Ipod Classic -- Engadget

ipod classic posts

Toshiba's 1.8-inch 160GB PATA disk is ready for KIRFers

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 10th 2009 at 5:38AM

Wonder what's inside the latest iPod classic besides suave marketing and Pixi-dust? In a not-so coincidental announcement following yesterday's classic capacity bump, Toshiba unleashed specs on its newest 160GB 1.8-inch single-platter spinner that just happens to come in 120GB versions too. The Parallel ATA interface holds-tight the 5-mm / 48-gram disk spinning at 4,200 RPM. Interestingly enough, Tosh claims that its hard disk holds 45,000 digital photos, 42,000 songs, or 130 videos thereby besting Apple's claims on all counts. So get to it KIRFers, the MKxx34GAL series is shipping now and your marketing bullets have already been written.

Apple releases video podcast of Rock and Roll event, we've got you covered with the highlights

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 9th 2009 at 11:34PM

Need to catch up on today's Apple news? Well, you can either fire up iTunes and download Apple's video podcast of the event, or you can skip the endless game demos and marketing chit-chat and just peruse the links below. The executive summary? iTunes 9's new app management, Home Sharing, and iTunes LP features are really nice, but it's almost impossible to understand why Apple added a camera to the iPod nano and not the iPod touch, no matter what Steve says. Oh -- and don't forget the Palm Pixi!

The event

Live from Apple's 'It's only rock and roll' event
Video: Steve Jobs returns to the Apple stage

iPods

iPod nano unboxed, camera gets tested against the mean streets of Manhattan
iPod touch 3rd gen hands-on and video
iPod nano 5G with camera first hands-on!
Apple announces cheaper, more colorful iPod shuffle, new Special Edition
Apple updates iPod touch line, drops prices, adds top-end 64GB model
Apple adds video camera, larger screen to new 5G iPod nano
iPod classic bumped to 160GB, price stays the same at $249
iPhone OS 3.1 is official, available today
iPhone / iPod touch OS 3.1.1 is live!
iPod shuffle 2g is no more

iTunes

iTunes 9 bringing iTunes LP functionality, 'beautiful new look'
iTunes 9 breaks Pre media sync... what did you expect?
Video: iTunes 9 Home Sharing and iPhone app management

iPod classic bumped to 160GB, price stays the same at $249

by Paul Miller posted Sep 9th 2009 at 12:48PM

The iPod classic doesn't get much love these days, but at least Apple isn't killing it off yet, and has managed to squeeze another 40GB into the enclosure -- though otherwise the player seems unchanged. The new 160GB version will be available for the same $249 pricetag.

Last minute Apple rumor roundup: iPhone HD video out, no new iPod touch?

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 9th 2009 at 11:23AM

Okay, we're in the final countdown to Apple's Only Rock and Roll event, and some interesting bits of info have hit the wires while we're waiting. First, AppleInsider claims a "historically reliable source" has leaked the entire new lineup of iPods, complete with model numbers, and it's somewhat surprising if true: not only do capacities remain the same apart from a 160GB iPod classic, the iPod touch is absent from the list -- leading some to believe its upgrade has been delayed due to rumored technical issues with the camera module. AI also says the nano is getting "significant changes" to Nike+, but doesn't go into further detail.

There's also been an interesting press release this morning from Harmon Kardon, which is touting that its new Bridge III iPod / iPhone dock and AVR 2600 and 3600 receivers can "play back HD video from iPod or iPhone products." Seeing as there's no (official) way to even get HD video onto an iPod or iPhone right now, that seems to indicate there's a change a-comin' -- and seeing as we've already gotten the iPhone 3GS to play back 1080p video, the addition of HD video support to at least some of the i-line seems like a no-brainer. We'll see what's true and what's just wishful thinking soon enough -- the liveblog starts in just a little bit!

Update: And just in case you couldn't get enough sketchy cases, Cygnett has some listed on its site that seem to show a new nano screen size, as well as a new touch with a camera. Things are definitely heating up, stay tuned.

