I am a former Mac user that made the BIG mistake of switching to Windows a few years back (please don't hurt me, I've suffered enough already!) because of work considerations. I recently purchased an Windows iPod which I've been using with iTunes on my PC without problem. However, I'm ready to blow up my PC and I really want to get the new iMac G5 and back to the old mac interface. My question is, will I still be able to use my iPod with the Mac? I don't intend to use it for anything other than music, so I'm not looking to use it as a data HD or contact manager, etc. Will it need to (or can it) be reformatted or modified to use it with a mac?
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Windows iPod and Mac
- Thread starter guitarmann
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You will have no problem, maybe the only problem you will have is that instead of seeing the cool iPod image you will just see a disk image on the desktop..... 
But other than that it is all exactly the same. i heard someone say that data transfer will be slower if you have it formatted under Windows, but as i far as i know this is not a problem.
Well I am also thinking about taking the plunge soon and buying a iMac G5.....
Anyway welcome back from the dark side.
Peace
DjVoTeZ
But other than that it is all exactly the same. i heard someone say that data transfer will be slower if you have it formatted under Windows, but as i far as i know this is not a problem.
Well I am also thinking about taking the plunge soon and buying a iMac G5.....
Anyway welcome back from the dark side.
Peace
DjVoTeZ
Exactly which iPod do you have? I heard that 1G (1st gen) iPods were Mac only, then the 2nd gen ones had separate Mac and Windows versions. 3G and 4G iPods (those with docks) are compatible with both Mac and Windowsx from the same unit.
As I understand it, if you have a 2nd gen Windows iPod, it will not run on your Mac at all. However, since it is just a hard drive, presumably they have opened them up so that they can be formatted to FAT32 and thus be Mac and Windows comatible. The best thing i guess you can do is try it. Unless, of course, the Windows versions were USB2 only - does your iPod have a FireWire cable?
As I understand it, if you have a 2nd gen Windows iPod, it will not run on your Mac at all. However, since it is just a hard drive, presumably they have opened them up so that they can be formatted to FAT32 and thus be Mac and Windows comatible. The best thing i guess you can do is try it. Unless, of course, the Windows versions were USB2 only - does your iPod have a FireWire cable?
I did it already
I use a 4G 20 GB iPod that I ordered with my iMac G5 the day it was released.
Obviously, I got the iPod much sooner than the iMac, so I used it with Windows for a month.
When the iMac finally arrived, I simply plugged it into the iMac via Firewire and "It just works"!
However, it did erase all the songs that I had uploaded from my PC, but I had ripped the songs from CD to an external FW drive, so I was able to re-synch the iPod no problem.
I didn't even know there was a nifty iPod logo!
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<slight hijack>As I said, I use a Windows formatted iPod with my iMac...so how do I update my iPod software? With a PC or Mac? </slight hijack>
I use a 4G 20 GB iPod that I ordered with my iMac G5 the day it was released.
Obviously, I got the iPod much sooner than the iMac, so I used it with Windows for a month.
When the iMac finally arrived, I simply plugged it into the iMac via Firewire and "It just works"!
However, it did erase all the songs that I had uploaded from my PC, but I had ripped the songs from CD to an external FW drive, so I was able to re-synch the iPod no problem.
I didn't even know there was a nifty iPod logo!
------------------------
<slight hijack>As I said, I use a Windows formatted iPod with my iMac...so how do I update my iPod software? With a PC or Mac? </slight hijack>