willing to compromise
Apple’s refusal to release iPod players marked the end of the history of the gadget, which since 2008 has gradually lost its popularity due to the iPhone.
Since its inception over 20 years ago, the iPod has wowed users with its ability to take their vast music library with them on the go. However, the actress was without flaws and shortcomings, and her creators were at first very confident in success.
Apple initially relied only on fans of Mac computers. It’s hard to say what the iPod’s fate would have been if the company hadn’t compromised at the very beginning of the gamer’s journey and created part of its ecosystem on the most popular computing platform, Windows.
Nine months before the first iPod was released in October 2001, Apple launched iTunes, a digital music player and later a music store. However, iTunes was only available on Macs, which account for less than 3% of the global computer market.
iPod touch 7th generation
Apple
In 2003, Apple took the unexpected step of officially announcing the release of iTunes for Windows. “This is probably the best application ever written by developers on Windows,” former Apple CEO Steve Jobs jokingly said at the presentation.
As a result, iPod sales began to skyrocket year after year after this decision. The reason is simple – the user base has increased tenfold, the player is now available to almost everyone in the world.
For many years, iPods of various modifications have been accompanied by problems, the managing partner of the B&C Agency Ivan Samoylenko told socialbites.ca.
“Such a buildup of technical errors and difficulties could cause the device to be interrupted. But the fact that the actor became a sign of the era, spread all over the world and became hyperpopular saved, ”the expert admitted.
Problems with iTunes
The main headache for all lovers of listening to music on the iPod was iTunes. The program was developed and improved, but the download itself was not so easy and fast. Unlike other players, it was carried out by downloading first to the iTunes library, and then to the player itself.
iPod shuffle
Apple
This requirement can be circumvented by purchasing songs on iTunes, but not all music lovers prefer to purchase digital versions of songs. Sure, there were unofficial methods of downloading music that bypassed iTunes, but Apple advised against installing third-party programs to transfer your music collection.
According to Ivan Samoylenko, there were other shortcomings in the history of iTunes development: the installer did not always start, there were difficulties with compatibility with other devices, and there were also cases when all albums saved in iTunes could be lost.
Difficulty listening to music
“Among the most common problems can be noted difficulties with sound reproduction,” said Samoylenko. According to the expert, after using the iPod player for a while, songs periodically “opened up” or sounded slower than they should.
ipod nano
Apple
He also gave an example of how headphones sometimes don’t work properly. For example, the device may stop playing audio from the headphones, or in the case of iPod Touch, it may stop playing music from the speakers when the headphones are connected.
The same problems with headphones have been partially carried over to the iPhone smartphone. However, later Apple came up with a radical solution – it released AirPods wireless headphones and got rid of the headphone jack on gadgets.
Problems with hard drives in early gamers
The first iPod players, which would later be called the Classic, did not have flash memory, but under the case there were full-fledged hard drives. Initially, the capacities were 5 and 10 GB and gradually increased several times.
However, the decision to use hard drives also had potential problems – such a design was more prone to damage during active use outside the home. As a result, hard drives may stop working because the connecting cable falls out of the port or the surface of the drive is mechanically damaged.
iPod Classic
Apple
The solution to the problems was the switch to flash memory similar to that used in memory cards. The following versions of gamers didn’t exactly lack music storage as they didn’t use bulky HDDs. Initially, hard drives were chosen for the iPod to save money.
Display and battery issues
Ivan Samoylenko made sure that the iPod had many problems with the screen. As an example, it showed how often player owners would see an empty white space or stripes of different colors instead of a menu.
The expert also explained how the backlight disappeared in some players. Locking the screen and buttons when trying to put the device in your pocket sometimes worked with a delay, causing awkward situations like switching songs or pausing.
ipod touch
Apple
Samoylenko also stated that batteries are not the player’s strong point. “After a period of using the iPod, it may start to discharge continuously or refuse to work without being connected to a charger,” he said.
The specialist noticed that the iPod itself can sometimes turn off suddenly and then restart and work as usual. Similar issues have been fixed by users of different versions of the player, including Touch. In part, with a sudden shutdown, the flaw was “moved” to the iPhone smartphone.
Users of newer iPod models have complained that the player will regularly stop playing videos. They also had constant difficulties in syncing their own videos via iTunes. Unofficial ways to transfer videos were also not welcomed by Apple.
“Such many technical problems now will lead to a sharp interruption of production from the very beginning,” concluded Samoylenko.
Source: Gazeta
