2010 iPod + iPhone Buyers' Guide

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Ask iLounge 3-6-05

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By Kirk McElhearn

Contributing Editor
Published: Sunday, March 6, 2005
Category: Ask iLounge

Ask iLounge offers readers the opportunity to get answers to their iPod-related questions from a member of the iLounge editorial team. We'll answer several questions here each week, and of course, you can always get help with more immediate concerns from the iLounge Discussion Forums. Submit your questions for consideration using our Ask iLounge Submit Form. We reserve the right to edit questions for grammar, spelling, and length.

The most asked question at iLounge.com:

How do I copy music from my iPod onto my computer?

Click here for the answer.

The second most asked question at iLounge.com:

How do I put DVDs on my iPod?


For converting DVDs, web video, TV shows and home movies to your iPod, iPhone or Apple TV, we have a three-part series outlining the best formats, settings, and various tools to use for converting all types of video content for use on these devices.

The Complete Guide to iPod, Apple TV and iPhone Video Formats

The Complete Guide to iPod, iPhone and Apple TV Video Conversion (Mac)

The Complete Guide to iPod, iPhone and Apple TV Video Conversion (Windows)

Top five questions most recently asked by iLounge readers:

Q: What are the best speakers to use with my iPod? (15, 76-79, and 90-92)

Q: What are the best headphones to use with my iPod? (10, 72-75, and 90-92)

Q: I really want to get a nice case for my iPod. Do you have any suggestions? (36-37, 54-67, and 90-92)

Q: How can I connect my iPod to my car stereo? (14, 32-35, 68-71, and 90-92)

Q: Are there any batteries that I can use to extend my iPod's battery life? (82-83 and 90-92)

A: Answers to these and many other questions can be found in two places. Our Free iPod Book 3.3 provides a complete report card to all of the iPod accessories we've reviewed as of summer 2007, as well as over 125 iTunes and iPod tips & tricks. Further, our new 2008 iPod & iPhone Buyers' Guide has accessory tutorials at the page numbers listed in parentheses above. These and other publications in our Library are free downloads, developed by the editors of iLounge!

And now, for this week's Ask iLounge column:

Q:

I’m a 5th grader doing a science fair project: Is the iPod’s shuffle mode truly random? Can you tell me if the iPod’s shuffle feature uses random or pseudo-random number selection? Do you believe your iPod gets to “know” what people like or dislike?

- Paul

A:

The iPod’s shuffle mode works as follows: when you start playing music in this mode, the iPod shuffles all your tracks (much like a deck of cards) and creates an internal list for your library (or for a selected playlist, genre, artist, etc.). It then plays the songs in this order until it reaches the end of the list.

The next time you turn on shuffle mode, the iPod does the same thing. If you listen to 20 songs one day, then listen to another 20 songs the next day, it is possible that one or more of the first 20 songs will come up in the second set of 20. Random playback means that each time you start playing the iPod in shuffle mode the songs are mixed up; therefore, each song has an equal probability of coming first in the list, second, third, and so on.

There is a difference between this shuffle mode and true random playback, however. The shuffle mode creates a list of songs and plays them in that order; random playback would give each song an equal probability of coming up next, which would lead to some songs coming up several times in continuous play.

As long as you keep your iPod playing in shuffle mode (without syncing it, playing other albums or playlists, or doing something that stops the shuffle play), you’ll hear every song on your iPod once, and only once, until it gets to the end of the list.

And, no, your iPod probably doesn’t get to know what you like, unless you use the rating feature or an iTunes Smart Playlist based on your most frequently played songs.

Q:

Do you have any idea where the name iPod comes from?

- Alex

A:

Well, no. Not exactly. However, we can speculate.

In 1998, Apple released the first iMac; the “i” in iMac stood for Internet, suggesting that the iMac was an Internet-ready Macintosh computer. The popularity of this computer led Apple to use the “i” name for other things, such as iPhoto, iTunes, etc. The initial iPod was released in October 2001, and was probably named to capitalize on the popularity of the “i”.

A pod is a container for seeds, or for alien life forms, as in the movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It is probably this first meaning that led to the choice of the name iPod: a combination of Apple’s “i” with “pod”, a portable container for stuff (in this case music and other data).

Q:

I have one song in an album in my iTunes library that is out of order - it’s the third track in the album, yet it shows up as the first track. How can I fix this?
- Phil

A: First, make sure the tracks are sorted in album order: click the Album header at the top of your iTunes library and make sure the triangle is pointing up. Next, select the offending track, then select File > Get Info. Click the Info tab, and check the Track Number fields on the right of this window. You can set the track number here; in this case, set it to 3 of [the number of tracks in the album]. However, you might find that other tracks are out of order as well, if they don’t have the track number tag set. In this case, go through the tracks on this album and set them all to the correct numbers.
Q:

How much more space do Apple Lossless files take up than MP3s?  Is the sound quality that much better?  I am trying to decide between an iPod mini and a 20 or 40 GB iPod.

