Users report iPod classic issues after iTunes 9 update

[AppleInsider]

Numerous iPod classic users have reported problems with the latest update to iTunes, released last week, with claims of crashes when attempting to sync the media player.

In addition to threads on the Apple Support forums (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) some have contacted AppleInsider to voice their concern over allegedly dysfunctional iPod classics, ranging from 80GB to 160GB in size. Some say they have seen their media player fail to sync with the latest iTunes update, and efforts to fix the problem have only made the situation worse. Both Windows and Mac users have reported the issues.

One person said their 160GB iPod classic failed once iTunes 9 was installed on Snow Leopard. The iPod reportedly ejects itself automatically. Putting the iPod into disk mode did not address the problem.

Others on various operating systems say that iTunes 9 does not recognize their iPod classic, preventing them from syncing, restoring, or essentially doing anything with the media player via a computer.

At least one user said the issue was resolved by resetting the iPod and reconnecting it to the computer via USB. However, other users claim they attempted to restore factory settings on the device, only for it to still not sync, leaving them with an iPod void of media.

iTunes 9 was released last week bringing app management, iTunes LP album downloads, and a redesigned iTunes Store. It also disabled sync capabilities with the Palm Pre.

Apple also released a new, higher capacity iPod classic this week, now offering 160GB of storage for $249. The new 160GB model has the same "thin" profile as the previous 120GB offering.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[Crankenstein]

Wow! Apple just can't seem to bat one outa' the park. Instead of working so hard to 'combat' Microsoft, maybe they should try just concentrate on delivering a good end product, they've gotten so caught up in bashing Microsoft and trying to beat them to the punch over and over... They are burying themselves under the weight of they're own gloat.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

Maybe it was an attempt to block the Palm Pre that did them in with this current issue.

[adisor19]

Originally Posted by Napoleon_PhoneApart

Maybe it was an attempt to block the Palm Pre that did them in with this current issue.

I have the same feeling since the Pre was posing as a classic iPod to iTunes after all..

Adi

[mcmlxix]

It's not just the Classic, but the Touch as well. Plugging in to sync causes iTunes to go unresponsive and needing forced quit...and other times it's ok.

Mac...it just works...sometimes.

[camroidv27]

Originally Posted by Crankenstein

Wow! Apple just can't seem to bat one outa' the park. Instead of working so hard to 'combat' Microsoft, maybe they should try just concentrate on delivering a good end product, they've gotten so caught up in bashing Microsoft and trying to beat them to the punch over and over... They are burying themselves under the weight of they're own gloat.

Yep! Though, there are those that will argue that this is the first release of iTunes 9. While that may be true, at least Apple knows exactly what hardware they are working with and should have tested it with a decent range of hardware versions of the Classic.
But I wish Apple in their ads would stop railing against the "PC". I want to know what the Apple can do on its own. If you can prove to me that the Macintosh is a viable computer WITHOUT putting down someone else, I'm more inclined to buy it. Same thing can equally be said of MS. I don't like their commercials any better railing against the price of Macs.

Anyway, expect a fix soon and these issues will pass soon.

[pondosinatra]

Maybe "PC" can mention the crashing iPods in the next "I'm a Mac" commercial

[mistergsf]

Originally Posted by camroidv27

Yep! Though, there are those that will argue that this is the first release of iTunes 9. While that may be true, at least Apple knows exactly what hardware they are working with and should have tested it with a decent range of hardware versions of the Classic.
But I wish Apple in their ads would stop railing against the "PC". I want to know what the Apple can do on its own. If you can prove to me that the Macintosh is a viable computer WITHOUT putting down someone else, I'm more inclined to buy it. Same thing can equally be said of MS. I don't like their commercials any better railing against the price of Macs.

Anyway, expect a fix soon and these issues will pass soon.

I'm not on Snow Leopard yet; still on 10.5.8 and my 160G new Classic syncs fine with iTunes 9 and have not noticed any immediate problems. The only occurrence of anything wrong was during listening on my way to work, I was toggling the middle button of the click wheel very fast during a song and my iPod froze. Was fine again after reset. Just FYI.

[Tofino]

Originally Posted by Crankenstein

Wow! Apple just can't seem to bat one outa' the park. Instead of working so hard to 'combat' Microsoft, maybe they should try just concentrate on delivering a good end product, they've gotten so caught up in bashing Microsoft and trying to beat them to the punch over and over... They are burying themselves under the weight of they're own gloat.

really? you think apple's advertising agency has any clue what apple's engineers are doing?
you're kidding, right?

[thespaz]

I had a slight issue with my iPod classic in iTunes 9 too! I was updating the playlist on it with new music and it would get through halfway of copying the songs, then iTunes would crash. So I erased ALL of the songs, and copied the playlist over and it was fine.

I haven't messed with it again after that. I haven't noticed any problems with my new iPod touch though.

