iPod iPod Software

[0227672]

Okay, I've got one of the (now) old 60gig video ipods. Between the search feature introduced in the 5.5G and the new UI in the updated models today, I'm wondering if there's any way to get the new features on my old iPod. I'm really not willing to dish out another $300 for an updated UI and more storage. Let me know

 

[cervaro]

I saw mention somewhere yesterday that the new iPod classic uses new hardware and a new OS, so it was suggested that compatibility with the 5.5g iPod wasn't an option. Not sure how true this is?

 

[0227672]

so there's no way of installing the new os on an old ipod?
wat kind of new hardware could they add? drivers or something?

 

[robbieduncan]

so there's no way of installing the new os on an old ipod?
wat kind of new hardware could they add? drivers or something?

Drivers are software. Hardware is things like physical chips (processors, RAM etc). There is a 0% chance of Apple offing the new UI on the old iPods.

 

[torchwood04]

If you really want to play with your iPod, perhaps try iPodLinux, though I can't vouch for it, as I never use it, nor have ever.

 

[Derwood]

If it is...

...that the hardware is identical between 5G/5.5G/6G iPods (Classic flavour), then it wouldn't surprise me to find out in a few weeks time that some industrious person has managed to shoe-horn the new OS onto the last generation of iPod.

Additionally, even if the hardware is different (as one might suspect it would be between Nano/Classic/Touch) Apple surely just recompiles the OS rather than rewriting it specifically for each model in the product line-up? I'm not sure on this bit. Anyone shed any light?

 

[robbieduncan]

...that the hardware is identical between 5G/5.5G/6G iPods (Classic flavour), then it wouldn't surprise me to find out in a few weeks time that some industrious person has managed to shoe-horn the new OS onto the last generation of iPod.

Additionally, even if the hardware is different (as one might suspect it would be between Nano/Classic/Touch) Apple surely just recompiles the OS rather than rewriting it specifically for each model in the product line-up? I'm not sure on this bit. Anyone shed any light?

At the very least the touch runs OSX like the iPhone. Previous iPods have not. In fact they used to run on an embedded OS Apple licensed. The core "application" software, the bit that makes it an iPod is likely the same between the Nano and the Classic. But the underlying embedded OS with it's hardware abstraction layer is likely very different between the 5.5G and the 6G. As the source to all this is not public it's not like you can recompile it yourself and dumping a binary image from a 6G iPod into a 5 or 5.5G iPod will just result in a brick.

I've not heard of anyone even getting the 5.5G features like search onto a 5G iPod and that would likely be a much simpler task.

 

[Derwood]

I've not heard of anyone even getting the 5.5G features like search onto a 5G iPod and that would likely be a much simpler task.

That, my friend, is a very good point. I didn't think about that.

So, as well as lusting after an iPod-Touch I am now also reminded that I don't have the search feature on my 5G iPod. Grrrr...

 

[Tom B.]

No chance. Apple want to make money, and they don't do that by giving away the biggest reason to buy a new product for free.

 

[0227672]

any chance of someone hacking a new ipod and extracting the UI??
i would give pretty much anything for even that search function (other than shelling out 300 bucks)

 

[robbieduncan]

any chance of someone hacking a new ipod and extracting the UI??
i would give pretty much anything for even that search function (other than shelling out 300 bucks)

The search function is not just UI. You need code to perform the search and enough CPU horsepower (and memory to store the results). Look, basically this is never ever going to happen.

 

[0227672]

ok ok fine
just thought id ask before dropping another chunk of change on a nano