'Pop' Between Tracks In New iPod 111
joesao writes "The new iPods released last week seem to have a problem that causes an audible 'electrostatic pop' between all tracks played on it. The effect is not imaginary, as it has been witnessed by many users over at the Apple discussion forums. Now, one user has actually published a sound sample recorded the iPod's playback and the verdict is in: it's real. I hope this is a firmware issue and that it's quickly fixed ..." I just ordered a new iPod. I wonder if I should cancel my order.
Kneejerk Reaction (Score:5, Insightful)
You ever think that Apple might do the right thing, fess up to the problem and fix it for free to anyone who's effected?
Re:Kneejerk Reaction (Score:1, Offtopic)
Re:Kneejerk Reaction (Score:2)
Judging from past experiences, no.
They certainly didn't do that for the *thousands* of faulty Airports. They put underrated capacitors in the airports, causing them to stop working.. did apple fix everyone's airport? Or did we all have to read that tutorial on how to replace the capacitor (requiring soldering, and cutting out some space out of the airport to fit the larger, correct c
Re:Kneejerk Reaction (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Kneejerk Reaction (Score:5, Informative)
My experience has been otherwise.
With the first generation iPods, Apple originally had a 90-day warranty. However, they later increased the warranty to a full year, and they grandfathered all the iPod owners to this period.
I had a 1st gen iPod and it quit working after about 10 months (apparently, the first iPods could have a problem if you didn't keep them charged, they wouldn't turn back on). I went to the Apple Store, and they replaced the unit at no charge. No muss, no fuss. The replacement has had no problems, and I've had no such problem with my 10 GB iPod either.
Apple realizes that good customer service is not only the right thing to do, but it also pays dividends. I just bought a 17" PowerBook, something I would have been loathe to do if Apple had nickle-and-dimed me on the iPod.
So if the new iPods do have this problem, I suspect the answer is a quick firmware update. Or they'll replace the unit. Of course, I'd just go down the Apple Store, and listen to a real unit. Maybe the problem is with bad encoding or a corrupted track.
P.S.: I have a 1st generation AirPort, too, and I have yet to have a problem with it.
Re:Kneejerk Reaction (Score:1)
I got a new AirPort (Score:1)
I have a 1st Generation Grey AirPort and it stopped working about a year after I got it. I took it down to an Apple store and had them look at it. The guy confirmed that it wasn't working, checked the serial number against a list of affected units, and handed me a refurbished AirPort immediately. No questions asked. That
Re:Kneejerk Reaction (Score:2)
I dwell
Re:Kneejerk Reaction (Score:2)
Re:Kneejerk Reaction (Score:2)
Speaking of kneejerk reactions... (Score:2)
Re:Speaking of kneejerk reactions... (Score:2)
Hey, wait a minute
Re:Kneejerk Reaction (Score:2)
Slashdot isn't your every day news site. Some might even say it isn't a news site at all. If you want CNN, go read CNN. Slashdot editors are just regular people. I have been thinking about getting my first iPod, and this seriously makes me reconsider. What is wrong with asking? Maybe there is someone reading that might have an answer to this problem that reassures me to buy one, or to not buy one.
Then again.. maybe you just needed to vent a little. I need to do that on occ
Re:Kneejerk Reaction (Score:2)
Yeah, /. is a weblog, not CNN. It's opinion, not journalism. That said, most of the stuff they post as "news" really is of interest as news.
On this issue, I know that the MP3s I have ripped (carelessly) with MusicMatch and the like that have little pops at the end; I imagined it was due to electronic noise from the encoding device (from my CD drive, for instance). I don't remember if I've heard them on anything from my Mac, though.
But it sounds from the discussion on Apple.com that the users have al
My 30GB iPod experience (Score:1)
I starte
Re:Kneejerk Reaction (Score:1)
I have a new iPod (Score:4, Informative)
It is a very very solid upgrade to an already amazing product. Don't cancel your order.
Re:I have a new iPod (Score:3, Interesting)
Try a quieter location, or try listening to a sequence of classical music tracks.
Notice that the pop isn't only passive: it's active as well; when you press next/previous & play buttons, the pop is there too.
If you STILL can't hear the pops, then I'm stumped. I almost hope you can, because then it's more likely that it
Re:I have a new iPod (Score:4, Informative)
I'll have to check my old iPod, but I think that might have been there on that one too. (10gb)
The thing is, it is barely noticable (as can be seen by the fact that I never noticed until it was pointed out to me).
Re:I have a new iPod (Score:2)
IMHO, unless it's a major annoyance (i.e. louder) on other iPods (which it could be), I'm sharing the opinion that some people want TOO much perfection.
