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Microsoft, Apple Join to Fix Vista iPod Issues

By BetaNews Staff, BetaNews

May 8, 2007, 4:01 PM

Touting the collaboration between the two companies, Microsoft today released a patch it developed with Apple to correct problems Windows Vista users are having with iPods. While Apple already updated iTunes, issues remained with iPods becoming corrupted when ejected.

"The long and short of it is this: Apple and Windows have partnered together to ensure a great experience in using Windows Vista with iTunes and the iPod, and both companies recommend you download this update," said Vista product manager Nick White. The download is available now, and will be automatically downloaded for Vista users beginning May 22.

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By muka3d

posted May 10, 2007 - 8:40 AM

There are NO Vista-iPod issues! Just use Winamp people! iTunes is a slow beast!

Score: 0

By rsx508

posted May 10, 2007 - 7:52 PM

Really? You can buy TV shows and movies from iTunes through WinAmp? (sarcasm)

Score: 0

By crashoverride

edited May 11, 2007 - 11:32 PM

There's no need for the attitude. Winamp is obviously not the solution for everyone.

Score: 0

By Maestr0

posted May 9, 2007 - 10:02 AM

Lets see...millions more iPod owners use a PC than a MAC. So if the iPod is not working with Vista, then that equals people not using iTunes to buy music. Of course Apple wants this problem fixed. The iPod took off once they made it PC compatible.

Score: 0

By rsx508

posted May 9, 2007 - 8:06 AM

Ironic that they start talking of "getting along" while Apple continues to crank out new Mac-vs-PC ads. I wonder if those will quiet down during this effort? Who knows. Microsoft might also use this opportunity to probe Apple for things they could use in Zune, all the while dragging on the "collaboration" for various reasons. They're both businesses, not social clubs, so anything (espionage related) is on the table.

Score: 0

By GordieT

posted May 9, 2007 - 7:41 AM

Doesn't really matter who's fault the compatibility issue is, who better to ask for help than the maker of the OS?

Score: 0

By Rageweaver

posted May 9, 2007 - 7:17 AM

Nein. This will never last. Once the issue is fixed Apple will ask for a merg. And they will slay Steve Jobs. Then dig him up, and kill him again.

But as for the issue, Vista should be dead anyway. Let it rot, that and Apples dreams.

Score: 0

By rsx508

posted May 9, 2007 - 8:01 AM

And they'll send Mel Gibson to do the invite, with his face painted, riding a horse.

Score: 0

By testman

posted May 9, 2007 - 5:31 AM

This has been out since the end of March, so no news here (it was revised on the 8th May).

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=933824

Score: 0

By bobthegoat2001

posted May 9, 2007 - 4:10 AM

That's kind of sad when Microsoft has to help Apple make there iPod compatible with Vista. Yet another reason not to get the iPod, but the sheeple keep buying it anyway.

If you were smart, you'd get an MP3 player that doesn't require any software to transfer your music over (like my iAudio X5 60gb) you wouldn't have any problems. It's USB Mass Storage so it just shows up as a 60gb hard drive and you just drag your MP3's (or Ogg's, WMA's or Flac's) over to the 'Music' folder and the iAudio play's it. That also makes it, along with any Windows PC, Mac and Linux compatible.

Score: 0

By Program86

posted May 9, 2007 - 9:53 AM

CORRECTION:

Its kinda sad when Apple has to help Microsoft fix Vista to make it compatible. Do your research next time so you dont look like such an idiot.

Score: 0

By bobthegoat2001

posted May 9, 2007 - 1:55 PM

I'm sorry, who makes iPods? Who makes iTunes? Not Microsoft. Tell me again why they're supposed to fix their OS to be compatible with another company’s hardware and software?

I mean if Apple wants to get iTunes and the iPod to work on Vista, then that's Apples responsibility.

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted May 9, 2007 - 12:51 PM

I could have sworn Applications were made for OSes, not the other way around.

Score: 0

By frankwick

posted May 9, 2007 - 10:25 AM

you never stop do you? What a DORK!

Score: 0

By xyzcb1

posted May 9, 2007 - 7:34 AM

you nailed it. In additional to that, why would anyone want a program to take over all their media associations, and without permission. Gee.

Score: 0

By Program86

posted May 9, 2007 - 9:53 AM

nice sarcasm

Score: 0

By Pixelsmack

edited May 8, 2007 - 6:56 PM

Hey this is great except IT'S NOT JUST IPOD THAT'S BUSTED!

