iLounge

Backstage: Early iPod 4G review comments

just got my new ipod a few min ago… they are very cool, fully customizable menus, click wheel is great

they (my 40 GB anyway..) didnt come with a remote, the 6 to 4 firewire connecter or the little dock connecter covers

t

Posted by thomas on July 22, 2004 at 6:40 AM (PST)

Backstage: Early iPod 4G review comments

Can it dock in the 3rd gen dock? Will it fit? Will it sync? Will it charge over USB still?

Posted by jwm on July 22, 2004 at 6:40 AM (PST)

Backstage: Apple drops Remote and Case pack-ins

So what case are people using for this new one?  Either order the $40 previously “free one” or go naked?

Posted by Jude on July 22, 2004 at 6:21 AM (PST)

Backstage: Apple drops Remote and Case pack-ins

BTW, it’s interesting that engraving is still free on iPods. A nice security measure, and great for gifts—a seldom-mentioned feature iPods have over other players, as long as it keeps on being free! I’d have expected that to end long ago.

Posted by Nagromme on July 21, 2004 at 9:47 PM (PST)

Backstage: Apple drops Remote and Case pack-ins

Clarification: you DO get a Firewire cable, and a USB cable too. You do NOT get a 4-pin Firewire connector, though, just a “real” 6-pin FW cable—the kind that carries power.

Many Windows PCs cut costs by using unpowered 4-pin Firewire. A shame. Macs and better PCs use the “real” thing.

If you don’t have 6-pin Firewire, then you can use either USB or AC to charge. You can use USB to synch, or get a 4-to-6-pin adapter for your Firewire—which will then also charge for you.

Posted by Nagromme on July 21, 2004 at 9:45 PM (PST)

Backstage: iPod, iPod, iPod, iRiver

I’ve seen repeatedly in reviews that iRiver falls short in the ease-of-use department when compared to iPod: its interfacse is overly complex and cluttered. In a “neat” way to people who like gizmos and gadgets with tons of options (I might even like it myself) but not as useful for the primary pupose: listening to and locating music.

Many of their products seem to be pricey too—with measly Flash players costing more than an iPod.

But I’m not in the camp that says Apple should keep the iPod simple by sticking to music. Competition is good, and Apple has already added a long list of non-music stuff to the iPod. (Notes Reader with hyperlinks being the hidden gem, in my opinion.) The iPod SHOULD stay simple for music, but that’s easily dealt with: put “the rest” under Extras where it complicates nothing.

Posted by Nagromme on July 21, 2004 at 9:40 PM (PST)

Backstage: iPods taking slow boat from China

Lancer:

Product #  Product Description               Qty     Ext Price
__________ ________________________________________ ____ ________________

_________________________________________________________________________
M9268LL/A IPOD 40G W/CLICK WHEEL-USA             1       399.00
_________________________________________________________________________
SHIPPINGB OVERNIGHT SHIPPING CHARGE             1         13.00
_________________________________________________________________________

Posted by Jeremy Horwitz on July 21, 2004 at 4:37 PM (PST)

Backstage Opinion: Is the Click Wheel right for you?

Nate, the buttons on the click wheel are NOT lit.

Posted by V@rix on July 21, 2004 at 3:51 PM (PST)

Backstage: iPods taking slow boat from China

like audio geek, When I placed my order on July 20 (3am PDT) there was only one shipping option (Standard).

I’m curious, which pod Jeremy H purchased: 20 or 40 model? I purchased the 20GB model and am having it engraved.

I expect this will ship from Shanghai.

Posted by Lancer on July 21, 2004 at 1:20 PM (PST)

Backstage: iPods taking slow boat from China

Strange,
My 40GB 4G came this morning, it shipped (overnight) last night from Memphis, TN to me (in Nashville, TN).  Of course, it’s bittersweet because now i have to wait for new case sizes to come out before i let it out of the house.

Posted by tak81 on July 21, 2004 at 9:34 AM (PST)

Backstage: iPods taking slow boat from China

it’ll get there

Posted by compman on July 21, 2004 at 9:30 AM (PST)

Backstage: iPods taking slow boat from China

I called Apple, they apolgized. This was another mistake. They do not offered Overnight it should have been called expidited. They refunded my shipping.

Posted by New Ipodder on July 21, 2004 at 9:04 AM (PST)

Backstage: iPods taking slow boat from China

For all of those who paid for overnight shipping Monday and Possibly Tuesday for their new 4G iPOD (40 gig in my case), Apple will refund the $13 dollar overnight charge. This as those order will not be delived until (estimated Fed-Ex delivery) Friday morning. This is confirmed as I received the credit this morning to my Mastercard from Apple. A polite phone call to Apple Customer service will effect this adjustment.

Posted by reader on July 21, 2004 at 8:25 AM (PST)

Backstage: Apple drops Remote and Case pack-ins

I orderd at 8:00 pm, and the woman at Apple couldn’t have been nicer. She said it was a limited time offer, and that since I had ordered on the 19th, she added the remote and case to my order for no charge.

