iPod Tracker : iPod News

Just a few personal thoughts on iPod Download as compared to El iPod. This weekend I wanted to add songs to my iBook … using my 3G iPod. I downloaded a copy of iPod Download and gave it a go with very mixed results.

iPod Download indexed all the songs on the iPod, but the software did not download the lusic I wanted. Instead, it seemed to just download 23 random songs - some bought from iTMS and others not so.

So … I turned to El iPodo, and what a piece of work it is! It found my iPod and all the music. El iPodo quikly downloaded all my music into whatever directory I wanted. Excellent stuff!

Amazon.com’s top selling electronics list reflects speculation that the Apple iPod is the Christmas gift of 2004. The list shows Apple in a dominating position within the top 5 sellers for this Christmas season. The top 5 list is as follows …

1. Philips DVP642 DivX-Certified Progressive-Scan DVD Player
2. Apple 4 GB iPod Mini Silver
3. iTunes $15 Prepaid Card
4. Apple 20 GB iPod
5. Sennheiser RS-120 New On Hook Charging Wireless Headphone

CNET News.com reports that some users of iTunes are experiencing problems when purchasing music whereby iTunes closes with an error. Apple have refused to make comment on the problem.

Toshiba have announced that they will shipping a new 80Gb Hard Drive in the 3rd quarter of 2005, leading to speculation of a new iPod based on the new drive. This time Toshiba did not name any prospective buyers, unlike before! Also … look out for a new slimmer 40Gb Toshiba Hard Drive, pencilled in for the 2nd quarter of 2005.

So what does this mean? Probably an updated iPod Photo late next year.

Apple Computer have ended Real’s Harmony - a way in which music purchased from the Real online music store may be played on the iPod. It is believed that the last iPod Updater included the changes to stop Harmony in it’s tracks. CNET News are reporting the issue, which has also been picked up by the folks at Apple Insider.

This dispute is an ongoing one. Earlier this year Real approached Apple to allow music purchased from their own online music store to play on the iPod. Apple were not willing to agree yet Real went ahead and developed a way round, leading to the current situation.

Apple Computer and PayPal today announced that US citizens can now use their PayPal account to buy music on the iTunes Music Store. The first 500,00 customers to open a new iTunes Music Store account using PayPal as their method of payment will receive 5 free songs.

However, this offer is only open to US citizens. It is not known if it will be expanded in the future.

The folks over at Apple Insider have received reports that the iPod mini is to be revised early in the new year. While no precise time frame was given, we should remember that MWSF is taking place in mid-January.

The new iPod mini is rumoured to have a 5Gb hard drive, which will increase the storage capacity to 1250 songs … up from the current maximum of 1000 songs. There are also unconfirmed rumours of redesigned case finishes ranging from refined colours and a more metallic appearance.

After a long wait, Apple have finally made their iTunes Music Store available to customers in Canada. In a statement released to MacWorld, Apple admitted that they had missed their intended release date within the month of November. No reason for the delay was given.

Having said that … happy shopping!