A lot of people, yes me too, still cannot play DRM content from iTunes. Hell, can't even preview it in the music store under Vista!

Score: 0

By crashoverride

posted May 10, 2007 - 1:58 AM

yet another reason why DRM is a doomed technology. One rule to remember with DRM, anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Score: 0

By bobthegoat2001

edited May 9, 2007 - 1:39 PM

Aren’t you glad you bought music from iTunes? You can get CD’s for cheaper if you get them used like on Amazon.com or new on other places like Yourmusic.com or BMGmusic.com. You can even trade music on Lala.com for $1 per trade, the same price as one track on iTunes!

There are several reasons why CD’s are better too, like for one CD’s are… CD quality (duh;)) not at a low 128kbit/s. And CD’s can be ripped to any format or any quality you want, like MP3, Ogg, AAC, Flac, WMA, WMA Lossless, Ape, AIFF, MP4, MPC, TwinVQ, 3GP, MP1, MP2, AC3, WavPack, Atrac, Atrac3, Atrac3plus and Wav (did I miss any?) and there’s no DRM attached to it either. That also makes it compatible with any MP3 player, not just the iPod (and when you realize there’s better MP3 players out there like Cowon the CD will be compatible with it).

Score: 0

By crashoverride

posted May 10, 2007 - 2:26 AM

meh.... the only incentive at this point for me to buy another player would be to get ogg and flac support which that isn't even a big draw anymore since I can get support for both formats on my iPod for free.

Score: 0

By bobthegoat2001

edited May 12, 2007 - 2:53 PM

There's a few reasons though why I like my iAudio X5 60gb over an iPod.

- USB Mass Storage: No software or drivers needed, just plug it in, drag your music over to the 'Music' folder and that's it. No DRM, no iTunes... your free to transfer your music on and off of it how ever you want.

- FM Tuner/Recorder

- 95db SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) Sound Quality, compared to the iPods 5gen 60gb's 86db SNR

- Ogg and Flac compatible built-in (which I use) without needing Rockbox. Rockbox is also compatible with the X5, but it actually takes away WMA support because it's closed source (which I guess your iPod didn't support WMA in the first place). Which I use sometimes when I do the unlimited music downloads subscription, like Urge, Napster or Yahoo Music.

- 16 Ohm, 20mW + 20mW earphone output: It put's out a decen't amount of bass if you want it to with the equalizers and stuff. Especially if you use good earphones like Sennheiser (I like the PX-100).

- Up to 35 hours of playback with the X5L models or 14 hours with the X5 models. If I remember right the hard drive based iPods are like 7 hours or something like that.

- Other notable things that I don't use much is the Line Out/Line In for recording, built in mic for voice recording, USB Host compatible (You can plug in your camera and off load the memory card)

Score: 0

By crashoverride

edited May 8, 2007 - 5:38 PM

I've been using Songbird myself (yes I know it's bloated). Just replaced the iPods firmware with Rockbox which is much better in my opinion. Busy transcoding my MP3s to ogg as I speak.

Score: 0

By cap737

posted May 9, 2007 - 11:02 AM

I've never heard of Rockbox. Thanks for sharing!

Score: 0

By Hollywood__

edited May 8, 2007 - 4:53 PM

Use SharePod (free), skip the bloated iTunes AND share your music with anybody.

I've never touch iTunes except to initialize the iPod so I can run SharePod.

Score: 0

By slinkys_delsol

posted May 8, 2007 - 4:17 PM

Anyone ever think it's not an IPOD issue, but a VISTA Issue.

VISTA IS AN ISSUE with a lot of Hardware and Software.

If YOU choose to upgrade your PC to Vista, do your Homework, because when something does not work, it is no one else's fault except for YOU for not doing some homework first.

Remember, NO ONE put a gun to your head and said "Buy / Install Vista".

Score: 0

By bobthegoat2001

edited May 9, 2007 - 4:26 AM

No sorry! Apple makes the iPod and Apple created iTunes. Therefore it's Apples duty to make there own hardware and software compatible with Vista, not Microsoft’s. It was Apples idea to make the iPod require iTunes to transfer your music to you iPod.

Score: 0

By crashoverride

posted May 10, 2007 - 2:29 AM

yea...Apple makes iTunes...and Microsoft big heaping pile of cow dung that is Vista broke a perfectly working program.

