Sunday, April 30, 2006
iPod Firmware Upgrade Irritations
I upgraded the firmware on my wife's iPod yesterday. This was the second time I've done this particular upgrade (once for my iPod). Under Windows, the upgrade is messier than I would have liked. After you install the "iPod Updater", it insists that a reboot is required to finish the install. Why? Install the firmware on the iPod and it informs you that you need to find AC power for the iPod to flash the ROM. The laptop is already providing power to the iPod and the laptop is plugged into AC, why do I need a direct connection? When I try to sync the iPod right after it's flashed, it insists that I need another reboot due to refreshed drivers. Why? I install all sorts of Windows software including drivers. Mandatory reboots are much rarer than they used to be. That's why I'm a little surprised in this case.
Maybe iPod firmware upgrades are smoother under OS X. But, truth be told, it doesn't matter to a large portion of Apple's iPod market. Apple sold 8.5 million iPods last quarter vs. 1.1 million Macs. The lion's share of iPod users are on Windows. Maybe they don't bother upgrading firmware? Possibly but if the upgrade was unimportant, why bother having iTunes pop up a dialog offering it up?
Note: I'm otherwise a very happy iPod owner. I'd probably be less irritated if I hadn't performed the same upgrade on two iPods in succession.
Maybe iPod firmware upgrades are smoother under OS X. But, truth be told, it doesn't matter to a large portion of Apple's iPod market. Apple sold 8.5 million iPods last quarter vs. 1.1 million Macs. The lion's share of iPod users are on Windows. Maybe they don't bother upgrading firmware? Possibly but if the upgrade was unimportant, why bother having iTunes pop up a dialog offering it up?
Note: I'm otherwise a very happy iPod owner. I'd probably be less irritated if I hadn't performed the same upgrade on two iPods in succession.
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