A:Topic: Corrupt iPod file Original Message ( Posted Jan 13, 05 1:19 am )


AbbyM Joined: Jan, 2005 Posts: 2
I've had this happen twice now and can't figure out what's causing it, so I'm hoping someone else has suggestions. When I plug my iPod into my computer to update it, an error message pops up saying that the "PlayCount" file on the iPod is corrupted and unreadable and needs to be repaired using the "Chkdsk" utility. It does seem to actually be corrupted because it will not record new play counts or keep track of those songs I've played immediately before it has this issue. Both times I've used the "Restore" feature of the iPod updater, which does fix the problem, but this isn't exactly ideal because then I have to load everything back onto my iPod, which takes quite awhile because I have a few thousand songs. Does anyone have any idea why this keeps happening so I can (hopefully) prevent it from happening in the future? Oh, and this is a recent development, too. I've had the iPod since September and the first time this happened was at the end of December and then again earlier this week, and (as far as I know) I haven't been using it any differently. Thanks!
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RE: Corrupt iPod file ( msg # 32.2.1: Posted Jan 24, 05 12:38 pm ) New!


Chris Capell Level 2 Joined: Jan, 2005 Posts: 66
Just tried Christopher's method of rolling back without having to do a restore, and it worked great! For those of you using XP, you have to do the following first (and please note that this is all done at your own risk): enable the iPod for disk usage in iTunes, and then click on My Computer on your desktop, and from that window, click on Tools in the menu bar, and then Folder Options -- select the View tab and under advanced settings, make sure 'show hidden files and folders' is selected. Then press okay to close all the pop-ups and close the My Computer window. Now, go to Start>All Programs>Accessories>Notepad, and then in Notepad, from the File menu, select open. Click My Computer on the left-side of the open file dialog, then select the volume that is your iPod (you should recognize the name as being the same as you named the iPod originally in iTunes), and then click the iPod_Control folder, then the Device folder. You should see the SysInfo file here (if not, make sure the 'Files of type:' pulldown menu in the Open Files dialog is set to 'All files'). Click on the file to open it. The file contents are laid out much less nicely in Windows than in Christoper's Mac post -- they're basically one long line with no spaces between each entry. But you're still looking for the same two entries (these are how they look on my iPod, yours may be slightly different): visibleBuildID: 0x03028000 (3.0.2) buildID: 0x03028000 (3.0.2) Just change them to read: visibleBuildID: 0x03008000 (3.0.2) buildID: 0x03008000 (3.0.2) This fools the iPod into thinking it has firmware version 3.0, so it will let you 'update' to 3.0.1. Don't change anything else and select 'save' from the File menu. Close Notepad, and then run the 3.0.1 updater. You will see that it lists your software as 3.0.2 still, but it does allow you to select the 'update' option. Do so, and then follow the instructions, including disconnecting the iPod from the computer when the update is done and plugging it into the wall charger to do a reflash. One note, the next time you connect it to your computer again, you will notice that the computer considers it a new device, and will require you to do a restart. Otherwise everything has worked fine for me. I can now stop worrying about my iPod going to into deep sleep, and I still have all my files and music on the Pod. Thanks Christopher! C
B:
Corrupt file requests chkdsk :REPOST Original Message ( Posted Feb 2, 05 8:46 am )


Da Gopha Level 3 Joined: Jul, 2004 Posts: 1897...recklessly terraforming golf courses in the UK
(Part 1/2) Hi to everyone, this is a consolidated summary for those experiencing the corrupt file error that requests chkdsk, REPOSTED from the older iTunes for Windows folder: http://discussions.info.apple.com/webx?128@174.L2TNauUiTFH.417387@.68a5418d to permit the discussion to continue. What are the symptoms? 1) When iPod is connected to the computer, a pop-up dialog box appears, with a message to the effect: iTunes: itunes.exe - Corrupt File. The file or directory \iPod_Control\Device\SysInfo is corrupt and unreadable. Please run the Chkdsk utility. The error may also have (for example) Play Counts, or iTunes Temp in the place of sysinfo. As far as we are aware, regardless of the file that is corrupt, the same rules apply. 2) When you turn on the iPod, you may experience the Apple logo, followed by a global loss of custom user settings - such as language, main menu settings, contrast, backlight, on-the-go ratings, on-the-go playlists, and a reversion to a previous version of your Playlists. Are Apple aware of this?! Yes, a number of us have been in contact with Apple Technical Support to report this matter. I have been in touch with a top-notch Level 2 Engineer who has reported this to US Engineering. As of the end of January, US Engineering have acknowledged that this is a real problem, and are working towards a resolution. What causes this error? 1) This problem has been introduced by all iPod Updaters to-date since 2004-11-15. The firmware within these updaters has a bug in them causing this issue. 