- Jim

A:

Apple Lossless files take up anywhere from about 1/3 to 1/2 the size of the original music files; this means that a one-hour CD, which takes up about 600 MB, will occupy from 200 to 300 MB in Apple Lossless format. The reason the file size can differ is because the efficiency of Apple Lossless compression varies according to the data density of the music. This is similar to using mild ZIP compression for files; some compressed files may be as much as 90% smaller than the originals, whereas others may only be 50% smaller.

As for the sound quality: lossless compression, as its name suggests, loses none of the original information encoded in the music files. It is as good as the original CDs. However, you should try encoding in AAC or MP3 format at high bit rates (the maximum is 320 kbps) to see if you can hear the difference; even if you are sensitive to sound quality, it is very possible that you won’t hear the difference between, say, an AAC file at 256 or 320 kbps and the original CD. If you’re going to use inexpensive headphones with your iPod – like the ones that come in the package – you may not hear any difference between a 160kbps file and the original.

Q:

All right, this might be a dumb question, but can I use my iPod in the steam room at the gym?
 
- Chris

A:

It’s not a dumb question; in fact, it’s safer to ask than to try it out on your own. Apple says the following:

• Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
• Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing

This suggests that a steam room is a bad place to use an iPod. The biggest problem is the humidity, which, once you left the steam room, would be likely to condense inside the iPod, causing water to accumulate and potentially damaging the device.

picKirk McElhearn is the author of several books including iPod & iTunes Garage. His blog, Kirkville features articles about the iPod, iTunes, Mac OS X and much more.






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Ask iLounge Archives:

10-30-09: Authorization problems with iPod touch, Changing Grid View background in iTunes, iTunes library and Music Folder are different sizes, Older iPods and firmware updates, Reconciling two different iTunes libraries, Syncing multiple devices to one iTunes library

10-23-09: Using a laptop with an iTunes library on an external hard drive, Transferring YouTube videos to iPod, iPod touch accessibility settings, Disabling Shake to Shuffle on iPod nano, Purchased songs fail to download from iTunes Store, Charging and powering off iPhone

10-16-09: Moving iTunes to a new computer, Transferring contacts from Blackberry to an iPhone, Disabling iPhone Backups, Using AV cables for audio only, Problems syncing photos to iPod touch, Memorex iFlip and iPhone compatibility

10-9-09: iPhone OS and external keyboards, Adjusting ratings in a remote iTunes library, Excluding tracks from Genius Mixes, Moving iTunes library out of My Documents, Playlist folders on iPod touch, Refreshing random Smart Playlists

9-25-09: iTunes 9 and Shopping Cart, Restoring iTunes to an external hard drive, Using an HTTP Proxy over 3G, Problems transferring movies from iTunes to IPhone, iPod touch shuffle mode, Using an iPhone without a SIM card

See the rest of the Archives...

Next: Tomorrow's Speakers Today, Part 1: Altec iM4

Previous: The Complete Guide to the iPod shuffle

Comments

1

The iPod uses pseudo-random numbers. All computer-generated numbers are p-r rather than purely random. Random numbers can only be obtained by observing something external to the computer, commonly the decay of a radioactive isotope.

Posted by mattwardfh in Texas on March 6, 2005 at 10:20 PM (PDT)

2

How do you retrieve your library from the Ipod to restore it to the PC after a system crash

Posted by BAR in Maryland on March 7, 2005 at 7:02 AM (PDT)

3

Hi I am thinking and have heard about the ipod’s battery running out of life. Is this true. Will i have to buy a new ipod if this happens?, or is there a way to put a new battery in?

-Michael

Posted by GBABY in MOTOWN, CALI on March 7, 2005 at 12:01 PM (PDT)

4

Well, my iPod’s shuffle seems like it has a memory thing going on. When I shuffle my library, the same 50 or so songs tend to come up at the beginning. It seems like a “smart” shuffle system to me.

Posted by Joshdude in Long Beach, CA on March 8, 2005 at 6:49 PM (PDT)

5

Here’s a formula to see how many different ways the shuffle can mix all the songs in different, distinctive orders:

Say you have 50 songs on the iPod shuffle.
On your calculator find the radical symbol (!)

Take 50 and enter the symbol in before (or after) 50 to give you the number of different ways the shuffle’s songs can be mixed.

This is going to be a huge number (close to a google,) so ask a math teacher or someone in the know.

Good luck on your project!

Posted by e-baby on March 9, 2005 at 3:10 PM (PDT)

6

Oh yeah, and get ahold of one of them decaying radioactive isotopes as well for true validity!

Posted by e-baby on March 9, 2005 at 3:11 PM (PDT)

7

I just got an iPod Photo and I have a Windows machine (with XP). I have iTunes 4.7 .. still the iPod doesn’t work. It’s plugged in but then it doesn’t let me do the RESTORE on the update, it gives a firmware update failure .. how can I solve this?

Thank you!

Posted by RitMo in USA on March 12, 2005 at 3:13 PM (PDT)

8

My computer crashed and the ipod will not sync unless I erase my songs and basically start over. Is there a way I can save the songs from the ipod to a disc or to the computer? Any help will be appreciated.

Posted by Gina on June 28, 2009 at 3:48 PM (PDT)

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