[camroidv27]

Originally Posted by mistergsf

I'm not on Snow Leopard yet; still on 10.5.8 and my 160G new Classic syncs fine with iTunes 9 and have not noticed any immediate problems. The only occurrence of anything wrong was during listening on my way to work, I was toggling the middle button of the click wheel very fast during a song and my iPod froze. Was fine again after reset. Just FYI.

My iPod Touch syncs fine with iTunes 9 and WinXP. I'm sure there are many of those classics who have success that go unreported. For you, I'm glad its working correctly!

[D.J. Adequate]

I've been able to get my 160 Classic to sync just fine, so it's not universal. Hope Apple figures this out soon, though, as it must be frustrating to those who fall prey to it.

[Axolotl]

Originally Posted by camroidv27

My iPod Touch syncs fine with iTunes 9 and WinXP. I'm sure there are many of those classics who have success that go unreported. For you, I'm glad its working correctly!

I'm one of those! I have an old 160 G classic ipod and it's working fine with itunes 9. I've 10.5.8 though.

[jglavin]

My 120GB Classic also syncs just fine under 10.6.1 and iTunes 9.

[c4rlob]

This seems like the weakest and most error prone of all the iTunes updates. It seems that Apple got caught rushing out a product and software refresh before they were ready; i.e., iTunes interface missteps; iTunes LP download problems; syncing problems; the iPod Touch not getting a camera, and the iPod nano getting a camera but only video.

[Gazoobee]

Originally Posted by Crankenstein

Wow! Apple just can't seem to bat one outa' the park. Instead of working so hard to 'combat' Microsoft, maybe they should try just concentrate on delivering a good end product, they've gotten so caught up in bashing Microsoft and trying to beat them to the punch over and over... They are burying themselves under the weight of they're own gloat.

You sound delusional.

What are you talking about when you say they are concentrating on "bashing Microsoft" or "beating them to the punch?"

MIcrosoft and Apple hardly compete in software except for OS's, and Apple has handily beaten Microsoft to the punch on that front for almost the entire existence of the two companies.

[ghostface147]

I guess I need to check my old 5.5th generation iPod. I need to clean the dust off of it. It's actually used as my backup drive for all my iTunes media, pictures and other related content. Always smart to have your information in more than one place.

[elroth]

Originally Posted by c4rlob

This seems like the weakest and most error prone of all the iTunes updates. It seems that Apple got caught rushing out a product and software refresh before they were ready; i.e., iTunes interface missteps; iTunes LP download problems; syncing problems; the iPod Touch not getting a camera, and the iPod nano getting a camera but only video.

"iTunes interface missteps" - you are too kind, sir. The new iTunes is totally annoying. Create a new playlist - you get a window that offers you a tutorial on dragging songs to your new playlist. What??? 100 million iTunes users (as Jobs proudly said), and nobody knows how to drag a song to a new playlist? No matter how many new playlists you open, that window comes up, replacing the list of songs that you were looking at.

And the cookies issue - for Mac users, you MUST have Safari 4.0.3, and you MUST allow it to accept cookies, or you can't buy anything from the iTunes Store. iTunes 9 sets cookies into your Safari browser (I don't know what it does for Windows users). If you routinely erase cookies and disable them (or if you use a different browser and keep Safari closed with cookies disabled), you won't be able to view your account page or buy anything without going to Safari and changing your setting to accept cookies*. If Safari is set to accept cookies, iTunes will set cookies there even if Safari is closed!

*You can log into the store's first level and access your wishlist, but you can't buy anything or view your account details.

[Jimzip]

Originally Posted by Crankenstein

Wow! Apple just can't seem to bat one outa' the park. Instead of working so hard to 'combat' Microsoft, maybe they should try just concentrate on delivering a good end product, they've gotten so caught up in bashing Microsoft and trying to beat them to the punch over and over... They are burying themselves under the weight of they're own gloat.

Dear sir, you have been summoned back to Redmond. Thank you for visiting.

Jimzip

[al_bundy]

Any word if these iPod classics are jailbroken?

[MattB]

Originally Posted by Axolotl

I have an old 160 G classic ipod and it's working fine with itunes 9. I've 10.5.8 though.

Same here. I've got the same combination with my G5.

Originally Posted by al_bundy

Any word if these iPod classics are jailbroken?

None of them are I expect. Not really any point jail-breaking an iPod Classic (if such a tool actually existed) as there's no software to run on it. With a full firmware flash like Rockbox or iPod Linux it isn't going to work with iTunes anyway.

[hillstones]

Originally Posted by al_bundy

Any word if these iPod classics are jailbroken?

Have you ever seen an iPod Classic? It is an iPod. It is not an iPhone or an iPod Touch. They can't be jailbroken.