2) The problem occurs when the iPod enters deep sleep (after 36 hrs of inactivity), and manifests when iPod is woken, or connected to a computer. Who does this affect? We have independently shown, and have confirmation from US Engineering that this definitely affects: Generation4 Click Wheel iPods, iPod Mini :which have firmwares provided by 2004-11-15 or newer iPod Updater :running Windows (2000 and all flavours of XP, regardless of Service Pack) :using USB connectivity (and many reports of Firewire too)What have I done to my iPod to deserve this?! Nothing. It's a problem with the firmware issued in the iPod Updater. It affects the iPod, *not* iTunes, so reinstalling your iTunes will do nothing to help you in the long run. How can I fix this problem? There are a multitude of temporary fixes for this problem. 1) Soft reset iPod - press and hold Menu together with the centre Select button, for a few seconds until the Apple logo appears. This reboots the iPod, and should fix the problem on a temporary basis. 2) Run the chkdsk /f utility - Activate disk mode for the iPod in iTunes. Go to: Start, Run, and type cmd, press Enter to load the Windows command prompt. Type chkdsk /f X:, replacing 'X' with the drive letter of your iPod as deduced from My Computer. chkdsk finds and repairs the corrupt files. 3) Restore iPod - using iPod Updater. Connect iPod and select Restore following the instructions carefully. You will lose all your data on the iPod. Obviously, the soft reset is by far the quickest and easiest method of temporarily fixing this issue. However, because this problem is engrained in in the firmware, doing all the above will provide you with a temporary reprieve, but the issue will re-manifest when the iPod enters deep sleep.Windows XP Pro : Gen4 iPod
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SUMMARY: Corrupt file requests chkdsk :REPOST ( msg # 1.: Posted Feb 2, 05 8:48 am )


Da Gopha Level 3 Joined: Jul, 2004 Posts: 1897...recklessly terraforming golf courses in the UK
(Part 2/2) Okay, so what can I do for a permanent fix? 1) Wait for Apple to provide an offical solution - we've reported the problem, it's being worked on, so an official solution should be on the way. This is more than likely to be in the form of a new iPod Updater providing new firmware. The most recent updater (2005-01-10) provides the same buggy firmware that 2004-11-15 introduced. 2) Restore your iPod to an older firmware - restoration of your iPod to a previous version of the firmware fixes the issue permanently. For example, for Click Wheel iPods, 3.0.2 is the buggy firmware, 3.0.1 is the bug-free firmware. You may already have a previous version of iPod Updater available on your computer. Updaters 2004-08-06 and 2004-10-20 are the ones to go for. Connect your iPod, run the correct Updater and select Restore to turn back time for your iPod firmware. Be aware that you will obviously lose all your data and music. But I don't have an older firmware! Apple have stopped the official issue of the older firmware versions from the Apple Downloads website, so head on over to the following post: http://discussions.info.apple.com/webx?128@174.L2TNauUiTFH.417387@.68a3ab30 to request a copy from either David Robertson or Chris Capell who are being kind enough to send it out on email. There is also a link in there to a download page. What are the side effects of using an older firmware 1) New firmwares provide new features, so older firmwares will take those new features away. Thankfully though, we haven't found any significant features that are disabled by using an older firmware. Obviously, it is the user's choice to weigh up the benefits of clearing the error, with the loss of whatever minor features brought on by using an older firmware. 2) When you connect iPod to the computer, a dialog box will appear notifying you that your iPod is not up-to-date with the most recent software. It offers to correct this by running the newest iPod Updater for you. Click Cancel to ignore this message, and launch iTunes manually. Alternatively, launch iTunes manually first before connecting iPod. But I don't want to lose the music on my iPod! Fair enough. For whatever reason, you don't/can't transfer your music back from iTunes to iPod after a Restore operation. In that case, you can either implement a temporary fix, or if you'd like the permanent fix associated with a Restore, check out: Chris Capell, "Corrupt iPod file" #120, 12:38pm Jan 24, 2005 CDT for a way of fooling iPod into 'Updating' to the previous firmware. But it is a little tricky, so not recommended for newbies. Where can I find more info...? This is all a hot topic on Apple Discussions. The main hub of activity is centred around: http://discussions.info.apple.com/webx?128@174.L2TNauUiTFH.417387@.68a3ab30 and if you search Discussions for 'sysinfo' or 'chkdsk', you'll throw up hundreds of posts. It's also a hot topic on iPodLounge too: http://forums.ipodlounge.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=420956#post420956 Thanks! I have promised to keep everyone up to date when I come across more info. In the meanwhile, feel free to link to this post to help others. Thank you to *everyone* - wihout your help, it would've taken a lot longer to come to the deductions that we made, and produce a viable resolution.
