2G iPod Shuffle has poor support for podcasting
I was a bit disappointed that the second generation iPod Shuffle has a poor support for podcasting.
In other words, the 2G iPod Shuffle is an intentionally (by Apple) crippled iPod.
Here is the iPod Shuffle menu in iTunes 7.0.2 (Dutch localization). As you can see, there is no podcast tab:
- there is no podcast tab in the iPod menu, so you can't autosync individual podcasts
- smart playlists cannot autosync (you need to drag the smart playlist on your iPod icon in iTunes to manually upload the audio files to your 2G iPod Shuffle)
In other words, the 2G iPod Shuffle is an intentionally (by Apple) crippled iPod.
Here is the iPod Shuffle menu in iTunes 7.0.2 (Dutch localization). As you can see, there is no podcast tab:
Comments
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300558
The Autofill feature of iTunes will not add audiobooks and podcasts to iPod shuffle. Instead, you should manually add audiobooks and podcasts to iPod shuffle by dragging them to the iPod shuffle playlist.
I hope Apple fixes this, so we can all enjoy podcasting with the autofill function enabled.
I found this on the Apple Support site:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300558
I hope Apple fixes this, so we can all enjoy podcasting with the autofill function enabled.
I think that what Apple has done is a rather smart move. If you have Podcasts and Audiobooks in your library, you might not want them in your ipod when you autofill. To save you the time of having to look through the contents of your shuffle to find and delete if you don't want, they do not autofill podcasts or audiobooks. And manually clicking and dragging isn't such a big deal. Unless you cannot (I don't know if you can), at which point, then, yes, that is quite annoying.
The shuffle is the odd one out of the lot because it doesn't have a screen or menu system. I personally wouldn't want iTunes to just dump everything on the shuffle, especially long podcasts that you typically only listen to once.
In fact I'd go so far as to say Apple should have never even called it an iPod to begin with. It lacks the signature iPod menu system and the clickwheel and as a result a lot of the more complex things an iPod can do.
Yes it probably would make a good second ipod for someone or a good first ipod for anyone who just want s no-frills MP3 player that acts more like a long CD.
This leads me to believe that this iPod is meant as a second iPod and that it is financed by the sales of songs on the iTunes Store
Shuffle pays for itself, Apple doesn't do loss leaders that I've seen. The iTunes store doesn't make much money and cannot support the expense of player hardware.
I do agree, if I bought a shuffle, I would like autofill to include unplayed podcasts. They aren't that hard to skip past if they are undesirable.
It looks like maybe you found a workaround, create a smart playlist that tracks unplayed podcasts, and have autofill use that playist to fill the shuffle.
Winamp has an excellent plugin that does this. Switch to Winamp and download this plugin http://mlipod.com/ , if you do not require patronising and unnecessary stops on your pod and you cannot write applescripts etc.
I hope this is of help. I bought my iPod Shuffle yesterday, for the express reason of syncing podcasts! I love it and think that Apple are amazing but am disappointed with this patronising attitude - at least have a button to press to exclude/include podcasts in autofill. Who agrees?