News
Apple patent points to automatic volume control for iPod
By Charles Starrett
Contributing Editor
Published: Wednesday, December 26, 2007
News Categories: iPod
A new Apple patent application suggests that the company may be working on an iPod with automatic volume control. The patent describes a system that automatically calculates how long a person has been listening, and at what volume, determining when to begin reducing the sound level. It would also calculate how much “quiet time” the person received in between the iPod being turned off and restarted, which determines how much to increase the volume level following down time. The patent says, “Since the damaging effect on users’ hearing is both gradual and cumulative, even those users who are concerned about hearing loss may not behave in a manner that would limit or minimize such damaging effects.” The potential for iPod-induced hearing loss has been an ongoing problem for Apple. In 2006, the company was sued by an iPod user over hearing loss, which led to the release of an iPod update with a maximum volume limit, and the debut of a special Sound and Hearing page at Apple’s website.
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1
P.S. Apple, my hearing is fine! If it ever gets to the point where I can’t crank my tunes, I’M OUTTA HERE!
Posted by rodc on December 26, 2007 at 3:51 PM (PST)
2
Apple has no business determining what volume I listen to my music and how often I listen to my music. While I can appreciate’s Apple’s self-serving concern, this is an invasion of privacy and a restriction of personal choice. Should Apple choose to implement this system, I shall choose to abandon the iPod platform.
I do not need a big brother.
Posted by Camembert on December 27, 2007 at 11:19 AM (PST)
3
It’s not Apple’s fault that some idiots don’t know any better and have to blame someone else for their problems and they have greedy self-serving lawyers.
It’s probably a move to reduce their liability. Feature is there, if you don’t use it, too bad. Like your car seatbelt. Didn’t wear it and got thrown out during a crash? Too bad, it was there and you chose not to use it.
So, if Apple puts it in, then give us the option to disable it. Let’s not all get up in arms over this or we’d be just as bad as the idiots who believe we all need to be protected from ourselves with lawyers!
Nuff said.
Posted by will_bc on December 27, 2007 at 1:05 PM (PST)
4
“So, if Apple puts it in, then give us the option to disable it.”
and how long have those of us with multi terabyte exterior hardrives been waiting for Apple to give us the option of switching off that damned stupid scan for gapless audio that we don’t damned well want.
Posted by Nigel Oultton on December 27, 2007 at 3:42 PM (PST)
5
This had better be a feature that can be managed (i.e., turned-off) by the user. I grew up in the 80s using a variety of Sony Walkman products listening to mostly loud rock ‘n roll and guess what? Pretty much everyone at that time seemed to understand that if you listen to the things with the volume cranked, you’d probably screw-up your hearing.
Personally, I don’t think that Apple gives a crap about being altruistic when making these decisions…it’s all about midigating potential law suits.
For those people that sue in these types of cases (that freakin’ old lady who spilled hot coffee on herself included), the company being called to the carpet should bleed these people dry in court financially instead of settling.
I swear, the modern nature of frivolous lawsuits violates natural selection, meaning if your too stupid to understand that loud music can affect your hearing, you deserve to go deaf.
Posted by shatnerfan1701 on December 27, 2007 at 6:47 PM (PST)