C:Summary Of Findings As Of February 1, 2005
Ok, everybody, this is my attempt at summarizing all the information we've managed to pull together from this enormous thread into one post. I will continue to update this post as more information is gathered so that there will be a single post with the most current information.ISSUEWhen connecting your iPod to your computer, a yellow bubble pops up in iTunes telling you that your "Play Counts" or "SysInfo" files are corrupted, and asks that you run "chkdsk."CONTACT WITH APPLEAs many of you know, I have been in contact with one of the supervisors at Apple Customer Service. When we spoke last, he said that they investigated the issues surrounding these "corrupt files" and "it does not appear to be a very widespread problem." I'm not really sure how they've managed to determine that, considered the sheer number of people on this forum and at the Apple Discussion Forums (see the end of this post for more information on this) who are reporting this problem. You would have to assume that there are many other iPod owners who have experienced this problem but are not members of this forum, etc., who's voices have not been heard.WHAT IS CAUSING THIS PROBLEM?UPDATE: Apple has now recognized that this problem is caused by the 11-15-04 (and later) iPod Updater. However, the the problem manifests itself after the iPod goes into a deep sleep. There is hope that this problem will be resolved in the near future in a new iPod Updater.SO, WHAT DO YOU DO TO FIX THIS PROBLEM?The solution, unfortunately, is only temporary. To date, we have been able to determine four fixes.[Fix #1]: Fix #1 is the easiest method, but is also the most unreliable and the most short lived solution. Simply doing a soft reset or a hard reset on the iPod will get rid of the error message. To do a soft reset, simply press and hold down the menu+select keys simultaneously until the Apple logo appears and the iPod reboots. To do a hard reset, follow the same steps but plug your AC adapter into your iPod first.The next time you connect your iPod to your computer, the error message will not appear. However, as mentioned, this solution is short lived. For some unknown reason, the error message will return. It may return in a day, two days, three days, a week, whenever. There is no consensus as to when it will return and there are no patterns, but it will return. For example, the return of this error message following a reset is not limited to times when the iPod awakens from a "deep sleep." There are simply no patterns.[Fix #2]: Fix #2 is more reliable and can be a long term solution. This fix involves running the "chkdsk" utility. Thanks go to BobZoron for posting step-by-step instructions on how to do this. Here's his solution:
quote:
Originally posted by BobZoron:This worked for me. Here it is, quick and dirty:1. Connect your iPod. When the yellow bubble comes up in the lower right hand corner, click the "x" to close it.2. Go into iTunes. In the lower right hand corner of the iTunes window, click on the "Display iPod options" button.3. Down at the bottom of the new window, there should be a "Manually manage songs and playlists" option. Make a note which option is currently selected (we'll want to switch back to it if you want iTunes to manage the songs that are on your iPod). Select it. Click OK and close out of iTunes.4. You should now be able to access your iPod as though it's a USB hard drive. Open My Computer. Make note of the iPod drive letter (ex: E: )5. Click Start and go to Run. In the field, type in "cmd" (no quotation marks, obviously.)6. At the prompt, type in "chkdsk e: /f" (no quotations, substitute your iPod's drive letter for the E: ) the "/f" switch automatically fixes problems found on the iPod. Depending on your computer's speed, the chkdsk utility should take a minute or two. The utility should display a list of errors on your iPod drive.7. After the utility finishes and the prompt reappears, type "exit" hit enter and close the window by clicking the "x" in the top right hand corner.8. If you want iTunes to manage your library automatically, relaunch iTunes and go back into "display iPod options." Reselect the management option that you made a note of in step 3.9. You may want to have iTunes and the iPod sync so that each knows what's going on with the other. Otherwise, you shouldn't have the bubble pop up again. For me, it was a lost file cluster on the iPod hard drive that caused the corrupt dialogue to appear. Running chkdsk solved this. I didn't have to do an iPod reset, reformat the drive, dump my song collection and start from scratch, or return the iPod. Maybe you will meet the same success I did. Let me know!
