Introduction
Engage the Neodymium Transducers! Apple's iPod is a portable MP3 player with a built-in hard drive (the original model started at 5GB, a second-generation model added 10 and 20GB options) and a speedy FireWire connection capable of transferring a whole CD's worth of songs to the device in seconds. Capable of storing 1,000 songs, 2,000 songs or 4000 songs, respectively, in high-quality (160Kbps) MP3 format, the 5, 10 and 20GB iPod models differ in a few notable ways, which we'll detail in this article. First, let's look at their common features.
All support MP3 bit rates up to 320Kbps, VBR (variable bit rate) MP3s, and WAV and AIFF formats, thanks to a firmware upgradeable architecture that promises to support other formats in the future, too. In addition, Apple in Mar. 2002 released a free software upgrade that turns the iPod into a contact organizer. This iPod contact feature includes new AppleScripts that Apple has developed. It is available now, from Apple's Web site at www.apple.com.
The iPod, says Apple, has a battery life of up to 10 hours, thanks to a Lithium-Ion battery, optional backlighting and 32MB of onboard memory, helping to minimize the amount of disk activity required. It charges automatically when connected to a Mac via FireWire and can quickcharge to 80% capacity in only one hour, or to full capacity in three hours.
Also included with the iPod is an AC adapter (apparently, the same one as is shipped with the new iBook) and a set of earphones, equipped with futuristically named "Neodymium Transducers."
July 2002 Revisions
At Macworld Expo in New York on July 17, 2002, Apple announced several notable revisions to the iPod. Most notably, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced a new, slimmer 10 (18mm) GB iPod and a 20 GB (21mm) iPod model at US$399 and US$499, respectively. The new models include a "virtual" solid-state Jog dial, a remote volume control, redesigned earbuds, a carrying case and a cover for the FireWire port, plus firmware revisions that add a clock, contact management features and an easier way to access a previously hidden "Easter egg" in the unit's ROM: a Breakout game.
The company also dropped the price of the original 5GB iPod to US$299 -- and, likening it a "Trojan horse," announced a version of iPod for Windows, due to ship in Aug with a special version of MusicMatch jukebox software, designed to do for Windows users what iTunes does on the Mac. It's worth noting that the Windows version of the iPod comes with the hard drive formatted for PCs; users wanting to use an iPod with both PC and Mac would be better off with the Mac version of the iPod and a PC utility such as as MediaFour's XPlay (detailed below.)
The company also said the new ear buds, carrying case and remote will also be made available to existing iPod users for US$39 each.
iTunes
The Mac version of the iPod comes with a copy of Apple's iTunes MP3 playlist management software. Originally delivered with iTunes 2.0, we expect the July 2002 iPods to ship with iTunes 3, also announced at MWNY. iTunes 3 features so-called "smart playlists" that automatically build song playlists based on certain criteria (e.g., "my top 25 most-played tunes" or "songs from the sixties"). There's also a "sound check" option that normalizes volume data and support for downloadable tracks from audible.com, a new "song rating" feature and new information fields for storing Genre and Composer information. Like its predecessors, iTunes 3 is available for free from Apple.com.
In addition to the seamless transfer of MP3 playlists between the player and a Mac, iTunes can burn CDs directly and features an integrated equalizer and cross-fading capabilities. Songs can be dragged-and-dropped between the devices, or selected via the iPod's scroll wheel and a monochrome LCD featuring a Mac-like "Chicago" font.
FireWire
Adding to the iPod's utility is the ability to use it as a FireWire disk drive capable of storing applications or other data, when connected to a FireWire-enabled Mac (or, via third-party software, to a Windows PC).
Copy Protection
Officially, Apple claims the iPod will not allow music to be copied between Macs. Speaking to the New York Times, Apple CEO Steve Jobs stated the company "had taken some steps to protect against piracy in the iPod." Jobs claims that songs loaded onto the iPod from a Macintosh computer cannot then be loaded from the device to a different Macintosh computer, a step he said would make it difficult for people to distribute music they own to other users. However, as noted at the Mac Resource Page, the iPod FAQ (PDF) shows that Mr. Jobs' comments are a bit overblown. (Read more....) Elsewhere, The Mac Observer shows how to work around this copy-protection limitation built into the iPod and the Mac's iTunes 2 software. (Read more....)
Compatibility
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Apple has developed the iPod as a means of leveraging the Mac advantage -- and selling more new Apple hardware. A side effect of this is the observation by Go2Mac that the iPod does not work with some third-party IEEE1394 add-on cards for older Macs from companies such as Orange Micro or Newer. Go2Mac says it was unable to get the iPod working on a Mac equipped with the Orange Micro card, and it recommends buying a new Apple laptop to use the product. Nevertheless, at least two third-party developers have announced Windows-compatible utilities designed to allow PC users to access the iPod, and rumours persist that Apple is also working on a Windows port of its software. Cross-platform developer Mediafour, best known for its MacDrive Mac media compatibility utility, says it will ship the final version of XPlay on June 24, 2002. It has offered a preview edition of the software since shortly after the iPod's release. XPlay is designed for use under Windows Me, 98SE, 2000 and XP. XPlay makes the iPod show up as a supported portable device inside the Windows Media Player, and plays music from the iPod through WMP or other PC based MP3 players. In addition to interfacing with Windows Media Player for music file compatibility, the US$29.95 software draws upon MediaFour's MacDrive functionality to allow read/write access to the iPod hard drive for data files of all types.
