News
Attorneys: iPod maximum volume update not good enough
Following Apple’s announcement today of an iPod update to limit volume levels, attorneys involved in a class-action lawsuit over iPod hearing loss have released a statement, saying that they “lauded Apple’s decision to provide a way to limit the volume of the popular iPod devices, but said the company’s actions fall far short.”
“It is good to know that Apple finally acknowledges that there is a serious flaw with its iPod product, and is giving U.S. purchasers the same protection it has been giving French purchasers since 2002,” said Steve Berman, an attorney for the plaintiffs. “Unfortunately, this patch doesn’t help the millions of people who own older models—it is a jack-legged workaround that falls well short of what consumers demand and deserve.”
“While the software allows users to set levels, the company does next to nothing to educate consumers about what is safe,” J.R. Whaley, another attorney representing the plaintiffs. “Many consumers would conclude that 100 DB is twice as loud as 50 DB but that’s not the case; for every 10 decibels, the loudness actually increases twofold. Fifty decibels is twice as loud as 40, 60 is four times as loud as 40, and so on.”
“We contend that Apple has done next to nothing to inform consumers regarding these issues,” Berman concluded.
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61
Money grubbing aH@##s
I want to be able to listen to my ipod at the volume I prefer. If these people are too stupid to realize that blasting your ears at full volume will cause hearing loss and they are too stupid to read the warnings and advisories ,they deserve it!
Posted by yomama on April 1, 2006 at 2:27 PM (PDT)
62
I bought an iPods in France in 2003 (studying French in Paris) and could not ever get the damn thing to play loud enough, especially on the Metro. When I took it back, I was told that not only did Apple make the volume limiter mandatory, but that French law imposed the same standard on all “in your ear” personal sound systems. Thankfully, I found a patch that undid the limiter, but it was a stupid infringement of my Goddess-given right to turn my brain into mush if I want to. Merde alors.
Posted by Pragmatist on April 3, 2006 at 1:31 PM (PDT)
63
what does everybody here have against the sound limit update? if you don’t think you need it, then don’t friggen use it. simple as that.
Posted by bubble junky on April 3, 2006 at 4:13 PM (PDT)
64
One quick point: a lot of the users of MP3 players are minors who believe they’re immortal and indestructible, and that the laws of physics and medicine don’t really apply to them. Call them stupid all you want… but their decisions now will affect them for the rest of their lives.
Meanwhile, my minor years may be far behind me, but I’d also like a volume limit - not because I can’t operate my iPod’s volume controls, but because so many podcasters don’t seem to grasp the idea of sound levels.
You’ll find yourself cranking the volume waaaay up to make sense out of one podcast (apparently recorded from another room via a crystal radio), only to have the next one come in at twice the volume it ought to.
That probably won’t do permanent damage to my hearing; I reach pretty damn quickly for the controls at that point. But it’s painful, startling and really, really annoying.
Posted by Rob Cottingham on April 11, 2006 at 8:14 AM (PDT)
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