This fix, as I mentioned, can be a long term solution. As stated above, the third suggested cause for this error message is allowing your iPod to go into a "deep sleep." For those who don't know, the iPod goes into a "deep sleep" when the iPod has not been used for approximately 36 hours. If and only if you avoid letting your iPod go into a "deep sleep," you will no longer see this error message after going through the steps outlined in BobZoron's fix. If you let the iPod go into a "deep sleep" you will get the error message again and you'll be forced to go through BobZoron's fix yet again.[Fix #3]: Fix #3 is the most time consuming, but can also be a permanent fix. You can do a "full restore" and restore your iPod to version 3.0.1. The downside to this is that you will have to put all your music back on your iPod and, if you manually sync, recreate all your playlists. For those of you who don't mind doing a full restore, this might be the option for you until iPod software 3.0.3 comes out. For those of you who don't want to deal with the hassle of doing a full restore, Fix #2 is probably better.[Fix #4]: Fix #4 is only a variation of Fix #3 for people who are a little more technically savvy and/or don't mind fiddling with the iPod's files. This fix will allow you to revert back to 3.0.1 from 3.0.2 without having to do a restore, thereby preserving your music files and your playlists on your iPod. Once you have reverted back to 3.0.1, you will no longer get this error message even if you allow your iPod to go into a deep sleep.So, again, if you're going to attempt this, you will do so AT YOUR OWN RISK. However, several people at the Apple Discussion Forums have tried this and claim that it works.If, after all those warnings, you still want to try it, here's the technique:
quote:
Originally posted by Chris Capell over at the Apple Discussion ForumsFor those of you using XP, you have to do the following first (and please note that this is all done at your own risk): enable the iPod for disk usage in iTunes, and then click on My Computer on your desktop, and from that window, click on Tools in the menu bar, and then Folder Options -- select the View tab and under advanced settings, make sure 'show hidden files and folders' is selected. Then press okay to close all the pop-ups and close the My Computer window. Now, go to Start>All Programs>Accessories>Notepad, and then in Notepad, from the File menu, select open. Click My Computer on the left-side of the open file dialog, then select the volume that is your iPod (you should recognize the name as being the same as you named the iPod originally in iTunes), and then click the iPod_Control folder, then the Device folder. You should see the SysInfo file here (if not, make sure the 'Files of type:' pulldown menu in the Open Files dialog is set to 'All files'). Click on the file to open it. The file contents are laid out much less nicely in Windows than in Christoper's Mac post -- they're basically one long line with no spaces between each entry. But you're still looking for the same two entries (these are how they look on my iPod, yours may be slightly different): visibleBuildID: 0x03028000 (3.0.2) buildID: 0x03028000 (3.0.2) Just change them to read: visibleBuildID: 0x03008000 (3.0.2) buildID: 0x03008000 (3.0.2) This fools the iPod into thinking it has firmware version 3.0, so it will let you 'update' to 3.0.1. Don't change anything else and select 'save' from the File menu. Close Notepad, and then run the 3.0.1 updater. You will see that it lists your software as 3.0.2 still, but it does allow you to select the 'update' option. Do so, and then follow the instructions, including disconnecting the iPod from the computer when the update is done and plugging it into the wall charger to do a reflash. One note, the next time you connect it to your computer again, you will notice that the computer considers it a new device, and will require you to do a restart. Otherwise everything has worked fine for me.
FINAL THOUGHTSAs of today, it has pretty much been conclusively determined that the problem is caused by the 11-15-05 (and later) iPod Updater. Yet, the problem manifests itself after you let the iPod go into a deep sleep.So, if you are not currently receiving this error message, it might be wise to prevent your iPod from going into a deep sleep until Apple releases a new Updater.If you are receiving this error message, I recommend using [Fix #2] above (BobZoron's technique for running chkdsk) to fix the problem and get rid of the error message. Then, to prevent the error message from coming back, ensure that your iPod does not go into a deep sleep. That means, as above, not letting your iPod go unused for more than 36 hours.I will continue to update this post with more information as we continue to learn more. If you are experiencing this problem, you might want to bookmark this particular post (rather than simply bookmarking the entire thread) so that it will be easy to find. To bookmark this particular post, bookmark this exact URL:http://forums.ipodlounge.com/showth...0956#post420956I will also update the link in my sig to go directly to this post rather than the beginning of this thread.APPLE DISCUSSION FORUMSAs mentioned above, the people at the Apple Discussion Forums have been discussing this problem as well. A user named "Da Gopha" just posted a summary similar to mine. To read his summary, check out:http://discussions.info.apple.com/w...71562@.68a5418d

EXCLUSIVE: 'iPod sales hit 23.5 million by 2006' - analyst

EXCLUSIVE: 'iPod sales hit 23.5 million by 2006' - analyst
By Jonny Evans
A leading Wall Street analyst expects 100 million Windows users to own iPods by 2008.
In a 27-page note released to clients, Needham & Co. analyst Charles Wolf revealed that, when such critical mass is achieved, "Mac sales could surge if only a nominal fraction of this group make a purchase."
While Apple has remained tight-lipped concerning claims that it intends releasing a flash-based iPod, Wolf says: "Although we expect hard drive players to capture an increasing share of the portable music player market, flash players should dominate the market through 2006."
iPod leads the action
He describes such a possible product introduction as, "an opportunistic move to quickly capture an even higher share of the portable music player market". Apple has already established the iPod as the "leading brand" in the portable music player market, Wolf affirms.
The analyst estimates Apple's iPod to be worth $25 on every company share, and states: "Apple, excluding the iPod, should be valued at $37 per share". He raised his target price on Apple stock to $62.
The Apple valuation also includes the company $13 per share hoard of cash, without which Apple would be worth $24 per share - one dollar less than iPod business itself, his estimates reveal.
On Tuesday, analysts at Fulcrum Global Partners and Piper Jaffray both raised their target prices on the company stock, to $65 and $100 respectively. Both assess the stock as a 'Buy'.