[hillstones]

My iPod Classic 120GB with 2.0.1 software works great with 10.6, 10.6.1 and iTunes 9. Perhaps it is mostly with the 80 GB and older 160 GB models with the 1.0.x software (to which Apple refuses to update).

[razorpit]

I don't like how podcasts are now sorted. Before I could listen to part of a podcast, snyc and everything would remain sorted by date. Now if I sync part way through, that episode moves to the bottom of the list. If I go back to listen to that episode I have to take my iPhone out and select the next episode once it finishes. That's a pain when you are driving or working out. Why would they change that?

[TG1970]

We have an old 60GB 5th generation and a 80GB iPod Classic and haven't had any problems with iTunes 9 (running 10.6.1) synching either of them.

[lkrupp]

Originally Posted by c4rlob

This seems like the weakest and most error prone of all the iTunes updates. It seems that Apple got caught rushing out a product and software refresh before they were ready; i.e., iTunes interface missteps; iTunes LP download problems; syncing problems; the iPod Touch not getting a camera, and the iPod nano getting a camera but only video.

You are so full of it I can smell you way over here. Anecdotal "My iPod, Mac, Whatever, doesn't work" stories are baloney in the grand scheme of things and statistically irrelevant. My son uses iTunes on his Vista box. I use iTunes on my iMac. No problems ever. My iPod 3G (10GB) still works with it's original battery and syncs to iTunes 9 without issue. If your read it on the internet it isn't always true and it certainly isn't necessarily widespread.

[NonVendorFan]

Originally Posted by lkrupp

You are so full of it I can smell you way over here. Anecdotal "My iPod, Mac, Whatever, doesn't work" stories are baloney in the grand scheme of things and statistically irrelevant. My son uses iTunes on his Vista box. I use iTunes on my iMac. No problems ever. My iPod 3G (10GB) still works with it's original battery and syncs to iTunes 9 without issue. If your read it on the internet it isn't always true and it certainly isn't necessarily widespread.

You do realize the irony of you calling BS on someone for having a problem with their iPod not working properly with iTunes 9? You state "if you read it on the internet it isn't always true".

The story he was commenting on was about the very same product that is having the problem that this story is about?

[raybo]

My 160 Classic works fine. But (off topic) with SL I lost ability to drag multiple files into iTunes - it only takes one at a time. Has anyone seen this?

[chezhoy]

I haven't had that issue with my 120 GB yet.

I have had different issues. I have Snow Leopard 10.6.1 and iTunes 9 on my MacBook 13 inch (less than 8 months old). When iTunes is downloading podcasts and I trash the previous ones I have listened to, I go and try to empty the trash can...it will ask you to empty and you click to confirm, Finder doesn't open to confirm. After that happens, any icons on my desktop, not dock (dock items are fine) won't open. I have to click on the Apple icon and Force Quit Finder, which prompts a relaunch. It turns off the laptop and doesn't restart. You have to turn it on again...oy vay.

Anyone have similar issues?

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by raybo

My 160 Classic works fine. But (off topic) with SL I lost ability to drag multiple files into iTunes - it only takes one at a time. Has anyone seen this?

I haven’t seen this, but I’d post it at Apple’s forums and MacOSXHints.com to try to get some assistance. In the mean time, you can always use iTunes 9’s new "Automatically Add to iTunes” folder in your iTunes Music folder to have multiple items update.

[Postulant]

My Classic works great...

Nobody ever mentions the 50 million or so that work flawlessly.

[NonVendorFan]

Originally Posted by Postulant

My Classic works great...

Nobody ever mentions the 50 million or so that work flawlessly.

Why would they? In my area AT&T coverage is great. I don't come on this board to compain about that. I come to this site to make others aware of problems with 1 product.
The iPhone 3G.

With 3.1 on my 3G iPhone my WiFi is inconsistent and my Bluetooth loses connections during a call with my cars built in Bluetooth.. Look it up.
People complain when their components don't work properly.

Check Apple Forum Boards.

People don't complain when things are going OK or look to Forum Boards to vent their frustration. It's when they have a real problem. 8 Months and counting until I'm out of my contract with AT&T (actually Apple).

Made the mistake twice with the original iPhone (Paid fulll price) and again with the 3G.
Didn't make the same mistake again with the 3GS.

Android is the future yet you all still think that Google is your buddy. It's business not friends and Google is not

[NonVendorFan]

Originally Posted by Postulant

My Classic works great...

Nobody ever mentions the 50 million or so that work flawlessly.

Why would they? In my area AT&T coverage is great. I don't come on this board to complain about that. I come to this site to make others aware of problems with 1 product.
The iPhone 3G.

With 3.1 on my 3G iPhone my WiFi is inconsistent and my Bluetooth loses connections during a call with my cars built in Bluetooth.. Look it up.
People complain when their components don't work properly.

Check Apple Forum Boards.

