New iPod: dual platform use out of the box?
i have a friend who's considering buying an iPod but only if he can use it on both his PC and his girlfriend's Mac. Is that possible with the new iPod? It seems to me it might be possible, because Apple no longer seems to be selling the PC and Mac version separately (at least judging from the online Apple Store). In which case, what format is the hard drive formatted in: HFS+ or FAT32 or is it partitioned? I am having difficulty imagining how Apple could achieve this dual use out of the box.
If true however, my friend would be very happy, and probably lots of other people who surely are in the same situation. It also would help tremendously with those legions of switchers who are kind of on the fence or still transitioning.
Any info appreciated. Thanks.
If true however, my friend would be very happy, and probably lots of other people who surely are in the same situation. It also would help tremendously with those legions of switchers who are kind of on the fence or still transitioning.
Any info appreciated. Thanks.
Comments
"The new iPod was designed for listening to digital music away from your computer ? whether it?s a Mac or Windows PC. One simple connection does it all. A handy new dock connector on the bottom of the iPod enables the device to link to a computer and sync files via FireWire 400 (Mac or Windows) or USB 2.0 (Windows only)."
One iPod will work with either a PC or a Mac. That's all I know. I've heard that the iPods are initially formatted HFS+ but if they're plugged into a Pc, they reformat to a Win32 FS. I don't know if that's really possible, but it has to do something to work with both platfrms out of the box.
Originally posted by BuonRotto
One iPod will work with either a PC or a Mac. That's all I know. I've heard that the iPods are initially formatted HFS+ but if they're plugged into a Pc, they reformat to a Win32 FS. I don't know if that's really possible, but it has to do something to work with both platfrms out of the box.
That's right. According to KBase article 61903:
"As shipped from the factory, iPod's hard disk is formatted as a Mac OS Extended format (HFS Plus) volume. When you connect iPod to a PC, iPod for Windows 2.0 software reformats the disk using the Windows (FAT32) format. If iPod does not appear in MusicMatch the first time you connect it after installing the software, the disk may be still formatted as a Mac OS Extended disk. You can check the disk format in the About Screen in the Settings menu. If it does not say "Windows" then reinstall the iPod software and check again to make sure it formatted the disk using the Windows (FAT32) format."
The article was created on April 28, 2003.
Originally posted by cygsid
i have a friend who's considering buying an iPod but only if he can use it on both his PC and his girlfriend's Mac. Is that possible with the new iPod?
Seems like he actually plans to re-sync the iPod every time he alternates between his computer and his girlfriend's?
I think the only new cross-platform support for the new iPods is the Firewire/USB2 connection and nothing internal to the device.
Screed
Originally posted by pesi
well, you can't use an ipod on more than one computer, period. whether it be pc or mac. without using some extra software, that is. the way the ipod is defaultly set up, it's tied to one particular computer, as a sort of weak DRM.
this from apple's ipod page:
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Updating your iPod music collection
Let?s say you have a Mac or PC at home and another at school or work. When you first connect iPod with your Mac or PC, iPod recognizes it as your primary computer. From then on, it automatically updates your music on iPod to match the music library on that computer. When you connect to a different Mac or PC, a dialog box asks if you want to link your iPod with this new iTunes Library, in effect making it your new primary computer. Updating is as simple as that.
Manual mode option
Prefer to manage your music directly or have music on different computers? No problem. Both iTunes 4 and MUSICMATCH Jukebox give you the option to control the contents of your iPod by dragging individual songs to create your own custom playlists. This lets you decide when you want to update your iPod (it will not be affected by any changes in your music library).
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so i guess you can connect an ipod to as many computers as you want and keep adding stuff to it as you like!
the big ? is can you upload music to your computer through itunes or do have to use the ipod as an harddisc to transfer music from one computer to another?
Dont quote me on that tho, I am only 50% sure