The iPad

Thanks for the responses on the last post guys. I have more following on from what you offered, but I couldn't let the Apple iPad announcement go unmarked.

A huge iPhone. Only without a camera or GPS.

For half the price, you can get a fully functioning laptop around the same size as this thing, with at least double the storage capacity. This iPad is, to go all internet about it, epic fail.

Look what Andy found this time!

It is pretty, Andy.

Apple launched their new iPods during the week. No real changes. The Nano looks better definitely. The Touch seems to have gained a little bulk and not a huge amount else.

But one thing has completely taken me by surprise - the Genius system. It's a playlist creator for iTunes and iPods that claims to generate playlists based on a track you pick. You choose a track and Genius will create a playlist of songs that go well with that track.

And, bizarrely, it works. Really well.

It failed a few times to create a pleasing playlist but most times I tried it, it threw back a playlist of stuff that fit perfectly. So perfectly and yet not always obviously so. It left me wondering how the hell they are doing that. It's a really great feature. As long as you're doing it from iTunes with a serious amount of music to choose from (I'm on around 150GB I think at this stage).

The flaw is what happens when it is moved to the Touch, iPhone or Nano - there simply isn't enough room on these devices to hold enough for Genius to fill playlists. So the tracks start to get a little more random. They don't fit as well. It is only as good as the music it has to choose from.

And that's why it seems odd that capacity no longer seems to be a priority for Apple. The 160GB Classic was dropped. There's a 120GB Classic but it is clearly being phased out as it didn't get half of the new features of the tiny Nano. It's on it's way out. And the Touch got no boost in capacity. A shame really because they could have been making such a big deal of this Genius playlist feature otherwise. I'm really impressed with it.

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Apple's dark secret

Anyone update their iTunes to 7.7 or perhaps an iPod Touch to 2.0? I did.

Had I tied dynamite to my iPod, lit the fuse and took several steps back, looking away from the blast, I would be more likely to have a functioning iPod at this time. It certainly would have been more fun.

iTunes 7.7 breaks Windows Vista. Or Windows Vista breaks iTunes 7.7. I don't really care which breaks which. I couldn't give a shit. But they're broken. Some Apple Media Support Device is buried in there with one goal - to destroy your life and break your spirit. Don't trust its lies. It cannot be changed, moved, uninstalled or installed over. No, even going in and trying to delete the files manually, it says I need permission to delete them.


Permission. To delete shit off my computer. Really?! Permission?! Whose bloody permission to I need? Because I called my mother and she says it's fine by her so let me get rid of these goddam files off my computer. She's cool with it. No problem. Who else do I need to check with? My doctor? A respected member of the community?

So that knocked one computer out of my iPodding equation. But, hey, all is not lost. I use the 'Manually manage music and videos' option that allows me to bring my iPod between my two home computers and my computer at work. And my work machine is XP so no problem, eh?

Well not quite. You see, now, after the 2.0 update (which completely wipes your iPod by the way and does so with a smile on its face) seems to render that 'manually manage' button completely worthless. Oh, sure, you can still check that box if it makes you feel better but it means jack shit now. If I try using your iPod Touch on another compuuter, it will wipe it. Each and every time.

What a complete and utter piece of crap.

The dynamite would have been much more fun. Apple, Mr. iTunes and that small child on his Etch-A-Sketch can all go and shite. I hate you all. Not just mild dislike. Full-on hate. Like, I would spit in your soup and laugh while you ate it. Or drank it. Do you eat or drink soup? Because it's really food but it's liquid. I don't know. Doesn't really matter - I'd spit in it and watch you ingest it, you pack of gobshites.