People don't complain when things are going OK or look to Forum Boards to vent their frustration. It's when they have a real problem. 8 Months and counting until I'm out of my contract with AT&T (actually Apple).

Made the mistake twice with the original iPhone (Paid fulll price) and again with the 3G.
Didn't make the same mistake again with the 3GS.

Android is the future yet you all still think that Google is your buddy. It's business not friends and Google is not Apple's friend anymore. They have made that clear.

[Postulant]

Originally Posted by NonVendorFan

Why would they? In my area AT&T coverage is great. I don't come on this board to compain about that. I come to this site to make others aware of problems with 1 product.
The iPhone 3G.

With 3.1 on my 3G iPhone my WiFi is inconsistent and my Bluetooth loses connections during a call with my cars built in Bluetooth.. Look it up.
People complain when their components don't work properly.

Check Apple Forum Boards.

People don't complain when things are going OK or look to Forum Boards to vent their frustration. It's when they have a real problem. 8 Months and counting until I'm out of my contract with AT&T (actually Apple).

Made the mistake twice with the original iPhone (Paid fulll price) and again with the 3G.
Didn't make the same mistake again with the 3GS.

Android is the future yet you all still think that Google is your buddy. It's business not friends and Google is not

Well, I logged in to say mine is working fine...

I've had a wonderful experience with the iPhone. I guess that's why I've bought all three.

Good luck with Android. And as a consumer, Google is my buddy.

[jodyfanning]

My old 160 Classic works better with iTunes 9 than it did with 8. Syncing on Windows 7 no longer always opens an Explorer window.

[elroth]

Originally Posted by lkrupp

You are so full of it I can smell you way over here. Anecdotal "My iPod, Mac, Whatever, doesn't work" stories are baloney in the grand scheme of things and statistically irrelevant. My son uses iTunes on his Vista box. I use iTunes on my iMac. No problems ever. My iPod 3G (10GB) still works with it's original battery and syncs to iTunes 9 without issue. If your read it on the internet it isn't always true and it certainly isn't necessarily widespread.

Yes, I know your type. Everything is anecdotal, Apple does no wrong, etc. etc. Then when Apple comes out with a fix for the problem you didn't believe existed, you can praise apple for fixing their mistakes.

Apple makes great products - but sometimes they release a product too early, before all the bugs are worked out, and sometimes they just make a mistake. As Apple makes more products and the hardware becomes more complicated, there will undoubtedly be more problems.

If 2% of Apple customers have a problem and you're not one of the 2%, you say they're lying or they're just Apple-bashing. Just hope that next time you're not one of the 2% who has to wait two months for a fix of a major problem.

[Big KC]

Originally Posted by pondosinatra

Maybe "PC" can mention the crashing iPods in the next "I'm a Mac" commercial

Yeah, that's a fabulous idea.

That's even lamer than the actual ads. What would be the purpose of this - to try to take Zune's market share over 2%? That's not gonna happen, no matter how much Ballmer apologists play up this egregious software meltdown (errrr, minor bug that will fixed within days).

[nli10]

Originally Posted by D.J. Adequate

I've been able to get my 160 Classic to sync just fine, so it's not universal. Hope Apple figures this out soon, though, as it must be frustrating to those who fall prey to it.

Me to - didn't know there were even issues until I saw the story and I use my launch iPod 160Gb daily. Maybe it's the new ones?

[anantksundaram]

My 10-year old saw my iPod 1.0 (yeah, the original classic) lying around and wanted to listen to it. So, on a whim, I decided to update/sync (SL 10.6.1, iTunes 9.0), with no expectation that it would work.

I was really quite taken aback (and my 10-year old quite impressed) by how seamlessly it synced with the new software, and how the darn thing still works like a charm. (Btw, does anyone else think that the sound output quality on the original is way better than the Touch or the iPhone?)

[malax]

Originally Posted by elroth

Yes, I know your type. Everything is anecdotal, Apple does no wrong, etc. etc. Then when Apple comes out with a fix for the problem you didn't believe existed, you can praise apple for fixing their mistakes.

Apple makes great products - but sometimes they release a product too early, before all the bugs are worked out, and sometimes they just make a mistake. As Apple makes more products and the hardware becomes more complicated, there will undoubtedly be more problems.

If 2% of Apple customers have a problem and you're not one of the 2%, you say they're lying or they're just Apple-bashing. Just hope that next time you're not one of the 2% who has to wait two months for a fix of a major problem.

He's not saying anyone is lying. He's saying that the fact that some number of people is reporting a problem doesn't necessarily mean anything. You touch on the point yourself: perhaps this problem affects 2% (or 0.2% or 20%) of users, but one might think from the article that it's much bigger. The that that we have is a "few" anecdotes about problems with iPod Classics tells us _nothing_ about how widespread the problem is.