Read - AppleInsider leaked list of new iPod models
Read - Harmon Kardon says new dock can play back HD video from iPhone

Walkman outsells iPod in Japan for first time in four years... but iPhone sales don't count

by Ross Miller posted Sep 3rd 2009 at 2:02PM

As with most accomplishments these days, we can't help but place a rather large asterisk next to Sony's award for managing to outsell the iPod lineup with its Walkman. According to Tokyo-based research firm BCN Inc., for the week ending August 30th, the Walkman series had a 43 percent share of the personal music player market versus 42.1 percent for iPods, marking the first time in four years that Sony's managed to get the upper hand. Got that? Good, now for a major caveat. For whatever reason, iPhones aren't considered part of the iPod line, meaning people who want the luxuries of the iPod touch and a wireless data plan aren't included in the survey. That's quite an omission -- the iPhone 3GS is currently the best-selling phone in Japan, after all -- and we gotta imagine it'd be more than enough to tilt the data in Apple's favor, even if you threw in Sony Ericsson's Walkman phones for good measure. But hey, it's still a feat in its own right, and Sony might as well celebrate while it lasts -- something tells us the gang in Cupertino has something up their sleeve soon.

Zune 30, older iPod classic getting new firmware fun

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 10th 2008 at 5:03PM

Apple and Microsoft both issued a slew of updates to the iPod and Zune lineups in the past two days, and it looks like some of the new features will be kicked down to older devices as well. Although it was expected that second-gen Zunes would get all the new Zune 3.0 features, Microsoft says that the older Zune 30 will also receive an update to enable Buy From FM, Channels, and WiFi music store features, ~~and Apple reps at the Let's Rock event told CNET that the iPod classic will eventually get an update to enable the new Genius playlists.~~ That's particularly interesting since Genius is most definitely a new feature, but it doesn't sound like Apple's going to charge for it -- which flies in the face of the company's "we have to charge for new features because of Sarbanes-Oxley accounting requirements" $9.95 iPod touch update price reasoning. We won't complain too loudly about free updates, but that's definitely a little odd -- care to explain, Steve?

Update: We just spoke with Apple, and it appears people are getting all kinds of facts wrong. The iPod classic will not be getting an update with Genius functions. Don't ask us why... it just ain't.

Read - iPod classic getting Genius update
Read - Zunes getting Zune 3.0 firmware update

Poll: New iPods vs. new Zunes, what're you buying?

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 10th 2008 at 12:00PM

It would have been juicier if Microsoft hadn't announced the fall Zune lineup a day early and gone directly head-to-head with Apple's newly refreshed iPod lineup, but the fact is that if you're in the market for a new player the past 48 hours have delivered a slew of new options. Microsoft concentrated on the software side of the equation with Zune 3.0, but Redmond's players themselves got a WiFi music store, some new games, and Buy From FM, while Apple added in new Genius playlists across the board and updated the iPod nano's form factor and UI. At the high end of the capacity scale, the Zune seems to have the win on paper -- both the Zune 120 and the iPod classic frustratingly top out at 120GB, but the classic's stagnated essentially at the level of the 5.5G video iPod while the Zune 120 carries all the features of its smaller siblings. On top of all that, you have the newly-thinner iPod touch, with all of its browsing, media, gaming, and third-party application features -- and the lost purity of purpose adding all features those entails. That's a ton of choices -- so c'mon, kids, what's it going to be?

iPod classic refreshed, only comes in 120GB flavor now

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 9th 2008 at 12:06PM

Steve Jobs just announced that the iPod classic will only come in a single $249 120GB config from now on. Seriously, that's the only model of classic available now, storage junkies -- better snap up those outgoing 160GB models while you can.

iPod Classic hit with endless disk-spinning bug?

by Nilay Patel posted Oct 18th 2007 at 3:46PM

The tubes are buzzing this morning with reports that the recent iPod classic 1.0.2 update has a nasty bug in it that causes the drive to constantly spin -- a glitch that's a little more troubling than those freezing issues we heard about, since bumping a spinning platter is a sure way to kill your drive dead. Most users see the problem manifest as the battery draining much more quickly than it should, and it seems to be particularly a problem when using CoverFlow, but others say it's totally random and that replacement iPods with 1.0.2 loaded don't exhibit any symptoms. In any event, iPod Classic owners who haven't updated should probably hold off, and those who have should see how their devices are holding up.