-Jellisky
Re:I have a new iPod (Score:1)
Re:I have a new iPod (Score:3, Informative)
Re:SHURE (Score:1)
Gread in ear style headphones by the way, for like $100, it is like a pair of poor man's Entymolic's (did I spell that right?). I had the Fontopia Sony In ear headphones (MDR-EX70LP) which had better bass and were easier to insert, but upon hearing the E2c's, I gave the Sonys to a friend. The Shure E2C's are a pretty darned good match for the iPod. Gread frequency response and really accurate & clean sound reproduction. The mids on the Sony were quite a bit less cleared and the highs
Re:SHURE (Score:1)
Re:I have a new iPod (Score:2)
Should be interesting to see how Apple responds (Score:4, Insightful)
Lets Not Forget the TiBooks (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Lets Not Forget the TiBooks (Score:5, Funny)
Hmmm... curious...
Re:Lets Not Forget the TiBooks (Score:1)
That explains the milky colour on some of the new Apple hardware.
Re:Lets Not Forget the TiBooks (Score:2)
> with chiping
> The band around the center of the unit as well as the
> screen hinges would chip (paint ?
What do you people do with your Apples? I had a Titanium PowerBook (Rev B), and I had no problems with chipping. The unit looks the same as it did when I got it a year and a half ago. I wear a watch, too. I make sure I carry it in a sleeve, and I keep it away from sandblasting equipment, but maybe that means I treat it with unusual delicaten
Re:Should be interesting to see how Apple responds (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Should be interesting to see how Apple responds (Score:1, Funny)
This is completely true. There are also no Americans in Baghdad. And certainly not at the airport!
Re:Should be interesting to see how Apple responds (Score:1)
I bought my iBook, not expecting a nice clean plastic case, but a tight integration of hardware and software.
That polish includes the far-and-away better intergration. I think you are offering a major red herring here in thinking that most Mac users are terribly concerned with cosmetics. I recommend our Mac purchase
Re:Should be interesting to see how Apple responds (Score:1)
It's a well documented fact that the crack on the G4 Cube was actually the seam in the injection mold. We have an entire lab of these machines, and I checked them all: no cracks, just seams. Many people saw the line in the plastic and thought it was a crack.
I guess Apple could have laser-carved the entire chassis out of acrylic, but that probably would have added a grand to the retail price.
FINALLY (Score:1, Interesting)
I really hope something is done about this.
iPods aren't the only ones... (Score:5, Informative)
The issue with the iPod might just be that the embedded OS is possibly powering down the mini-amp between songs or could be a glitch with the sound chip between the buffers. Probably a good chance that it can be eliminated or at least make it much more subtle by a firmware fix... or it may be problems with said mini-amp.
Re:iPods aren't the only ones... (Score:4, Insightful)
I guess the best solution for a case like this would be to just not turn the amp off between songs in the first place, if that is really what is causing the pop.
Re:iPods aren't the only ones... (Score:1)
You can also hear the 'pop' on the iPod if you plug in a set of headphones while the iPod is asleep. There is something in the circuitry that powers up when continuity is detected.
The device is just powering the amp down between songs, even if the gap between songs isn't there. I guess there is a threshold that is set too high for sleep on the chipset, and it could be set to 1 second and eliminate the problem.
OT: do they sound better than the old ones??? (Score:1)
some seem to sound consicerably better than the
ipods (at least according to the reviewers).
{Am by no means saying that the old ones sounded
shite, only that there seems to be room for
improvement, that's all.}
So I was wondering if they improved on the sound
output quality in addition to hd capacity and form
factor and features...
just curious...
Speaking as a Apple fan... (Score:5, Funny)
...I am simply astounded that a major corporation would just give out free sounds to the people. Microsoft could never unclench their evil moneygrubbing fists like that. I mean to be able to clearly distinguish between tracks is just the kind of brilliant useability detail that the Linux crowd fail to pay attention to but which has been the hallmark of Jobs' vision from the beginning. Just holding my ipod and thinking about it is causing a warm tingle in my pants.
ohgodohgod
yes! oh god YES!
aaaaah...
Firmware (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Firmware (Score:2)
I have a two week old 10 GB iPod with the new firmware, and while I hear a power on tick, there are no inter-track pops or clicks, even at full volume.
A.
Re:Typical (Score:1, Offtopic)
In this case at least, I don't think that the editorializing is inappropriate. Many Slashdot geeks are no doubt wondering the same thing, and it is an appropriate topic for discussion here. For instance, we can readily answer the editor's question in the negative if the problem is firmware related. OTOH, if the problem is with the hardware, then maybe it is appropriate to cancel the order and wait for the next
Re:Typical (Score:2)
Re:Typical (Score:2)
The new iPod is pure, 100%, unadulterated hot sex.
Apart from the fact that the Back, Menu, Play/Pause, and Forwards buttons will activate if you so much as glance in their direction (not an issue if you use the remote or actually have the capability to control where your hands go), this thing is the single most clever device Apple's created.
