iPod stuck with Apple logo on screen
My 3G iPod got stuck with the Apple logo on its screen. The way to fix this is to put the iPod into Disk Mode and restore it from there. Here is how:
- Reset the iPod by holding down the Menu and Play buttons simultaneously.
- As soon as it reboots, hold down the Fast Forward and Rewind buttons simultaneously.
- Your iPod will now be in "Disk Mode" and you should be able to plug it into your computer, open up iTunes, and restore your iPod.
iPod does not appear in iTunes.
I have an old 3G iPod, and all of a sudden it would not show up in iTunes when connected to my computer via Firewire or USB. It did show up in Finder. After some research, the only way I found to fix this is to format it using Apple's Disk Utility. WARNING: Doing this will wipe everything off your iPod. You won't be able to recover the files off your iPod, but at least you'll be able to use it with iTunes again.
- Connect your iPod you to your Mac.
- Open up Disk Utility (Finder > Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility).
- Select your iPod in the left-hand window pane.
- Click the "Erase" tab, accept all defaults, then click the "Erase" button.
Your iPod will now be re-formatted, and you should be able to plug it into iTunes and Restore the updated iPod software.
UPDATE: For PCs, you may be able to do something similar with Windows' Disk Manager. I haven't tried though, so I can't verify, but I bet it would work on Windows too.
Max OS X Leopard – Disappointed (but not how you think)
"New Macs will come with Leopard Pre-Installed..." - Apple's Leopard Guided Tour Video
So today is the release of Apple's next generation version of OS X: Leopard. I had planned on purchasing an iMac a couple months ago, but decided to delay my purchase until the release of Leopard. So I go down to the Apple store (which was PACKED) and proceeded to purchase a shiny new iMac. Excited to try out Leopard, I rip it out of the box and turn it on. And to my disappointment, it boots into Tiger. WTF!? I delayed buying a new iMac for Leopard and I get... TIGER?!!? Turns out Leopard isn't pre-installed on my iMac. Apple simply threw a Leopard DVD into the box expecting me to sit through a manual upgrade. At the end of the day I don't really care, but here I am ranting on my blog (from my Windows machine) instead of playing with my brand new Leopard-powered iMac. Ugh!
I always thought that Macs were supposed to just work! What's with all this manual tinkering and upgrading and waiting and slowly-moving progress bar watching? For a minute there I thought I had bought a new PC running Windows... Shame on you Apple.
iPhone haters: Quit calculating Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
One argument I see people using against the iPhone is the cost. Granted, $499-$599 is a bit pricey, but what really gets me angry is when people use the flawed argument that the total cost of owning an iPhone is "$2,600-$3,200" if you factor in the cost of the service contract. While that may be true, so what? Lets use some analogies:
- That new car you bought wasn't $20,000, it was $200,000. You forgot to factor in the cost of fuel and insurance over the life of the car!
- That new computer you bought wasn't $999, it was $10,000. You forgot to factor in the price of your ISP and electrical bills!
- That new flat-screen TV you just bought wasn't $1,200, it was $8,000. You forgot to factor in the price of your cable box and service over the next 2 years!
- You really should stop drinking beer, it'll cost you $5,000 over the next couple years!
See how ridiculous those arguments sound? Arguing that the iPhone will cost $3k is just as ridiculous. While the claim may be true, no one truly considers ancillary costs when making a purchase like this. It's a disingenuous and dishonest argument used by people who are trying to find fault with this wonderful new device.
Not to mention the fact that no one is producing similar costs for rival phones in their arguments. I wonder what the TCO for a Crackberry is? I'd like to see that number compared to the iPhone's. Maybe then we can start a decent dialogue about the iPhone vs. its rivals when it comes to cost.
Stephen Hawking and Apple in Zero G.
Astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, paralyzed by Lou Gherig's disease, floats during a zero-gravity flight; an apple, a tribute to Isaac Newton, drifts along with him.
iPod on Windows XP: Delayed Write Failed (UPDATED)
A couple years ago I posted about a fix for Delayed Write Failed errors when updating an iPod on Windows XP. While my suggestions in that post worked for the most part, I still encountered the error from time to time.
So it's been a couple years and now I NEVER receive this error. Here's how I did it:
I used to connect my iPod to my PC via USB. However, I had purchased an external Firewire hard drive which required me to install a Firewire card into a PCI slot on my machine. The card had 4 Firewire inputs, and I needed to free up a USB port for some other peripherals that needed them. So I decided to move my iPod connection from USB to my new Firewire card (Koutech KW-582V2 - cost me $21 bucks from NewEgg).
Ever since then I have NEVER received the Delayed Write error. So if you're having trouble updating your iPod and get the "Delayed Write Failed" error, perhaps it is your USB connection. Try moving your iPod to another USB port, and if you're using a USB hub, try bypassing the hub and plug your iPod directly into your computer's USB port. If THAT doesn't work, try a Firewire port. If you don't have one, grab yourself a Firewire card. You can get them cheap and are much more valuable than all the hair you're pulling out trying to fix your Delayed Write Failed.
Steve Jobs on DRM
Read Jobs'/Apple's Thoughts On Music. Finally a clear and concise explanation on the state of DRM in the music industry. What say you, Big 4?