Score: 0

By bobthegoat2001

posted May 10, 2007 - 5:36 AM

I don't get what your trying to say. Vista is a new OS. You can't expect everything to work in it from the start. That's almost like saying a perfectly working game on Windows won't work on a Mac. Well no duh! It's a different OS! Vista is different than XP!

Score: 0

By crashoverride

edited May 10, 2007 - 5:37 PM

Well all I can say is backward compatibility Must not be important anymore because from what I've heard it practically doesn't exist in Vista.

Score: 0

By foxfyre

edited May 9, 2007 - 8:01 AM

Hey Vista fanboy, ITunes and iPod were around long before Vista (well, before Vista was an actual product, as few of us were around before Vista was announced. But then we are still waiting for Cairo - you know the integrated OS and database that MS killed because they couldn't even effectively copy the Pick OS).

It is not Apple's responsibility to pro-actively make a product compatible with a competitor's OS that comes around after the fact. They could simply not support it at all if they chose.

But hey, you could choose to employ MS's Portable Media Center instead...oh wait, they are killing that. Oops! Nevermind.

But obviously MS sees it to be in their interest as well to have their OS be compatible with a large segment of the market.

The real irony is that Vista is also incompatible with so many other NON-Apple offerings that worked fine with XP. But I guess that is Apple's fault and responsibility to fix as well, isn't it fanboy?

Score: 0

By bobthegoat2001

posted May 9, 2007 - 2:09 PM

"Vista is also incompatible with so many other NON-Apple offerings that worked fine with XP. But I guess that is Apple's fault and responsibility to fix as well,"

Bingo!

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted May 9, 2007 - 9:32 AM

lmao..

Sorry, Apple fanboy...that's not the way it works. That's never *been* the way it works.

The funny thing is, you know this. You've stated it yourself several times. You just enjoy (perhaps a bit too much) trolling the Vista topics.

Score: 0

By foxfyre

posted May 10, 2007 - 7:28 AM

Sorry Tool, but no company is obliged to make their product compatible with another. They are always free to eschew that portion of the marketspace.

Not Apple, not MS.

The reason that both are working to do this is that it is in both parties' interests to expand their markets accordingly. But this notion that either is obligated to do so is complete and utter nonsense.

And yup, like I have Never complained about Apple, despite liking the increased choice that the platform offers. Right! Keep making it up as you go...

Score: 0

By terminalx

edited May 9, 2007 - 9:21 AM

The point is that Apple can make its own products compatible with its OS but when it comes to someone else they fail, quicktime and itunes is a miserable experience on Windows whereas Apple it is seamless.

If Apple chooses not to offer compatibility with Ipod for Vista they could lose on potential sales so it would be in their best interest to make it work hence this temporary merger.

Again, since Microsoft doesn't design these non apple offerings that worked with xp it has nothing do with them, contrary to popular belief not everything software/hardware related is Microsoft's fault.

Score: 0

By phenomnaruto

edited May 9, 2007 - 4:04 AM

alot of companies refused to make drivers with vista because they are lazy. Its the companies that make the drivers .. not microsoft.

Score: 0

By TheSlasher

posted May 9, 2007 - 12:28 AM

This is an ignorant comment. Many manufacturer's products only ship with Vista now. So if you need to buy a PC, you're stuck with Vista.

D'oh.

Score: 0

By JustExtreme

edited May 8, 2007 - 5:30 PM

nobody said you had to buy a ****ing ipod piece of s*** either. its a shame all the chavs go buy them...nevermind.

Score: 0

By Pdj79

posted May 8, 2007 - 4:38 PM

Um, while I agree with you to a point, what about those of us who purchased computers from makers like Dell BEFORE they added the option of an XP install instead of Vista? I NEVER expected them to do an about face in the midst of the customers' wishes considering MS gives them huge incentives for pushing their latest products. I DID do my homework (I beta-tested Vista and never had this issue with ejecting my iPod during any of the interim builds or release candidates). I don't know/care who is responsible...all I care about is that the issue is fixed.

Score: 0

By thechief

edited May 9, 2007 - 11:08 AM

Hi,

Daft question... Can I take your comment as confirmation that the patch fixes the issue with ITUNES for those who have upgraded from XP to Vista?

Thanks in advance.

Score: 0

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