I did find out that the Overnight shipping I ordered wasn’t available though, as it’s coming from Shanghai.

Posted by Ryan on July 21, 2004 at 7:58 AM (PST)

Backstage: iPods taking slow boat from China

Apple is known for delaying shipments if they don’t have products available, but once the items are handed off to FedEx, it’s not their responsibility… unless the items are handed off late.

Since Apple gave FedEx the iPods at or slightly before 10:18pm on July 20, 2004 (Shanghai time), they generally met their “1-2 business day” shipping window for an order placed on the 19th. The FedEx order indicates that the package was delivered too late to FedEx on the 20th to be shipped that day.

But that still doesn’t explain why “overnight shipping” will take until Friday the 23rd to arrive. This appears to be at least partially FedEx’s problem.

I can’t speak re: the current HP, since I stopped purchasing hardware from them back in 1998, but Dell is incredibly screwed up on matters of customer service. After a situation earlier this year, I would sooner flush money down a toilet than pay it to Dell again. In my experiences to date, there’s a good reason to prefer Apple over its competitors, even if they’re not perfect.

Edit by Jeremy Horwitz, March 2005: iPodlounge has deleted a collection of negative and derogatory comments from “audiogeek” on our site, which we discovered have been posted by a writer for competing publications. As he has trolled and posted obnoxious comments in a number of threads, picking fights with our readers and editors, he has been banned from the site, and we strongly oppose his repeated mischaracterizations of various products and our editorial opinions. This comments thread was affected by his posts, and has therefore been modestly edited. If any of the other comments below do not make sense in the context of these deletions, we apologize.

Posted by Jeremy Horwitz on July 21, 2004 at 6:38 AM (PST)

Backstage: iPods taking slow boat from China

I’m logged in on the normal part of the website but for some reason I’m not logged in here.
Anyway, is this type of service (slow service) common in Apple. And is it also common among other companies, like Dell or HP.

Posted by dino in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada on July 21, 2004 at 6:13 AM (PST)

Backstage: Apple drops Remote and Case pack-ins

If you ordered the 40GB before the specs got changed, they are honoring the old specs.  My order confirmation was 12:14 EST, and they added the retail carry case and remote to my order at no charge when I called.  Good luck.

Posted by JDeLuca on July 20, 2004 at 7:36 AM (PST)

Backstage: We looked, no new iPods @ Apple Store

My family bought my 3G iPod on Father’s day, and I have a possible 30-day return on it.  I was seriously tempted to return it to get a 4G, but as tempting as getting $100 back is, I wouldn’t be able to explain to my daughters why 4 buttons have suddenly gone missing from my iPod.  =)  If only I had known this was coming, I would have had them wait.  However, this does make giving my wife her own iPod for her birthday a much stronger possibility. 

Posted by Luke15_7 on July 20, 2004 at 6:27 AM (PST)

Backstage: We looked, no new iPods @ Apple Store

i placed an oder for the 4g 20gig yesterday morning, very soon after the announcement. this morning at 3am i got an email saying it had shipped, i got overnight delivery on it.

i doubt it will arrive today, but probably tomorrow.

Posted by mdc on July 20, 2004 at 12:43 AM (PST)

Backstage: Apple drops Remote and Case pack-ins

doesnt the ipod charge off the firewire also?
NOt if you use the 6pin to 4 pin adapter.

buy a firewire adapter,

use the usb cord

and a remote separately

the remote is compeltely useless.. you will never use it. its just… crap. not worth your time.

Posted by unkownsoldier on July 19, 2004 at 11:07 PM (PST)

Backstage Opinion: Is the Click Wheel right for you?

Some people are saying the “buttons” on the new click wheel Pod are lit as well.

Anyone know for sure?

Posted by Nate on July 19, 2004 at 10:39 PM (PST)

Backstage: Apple drops Remote and Case pack-ins

I cancelled an Iriver player I had on order after the announcement of the 40 Gig Ipod as it appeared to be a much cheaper option. If now however I have to buy a firewire adapter, a case, an external battery pack and a remote separately, its actually going to add up to more than my Iriver H340 would have cost and that player has a better battery life and more features. I don’t know what to do.

Posted by Fluidity on July 19, 2004 at 9:30 PM (PST)

Backstage: Apple drops Remote and Case pack-ins

doesnt the ipod charge off the firewire also? 

Posted by annony on July 19, 2004 at 9:24 PM (PST)

Backstage Opinion: Is the Click Wheel right for you?

So can you still scroll with the new click wheel buttons?

Posted by Spiffy on July 19, 2004 at 7:11 PM (PST)

Backstage: Apple drops Remote and Case pack-ins

As per the 4-to-6 pin FireWire adapter: since the Click Wheel iPod charges off USB 2.0, it seems unlikely that Apple would want to encourage the use of unpowered FireWire any more, especially when PCs are more likely to have USB 2.0 anyway.

Posted by Noman on July 19, 2004 at 5:45 PM (PST)