Conservative assessments
Wolf's analysis and raised target price are not dependent on an iPod halo effect, nor on Apple maintaining an 80 per cent share in the hard drive-based music player market and 70 per cent of the music download market. Nor does it depend on any future iPod flash product release.
Wolf also describes Apple's online and brick-&-mortar retail stores as "the unsung heroes of the Apple story".
In fact, Wolf's account relies on the assumption that a truly competitive product will debut on the market, and that Apple's share will slide to 60 per cent. He predicts that Apple will be able to compete with that future challenge on price, because it will be able to benefit from economies of scale, attracting lower production costs than competitors can access, due to iPod's massive sales volume.
Signs and portents
Examples to illustrate the significant impact production cost savings could make on Apple's performance already exist, Wolf maintains. Referring to iPod mini he writes: "Hitachi initially experienced quite low yields in its production of the drive used in the iPod mini. Low yields add to manufacturing costs in two ways. They not only prevent the fixed costs allocated to each drive from falling but also require defective drives to be reworked or scrapped."
Drive production costs decline as yields increase, because overheads are spread across more units. He suggests that iPod mini drive production costs could now have fallen by a third, speculating that, "Apple should have sufficient margin to reduce the price of the mini from $249 to $199, "once supply catches up with demand".
PC installation on the rise
Wolf estimates that the installed base of personal computers could reach 1.3 billion by 2010. And he believes that, since a PC is required to use an iPod or other music player, such continued consumer take-up will propel sales.
"Our analysis indicates that the installed base of portable music players could approach 500 million by 2010, equivalent to a 7 per cent penetration rate of the worlds population."
The Microsoft choice 'ignores reality'
Microsoft argues that consumers want choice in their online music purchases, and will eventually favour non-Apple devices. Wolf declares that the Redmond company's assessment, "ignores reality".
Wolf does not believe music lovers care about music formats when they buy songs, and that most songs are ripped from CDs or downloaded elsewhere. He argues that consumers don't care which online service they use, as long as it has what they want and is compatible with their device, and adds that content will not drive a single standard service to emerge, as music content will be identically-available on multiple services.
"There are no compelling economic reasons why Microsoft’s Windows Media Audio music software platform should end up dominating this market just because it’s been adopted by a host of online music stores and music players", he writes.
"In our opinion, the only way Windows Media could emerge as the dominant platform is if Apple stops innovating its iTunes software and the iPod," he states.
Simply the best
Wolf's extensive report carries a plethora of insight, and the note of caution is double-edged.
"We believe the iPod will lose some market share only because its share is so high. Apple has been successful in fending off competitors to date because most have been inept at designing easy-to-use players. Eventually, however, one or more are likely to enter the market with competitive products. In our opinion, Sony has the best chance of challenging the iPod because it has a compelling history of innovation."
He predicts that by 2010, iTunes Music Store market share will have fallen to just 2 per cent, but points out that this figure equates to sales worth $800 million per year by then.
Next year's outlook remains positive, too, Wolf writes: "We’ve adjusted our fiscal 2005 revenue model to incorporate iPod sales of 13.3 million units, up from 9.5 million previously. We’ve also raised our forecast of peripheral, software and music sales."
Confirming that Apple has successfully transformed itself into a $10 billion company again, Needham & Co presently predicts Apple to reach 2005 revenues of $11.7 billion, up from the $10.2 previously assessed.
"We’re forecasting iPod sales of 23.5 million units in 2006," Wolf adds.

Hard to lower pirate flag while legal alternatives still lacking

Hard to lower pirate flag while legal alternatives still lacking
There's a fun little back and forth going on between Apple and a group of programmers. Apple runs the iTunes music service, where you can download any of a gazillion songs for a buck or so.
But those songs come with restrictions on where you can play them. So Jon Johansen, Cody Brocious, and crew (Johansen is the Norwegian who cracked the encryption on DVDs several years ago) created PyMusique — software that lets you access iTunes, pay for music, and download it without the built-in digital rights management (DRM) restrictions.
Apple responded by closing the "hole" PyMusique exploited, and requiring all iTunes users to upgrade to the latest version of the software.
Johansen and the PyMusique folks responded by "reopening the door" with a new version. (I am writing this on Wednesday. By the time you read this things may have changed.)
To be fair, the PyMusique group said they weren't interested in stripping the DRM, only in making iTunes available for Linux users. But the restrictions aren't in the songs — they are added by Apple's software. Johansen and crew simply decided not to add that feature.
Who can blame them? By adding restrictions to music, Apple is going against decades of an understanding between music makers and music buyers.
Imagine buying a music CD at the mall, bringing it home, and playing it on your stereo. Then you play it on your car's CD player driving to work. But when you get there and pop it into the little player on your desk, you hear a voice say, "We're sorry, but you are only authorized to play this disk on up to two CD players. You have now exceeded that. Thank you."
