open iTunes. Go to the iPod on your playlist section, then click the button to the left of the EQ settings with an iPod. Check "Enable FireWire disk use." That will do it for you.

 

[jamdr]

Battery life

I thought that battery life was only an issue with the 3G iPods because they had to put in a much smaller battery than previous generations to make it smaller. The 2G iPods, for instance, were thicker, and so could have a bigger battery. I remember by 2G 10 gig had something like 8-10 hours of battery life, but the newer ones have only 6.

In either case, I think that the battery will eventually wear down, just like the battery in a laptop. But I think they last a lot longer than 18 months. Like the previous poster said, you can replace it for $99 through Apple, or only $49 though a third party company. By the way, I loved the 2G iPods, and I think they are better than the current ones. Does anyone know if I could put the latest software on a 2G iPod and use all of the latest features/games?

 

[dgdosen]

I've got a 2G iPod and like it better (except for the smaller size and sexy rounded edges on the 3G). The thing that annoys me about the 3G are those red lighted buttons. They make it look like a devil child. How about a a 2G look on the 3G device? It would be like Coke moving back to the Old Coke.

The battery on my 2G does seem to be losing it's capacity. My issue seems to be that the charge doesn't hold long while the unit is locked. I usually keep mine in a gym bag, and I'm starting to need to charge more often.

 

[caveman_uk]

Re: Battery life

Does anyone know if I could put the latest software on a 2G iPod and use all of the latest features/games? [/B]

Whilst I don't think there's any technical reason why some the features of the 3G ipods couldn't be backported to the 2G software. I don't think Apple wants to. It is in business to sell stuff. Making old ipods just as useful as new ones doesn't help it sell new ipods

 

[rainman::|:|]

according to Apple's own documentation, the battery is rated for 500 charges/discharges. all rechargable batteries have limits.

if you completely discharge and charge your iPod every day, then yes 18 months is about right. however, with normal use, a charge can last 2-10 days, so unless you live your life plugged into that thing, it should last longer.

pnw