The Belkin add-ons look kinda tacky, though.
Re:Typical (Score:2)
Re:Typical (Score:2)
Re:Typical (Score:2)
Re:Typical (Score:2)
Just remember: Apple's inadequacies are "third-party opportunities," at least until Apple duplicates the functionality and gives the third-party the Cold Shoulder of Death.
Re:Typical (Score:2)
Re:Typical (Score:2)
Dunno about your car, but mine's cluttered enough as it is.
Re:Typical (Score:2)
Re:Typical (Score:2)
Now you only have to figure out what to do with that 18' mass of cable between your iPod and the tape deck.
Or just wait until Griffin gets its thumb out of its ass and releases the iTrip.
Re:Typical (Score:2)
Anyway, I am sticking the excess cable up behind the plastic of the dashboard. A nice thing about this is that it is one LESS cable connected to the iPod.
Again, I may dislike the Belkin and return it. We shall see.
BitTorrent? (Score:1, Insightful)
A spokesperson at Apple... (Score:3, Funny)
dyslexic marketing (Score:4, Funny)
iPod (Score:1)
No Problems (Score:1)
Power Management? (Score:2, Interesting)
It probably can very rapidly power cycle the sound amplification circuitry in response to input/lack of. The electrical pop may be a blip from a momentary power cycle due to some defect in software or hardware. From what others have said you can only hear it intermittently and only when the music is quiet enough or pauses enough.
I hope Apple can fix it via a softw
My ancient 5GB iPod does this. (Score:1, Troll)
It only seemed to happen when I had stuffed it into my pocket upside down and squashed the little rubber part on the back of the minijack. Perhaps people are having my problem? Perhaps my problem got a little worse?
I'm still dying to get a new iPod... So is that negative reinforcem
Re:My ancient 5GB iPod does this. (Score:2)
I thought it was due to the carpet or the floormat I have in my office. It did seem to die down once spring started.
Re:My ancient 5GB iPod does this. (Score:1)
I'm still dying to get a new iPod...
Maybe you're dying if you don't get a new iPod!
Re:My ancient 5GB iPod does this. (Score:3, Informative)
As for the shocks...I HIGHLY doubt that there are any voltages >5 VDC inside the iPod. Certainly they wouldn't be necessary to power any of the circuitry AFAIK. I'm thinking you're being shocked by static electricity that's built up by the 'Pod bouncing around inside your pocket. Perhaps th
doesn't happen here.. (Score:1)
Smooth transitions, no pops at all.
Re:doesn't happen here.. (Score:1)
Note: It's not just iPods (Score:1, Interesting)
There's a couple ways to fix this. First, you could go into an mp3 editor and clip it off, or you could just be lazy. Most people won't hear it in iTunes because it fade
Re:Note: It's not just iPods (Score:1)
Not exactly a
More bothersome: Stereo Inconsistency (Score:2)
Re:More bothersome: Stereo Inconsistency (Score:2)
My old iPod... (Score:1)
Re:Bet it comes down to the USB circuit (Score:2)
Pops in iTunes (Score:1)
I can see it now... (Score:3, Funny)
Petitions, articles, and anecdotes demanding that Apple fix this clearly egregious aural violation!! Anything less than an immediate fix and a $100 rebate constitutes Steve Jobs' arrogant, utter contempt for the customer!
Oh, the humanity! How many people will have to suffer through this before Apple releases a fix?!?!?!
Re:I can see it now... (Score:5, Funny)
Only the soulless Mac OS 9 fanboys who read Macintouch (also known as "Quark Bigots" and "Claris Em@ilers") and post to MacNN Forums via a stick in their teeth.
The rest of us couldn't give two shits about the issue, because we're not idiots savant incapable of leading a normal social life, but being able to perceive a slight pop between songs (not even during the fucking thing, but after it, and before the next one) that is juuuuuuust barely audible by bats.
Not that I'm bitter.
Re:I can see it now... (Score:1)
When will we see the iPodPopCorn.com ?
I also have this problem (Score:3, Interesting)
One thing I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed. Sometimes when I'm listening to my playlist and it goes from one song to the next, I get the click/pop, then when the music comes back on I the balance between left/right ears changes. The volume level of the left ear seems to decrease significantly. It is totally random when this happens.
I noticed this happening because I listen to a lot of DJ mix tapes and in between track changes, when the balance shifts dramatically this is a big deal. I can get it to shift back by stopping the iPod (hold down play for 2 seconds until it shuts off), then restarting playback, but only sometimes. Sometimes I have to stop it several times before it will do it.
Is it really that big of a deal? (Score:2)
pop? (Score:1)
popless (Score:1)
re: Kneejerk Reaction (Score:1)