That's exactly how iTunes and most of the other legal online music service work. When you pay for and download a song, it comes with various built-in restrictions. Maybe you can only pay it while you're subscribed to the service. Maybe you're limited to playing it on certain machines. Maybe you can't copy it to other media (say, a CD to play in your car).
And people wonder why music piracy is so rampant.
It's not just "cheap people want something for free," although that's likely part of it. It is, instead, because the music industry, led by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), forgot a key phrase of capitalism: What the traffic will bear.
Clearly the market didn't bear $15 CDs with one or two good songs. As soon as an alternative was available, people jumped. That it happened to be a free alternative only helped, and that it happened to be an illegal alternative didn't matter.
The industry was incredibly slow to catch up, but finally embraced — in a tentative, distant-cousin-at-the-wedding sort of way — services such as iTunes and Napster (v.2.0).
Both are doing well, but neither is doing as well as the peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, even though music from those is likely pirated, and downloaders are likely lawbreakers.
Those P2P services (I talked about them last week) are doing gangbusters for several reasons. Of course, there are always people who want something free. And there are always people who only want a handful of songs a year and don't want to bother installing software to get it.
But the biggest reason is this: The legal downloading services were started as alternatives to buying a CD. The mindset should have been that they're a legal alternative to P2P networks.
That's the competition now. P2P networks and software are simple to install and easy to use. They have a dedicated user base, and a huge "library" of downloadables.
You can be grabbing (in the worst sense of the word) music, movies, software, what-have-you in minutes. (Although you'd be a fool not to be sure your anti-virus software was up to date.)
And the music you download illegally comes restriction free.
"If there were any such service where you could download a song for a buck and do what you want with it, I'd pay for that in a second," said a friend of mine. But the idea of paying for something and then having to keep track of how and where you use it is too annoying — especially when Grokster beckons from the sidelines.
It's true that when you buy a CD you don't own the music — you own the disk and the right to play that music. No argument.
But, well, the folks at DRM Blog put it best: "I can basically do whatever I want with a CD. When I am done with said CD, I can give it to a friend and he can do with it as he pleases. This is the way it has been for 80 years. Phonographs, 8-tracks, cassettes and compact discs have all worked this way. You went to a store, you bought a piece of plastic, and you took it home."
The music industry seems clueless, or at best stuck in the 1980s. They seem unaware of what the traffic will actually bear. They are suing their users. (Yes, they're suing pirates. But those pirates are also the people who support their artists, buying everything from T-shirts to concert tickets, and yes, music.)
The RIAA's empty-headed, heavy-handed approach to business continues, and consumers will continue to get the shaft. Adding insult to injury, Orrin Hatch, the Utah senator who once suggested remotely destroying the computers of people suspected of pirating music (due process, schmue process) is now head of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Intellectual Property.
Fox. Henhouse. Chomp.
Hatch's appointment, and his oft-demonstrated industry bias, means you can expect more restrictions on how you can use the music and movies you buy — a continued erosion of copyright at the expense of listeners and viewers, thanks to a Congress that seems to have lost track that they're supposed to be the representatives of the people.
The result won't be less piracy, it will be more.
Because that's what happens when consumers realize they're getting the shaft — they find ways around the system. That's why P2P networks have grown so much and so fast.
And if the music or movie industries think they'll come up with a technological solution to fix things, they've got their collective heads in the sand. Because every time — every time — some new scheme comes out to deny consumers their rights under current copyright law, some programmer finds a way around it.
Maybe it's the instruction to "hold down the Shift key." Or a small program you have to run. Or using a magic marker to draw on a CD. (These are all real examples.) Somehow, someone will find a way to break the copy protection.
This is a losing battle being fought. Unfortunately, it's a battle everyone is losing. Music sales are falling. Teenagers are facing jail. Music lovers are stuck with either restrictive licenses or taking the pirate's way out.
But until the RIAA wakes up — as well as their brethren at the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) — this is what we're stuck with.
Yo-ho-ho.

iPod Invasion

iPod Invasion
By Dan Myers
PULSE WRITER
March 25, 2005White is the new black for MP3 players, thanks to Apple's now mega-popular iPod and its distinctive pearly appearance.
The digital music player, which went on sale late 2001, is taking over the hearts, minds and expendable income of America's coveted 18-to-34-year-old demographic.
Brian King, a sophomore VCT major, took the $300 plunge and bought an iPod two years ago.
"I got an iPod because I've always been a big supporter of all things Apple, it can be used as an external hard drive and it's a trendy accessory," King said.
iPod's popularity has never been higher, as evidenced by its
recent sales.
According to a press release, 4.5 million iPods sold through between October and December, 2004, while Apple has sold a little better than 10 million iPods since its release in October, 2001.
To put the figures in context, over 40 percent of iPod sales came in just three months -- after being on sale for about 39 months.