Read -- Apple support thread #1
Read -- Apple support thread #2
Read -- iLounge forum thread

ColorWare adds Apple's latest offerings to its lineup

by Donald Melanson posted Oct 8th 2007 at 2:19PM

Not that it comes as much of a surprise (or any, really), but ColorWare has now brought all of Apple's latest offerings under its brightly-colored fold, with the new iMac, iPod touch, iPod nano, and iPod classic each available in "nearly 30 different colors." That, of course, means 29 colors, including such eye-catching options as blush pink, caution yellow, candy apple red, and crush orange, all of which can also be mixed and matched if you choose. As with ColorWare's other offerings, you can either purchase your colorized product of choice directly from ColorWare (for a premium price, of course) or send in your existing gear for a bit of sprucing up, which also doesn't exactly come cheap.

iPod classic and nano update fixes performance niggles

by Conrad Quilty-Harper posted Oct 8th 2007 at 4:14AM

Apparently that 1.0.1 iPod update the other week didn't do much to fix the iPod classic and nano's Coverflow performance, with a new update fixing low framerates and jerky animations once and for all. Overall faster menu performance is also part of the package, with TV Out functionality getting the fix it should have had in the first place, with a third "ask" option for selecting TV out mode when a cable is plugged in. These cases of release now, fix later are really becoming a bore.

[Thanks, Billy. Via MacRumors]

Apple's iPod classic experiencing issues of its own?

by Darren Murph posted Sep 25th 2007 at 2:18PM

If you were considering picking up one of Apple's capacious new iPod classics whilst casually snickering at those poor saps dealing with faulty screens on the iPod touch, you could be in for problems of your own. According to a number of reports around the web, users are experience a myriad issues with the new player, including high processor utilization, excruciatingly long connect / disconnect times, and random crashes that seemed to occur when the device attempted to "display preview images taken from album cover art." Some users are also reporting that iTunes will actually "freeze up and stop responding" after the classic is plugged in, and attempts to install firmware updates have apparently not remedied the issues. So, dear readers, how's your iPod classic faring? Are these quibbles legit, or is the intarweb working itself into an unsubstantiated frenzy?

[Thanks, Rahul B.]
Read - One new iPod classic, two new iPod bugs
Read - Mysterious problems with new iPod classic
Read - Discussions about iPod classic troubles

Myvu intros solo plus HMD with support for new iPods

by Evan Blass posted Sep 25th 2007 at 12:15PM

Just in case you were worried during "The Beat Goes On" that the new iPods wouldn't work with the current generation of head-mounted displays (which they apparently won't), myvu has come to the rescue with a new model that -- besides a shared distaste for capitalization -- also features an Apple authorization chip for guaranteed compatibility. The solo plus follows the nearly-identical solo that we saw earlier in the year, sporting a low-profile design, wired remote, and integrated, noise-canceling, earbud headphones, while playing nice with the touch, classic, and 3G nano. Also like the solo, the solo plus will retail for $200 when it hits stores in October, so start filling out those return slips if you happened to have purchased an original unit recently.

[Via iLounge]

iPod games must be repurchased for new iPods

by Donald Melanson posted Sep 19th 2007 at 11:16AM

It looks like those hoping to port their collection of iPod games over to their shiny new iPod nano or iPod classic are going to be out of luck, unless they fork over the cash for new "reformatted" versions of the games. Unfortunately, according to iLounge, only three iPod games have been updated for the latest-gen players, including EA's Tetris and Sudoku, and Namco's Ms. Pac-Man. On the upside, those three games have all received some changes of various degrees, including most notably an all new control scheme on Tetris that'll let you use the click wheel for block rotation. While there's no word on a timeline for upgraded versions of the remaining 15 games, the three that have been reformatted are apparently available for download now for $4.99 apiece.

[Image courtesy of iLounge]

iPod Classic firmware update improves Cover Flow performance

by Conrad Quilty-Harper posted Sep 15th 2007 at 4:10PM

Apple has already seen fit to give the new iPod Classics a firmware update, which according to the company does nothing but fix bugs. Members of iLounge's forum know otherwise, with members reporting that it improves previously sluggish menu and CoverFlow performance: one of the few gripes with the updated iPod. Notice anything else? Let loose in the comments.

P.S. Sick of all the fruit-related news? Don't moan, just check this out.

[Thanks, Julian]