XPlay was originally planned to be called the XPod, but Mediafour changed it after Apple complained. The company says "Apple Computer, a company with which Mediafour has always had an amicable relationship, has expressed concern over our use of the name XPod. We believe that we have a legal and ethical right to use the name, so we're disappointed by the situation. We have chosen to change the name to XPlay at this point, rather than risking damage to our relationship with Apple." (Read more....)
Mediafour maintains that all you'll need is an iPod and a Windows computer with an IEEE 1394 card from D-Link, ADS, Orange Micro or other providers, suggesting that Go2Mac is off-base with its speculation that XPod may be dead in the water. Indeed, Mediafour's MacDrive 5 product already allows the iPod to be used as a hard drive on FireWire-equipped Windows PCs. As the tech specs for the card from D-Link specifically state that it provides 1.5-amp bus power per port (maximum), it is safe to say that PC users should be sure that any card considered as an upgrade provide at least this much power to its ports. Otherwise, a powered FireWire hub may be required.
There's another program to make an iPod work under Windows, too. Dubbed, "EphPod," (yecch!), it is one of several iPod add-ons and accessories noted in the MacWorld expo roundup at iPod-Zone. It's from TrentSoft. (Read more....)
Meanwhile, Apple's free contact organizer software throws the future of a similar utility from ProVue Development into doubt. ProVue designed a database utility for Macintosh that allows contacts to be stored on the iPod. The program, known as the Panorama iPod Organizer, sells for US$19.95. The company, best known for its Panorama database product, says the utility requires no tinkering with the iPod itself, but instead uses the various menus (artist, album, song title) to store addresses, contact names and phone numbers or e-mail addresses. Provue says 1,000 contacts can be stored in less than 0.1 percent of a 5GB iPod's hard drive. (Read more....)
Caveats
The original iPod lacked a belt clip or, indeed, any other way to attach a carrying strap. Naturally, a number of third parties have developed slip-on covers for the unit, but this is a puzzling design flaw in an otherwise well-executed design. Apple addressed this issue with iPod cases announced in 2002.
Some users experienced crashes with early iPods, but firmware updates released since then appear to have eliminated these early stability issues.
Apple in Jan. 2002 released the first major iPod software update. Version 1.0.4 added support for iPod names of up to 255 characters and Brazilian/Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish localizations; and addressed "compatibility and performance issues which users may have experienced with version 1.0.3." Subsequent firmware updates (at this writing, v1.2 is the latest Mac release) added additional features, including support for new features of iTunes 3 (Genres, etc.) and contact management features. These are detailed below.
There have been disturbing reports of iPods dying en masse or spontaneously losing their battery charges, suggesting a quality control problem or design flaw in early models. The lack of a user-replaceable battery (or even a door on the unit to allow such battery replacement) suggests that the iPod is best looked at a disposable device with a 2- or 3-year useful life expectancy at most, if you recharge it every day or two. Sony, the manufacturer of the unit's Lithium polymer battery (model# UP325385 A4H in the June 2001 Catalog), says the expected life span is "more than 500 charging cycles." Already, we're seeing reports of iPods little more than a year old that only play music for an hour or so per charge. (www.ipodbattery.com sells replacement batteries.) And stories of the mechanical scroll wheel on older iPods becoming unusably loose are commonplace.
Firmware Updates
Apple on March 20 released iPod Software 1.1, a free update that adds a contacts menu to store your address book and a new equalizer with more than 20 presets and independent settings for each song. The company also provides Applescripts to transfer addresses from Entourage and OS X mail to the iPod.
The iPod 1.1 Updater also includes several other improvements:
iPod Software 1.1 Updater Read Me
System software requirements: Mac OS X 10.1, Mac OS 9.2.1
Changes since 1.0.4:
iPod Software 1.1 adds significant enhancements and new features to iPod.
In August 2002, Apple released iPod Software 1.2, a free firmware update that adds the contacts, calendar, clock, Audible.com support, Sound Check functionality, play count tracking, and other enhancements shown at Macworld Expo NY to older iPods.
iPod update 1.3 followed in April 2003, enabling AAC playback on classic iPods. Note, however, that this firmware update does not provide the new games, on-the-go playlists, text notes or alarm clock features of the 2003 iPods. (Details.)
Interesting Add-ons
Some of the coolest add-ons for the iPod come from Griffin Technology. The company's iFM adds an FM radio tuner to the iPod, while the iTrip wirelessly broadcasts the iPod's audio output to any nearby FM radio. PowerPod Auto powers an iPod via a 12-volt adapter for your automobile's cigarette lighter.
Conclusion
The iPod's speedy FireWire interface is a great feature, but Apple wasn't the first company to announce a FireWire-enabled player. At the CES Consumer Electronics Show in early 2001, Creative Labs was showing an IEEE1394-connected version of its 20GB Nomad jukebox, and the manuals for the company's Audigy soundcards (which include an IEEE1394 port onboard) list this Nomad as a FireWire connection option.
And then there's the price. The 10GB iPod sells for US$399 (C$599); the 20GB model retails for US$499/C$749 -- pretty pricey for a portable music player. Considering that a Nomad selling for about the same price offers four times the amount of storage in the iPod, Mac users should consider whether the iPod's size, FireWire interface and disk functionality (not to mention the "cool factor") justify the extra expense. For us, it's the latter consideration that makes the answer to that question a "yes" in our books.
New iPods
Apple in April 2003 discontinued all the models listed above and introduced a redesigned line of iPods with a slimmer, lighter design and new capabilities, including AAC audio support. Also notable are reports that Apple now says it won't support the use of the older Mac iPods on PCs and are not responsible for problems that may ensue, even when it is the company's own software that causes the problems.
See our iPod2 report for details.
For Further Reading:
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