Dr. Chuck Coletta, an instructor of popular culture at the University, explained that the music player's sudden jump in popularity is an example of a product reaching "critical mass."
"It's sort of like a groundswell, a few key people get them and all of a sudden everyone wants one," Coletta said. "Like, six months ago, I don't think I ever heard of [iPod], and now I have one."
"I think the big thing now is personal choice," he said. "This is kinda like the next generation of Walkman. Now you can do it [listen to your own music] but a hundred times more."
Coletta said the design of the music player is distinctive. "You know it when you see it," he said.
"Six months ago, I never thought earphones would be distinctive," he said. "You see people walking around and you can't see the actual machine, but you know what they're listening on."
Local restaurant and bar Easy Street Caf頩s acting on the device's vogue status with new "iPod Nights" every Tuesday night.
Dave Harper, manager of Easy Street, got the idea from a story in the Toledo Blade describing Californian clubs that have iPod nights.
"I figured, hey, why not try it out in Bowling Green?" he said.
"A lotta times people go to DJ nights and have to listen to what they play. But here, they can be the DJ for half an hour."
Patrons call early to sign up for a half hour. Then, that half hour is all theirs to play whatever music is in their iPod.
"We're not putting any limits on the music so if people wanna come up and play hip-hop, opera, jazz, they can," Harper said.
Nor are there any limits on the expansion of iPod spin-offs and accessories, seemingly.
In addition to the original iPod model, there are iPod Mini, iPod Shuffle and iPod Photo devices as well -- all tailored for different uses.
The iPod Mini is physically smaller and lighter than a standard iPod and holds 75 to 80 percent fewer songs, but at $199, its price is lower than the original's $299 price tag.
iPod Shuffles arrived January this year, making them the newest member of the product line. They offer users virtually no control over which songs are played; it downloads 1,000 random songs from its owner's computer and plays them in a random order.
At the upper range of functionality and cost is the iPod Photo, a device with a color screen and a large amount of storage. Not only does store and show off photos as its name suggests, but it plays music and displays album covers as well. Its price depends on its storage space, ranging from $349 to $449.
While four different iPod models may be impressive for a basic product that is only three years old, that number is eclipsed by the massive amount of third-party accessories available -- over 400, according to Apple.
Everything from FM radio add-ons and stylized cases to attachable flashlights and digital camera link cables, companies have thought up some interesting ways to trick out consumers' iPods.
One accessory from MacMice, called the "JamPod," is a guitar amplifier for iPods. The device plugs into an iPod at one end and a guitar at the other, allowing users to mix the music levels for output to the headphones.
Makers of iPod accessories are making a killing -- the accessory business is worth an estimated $300 million per year.
Between iPod accessories and the units themselves, the so-called "iPod Economy" as industry watchers put it, is enjoying success -- success that is bolstered by promotional cross-overs. The most prominent of these is with rock band U2.
Not only was a stylish advertisement aired on television featuring a single from U2's latest album and the likeness of lead singer Bono Vox.
Dr. Jeremy Wallach, assistant professor of popular culture, attributes the iPod's success to Apple's advertising campaign.
"It's a combination of skillful marketing and a real need," Wallach said. "It's the latest kind of Walkman, it may be replaced by a very similar device, but the idea of downloading digital music from the computer to a portable device will stay relevant."
Its relevancy in pop culture may depend on which direction Apple's marketing strategy goes from here -- like product placement.
"They're gonna have to work it into movies," Coletta said. "I'd be surprised if, during the summer blockbusters, this thing doesn't show up."
When characters on television and in movies use iPods, Coletta explained, a whole group of people who have never seen the device before becomes interested.
One such new customer is senior fine arts major Dominic Knepper.
Knepper bought an iPod this past Christmas and he likes it so much that he recommends it to anyone who will listen.
"Megabyte for megabyte, gigabyte for gigabyte, it's the best value," Knepper said. "It's not worth it to buy a $150 mp3 player with 256 megabytes, just save up for a [$299] 20 gigabyte iPod."
While he shopped around for other digital music players, Knepper settled on the iPod not only for its storage value but its "amazing" sound quality and simple controls as well.
"Anyone could understand [how to use] an iPod within a minute of using one," Knepper said. "You couldn't make it any clearer if you tried."
Knepper said he tells everyone that if they have the money, they should get an iPod.
"It's simple, it's elegant, it's damn sexy, it does everything you expect it to and more -- and as far as ease of use goes, I'd give it a 10 out of 10," he said.

iPod Invasion
By Dan Myers
PULSE WRITER
March 25, 2005White is the new black for MP3 players, thanks to Apple's now mega-popular iPod and its distinctive pearly appearance.
The digital music player, which went on sale late 2001, is taking over the hearts, minds and expendable income of America's coveted 18-to-34-year-old demographic.
Brian King, a sophomore VCT major, took the $300 plunge and bought an iPod two years ago.
"I got an iPod because I've always been a big supporter of all things Apple, it can be used as an external hard drive and it's a trendy accessory," King said.
iPod's popularity has never been higher, as evidenced by its
recent sales.
According to a press release, 4.5 million iPods sold through between October and December, 2004, while Apple has sold a little better than 10 million iPods since its release in October, 2001.
To put the figures in context, over 40 percent of iPod sales came in just three months -- after being on sale for about 39 months.
Dr. Chuck Coletta, an instructor of popular culture at the University, explained that the music player's sudden jump in popularity is an example of a product reaching "critical mass."
"It's sort of like a groundswell, a few key people get them and all of a sudden everyone wants one," Coletta said. "Like, six months ago, I don't think I ever heard of [iPod], and now I have one."
"I think the big thing now is personal choice," he said. "This is kinda like the next generation of Walkman. Now you can do it [listen to your own music] but a hundred times more."
Coletta said the design of the music player is distinctive. "You know it when you see it," he said.
"Six months ago, I never thought earphones would be distinctive," he said. "You see people walking around and you can't see the actual machine, but you know what they're listening on."
Local restaurant and bar Easy Street Caf頩s acting on the device's vogue status with new "iPod Nights" every Tuesday night.
Dave Harper, manager of Easy Street, got the idea from a story in the Toledo Blade describing Californian clubs that have iPod nights.
"I figured, hey, why not try it out in Bowling Green?" he said.
"A lotta times people go to DJ nights and have to listen to what they play. But here, they can be the DJ for half an hour."
Patrons call early to sign up for a half hour. Then, that half hour is all theirs to play whatever music is in their iPod.
"We're not putting any limits on the music so if people wanna come up and play hip-hop, opera, jazz, they can," Harper said.
Nor are there any limits on the expansion of iPod spin-offs and accessories, seemingly.
In addition to the original iPod model, there are iPod Mini, iPod Shuffle and iPod Photo devices as well -- all tailored for different uses.
The iPod Mini is physically smaller and lighter than a standard iPod and holds 75 to 80 percent fewer songs, but at $199, its price is lower than the original's $299 price tag.
iPod Shuffles arrived January this year, making them the newest member of the product line. They offer users virtually no control over which songs are played; it downloads 1,000 random songs from its owner's computer and plays them in a random order.
At the upper range of functionality and cost is the iPod Photo, a device with a color screen and a large amount of storage. Not only does store and show off photos as its name suggests, but it plays music and displays album covers as well. Its price depends on its storage space, ranging from $349 to $449.
While four different iPod models may be impressive for a basic product that is only three years old, that number is eclipsed by the massive amount of third-party accessories available -- over 400, according to Apple.
Everything from FM radio add-ons and stylized cases to attachable flashlights and digital camera link cables, companies have thought up some interesting ways to trick out consumers' iPods.
One accessory from MacMice, called the "JamPod," is a guitar amplifier for iPods. The device plugs into an iPod at one end and a guitar at the other, allowing users to mix the music levels for output to the headphones.
Makers of iPod accessories are making a killing -- the accessory business is worth an estimated $300 million per year.
Between iPod accessories and the units themselves, the so-called "iPod Economy" as industry watchers put it, is enjoying success -- success that is bolstered by promotional cross-overs. The most prominent of these is with rock band U2.
Not only was a stylish advertisement aired on television featuring a single from U2's latest album and the likeness of lead singer Bono Vox.
Dr. Jeremy Wallach, assistant professor of popular culture, attributes the iPod's success to Apple's advertising campaign.
"It's a combination of skillful marketing and a real need," Wallach said. "It's the latest kind of Walkman, it may be replaced by a very similar device, but the idea of downloading digital music from the computer to a portable device will stay relevant."
Its relevancy in pop culture may depend on which direction Apple's marketing strategy goes from here -- like product placement.
"They're gonna have to work it into movies," Coletta said. "I'd be surprised if, during the summer blockbusters, this thing doesn't show up."
When characters on television and in movies use iPods, Coletta explained, a whole group of people who have never seen the device before becomes interested.
One such new customer is senior fine arts major Dominic Knepper.
Knepper bought an iPod this past Christmas and he likes it so much that he recommends it to anyone who will listen.
"Megabyte for megabyte, gigabyte for gigabyte, it's the best value," Knepper said. "It's not worth it to buy a $150 mp3 player with 256 megabytes, just save up for a [$299] 20 gigabyte iPod."
While he shopped around for other digital music players, Knepper settled on the iPod not only for its storage value but its "amazing" sound quality and simple controls as well.
"Anyone could understand [how to use] an iPod within a minute of using one," Knepper said. "You couldn't make it any clearer if you tried."
Knepper said he tells everyone that if they have the money, they should get an iPod.
"It's simple, it's elegant, it's damn sexy, it does everything you expect it to and more -- and as far as ease of use goes, I'd give it a 10 out of 10," he said.