News, Reviews and more from Australia's Macintosh Authority
News, Reviews and more from Australia's Macintosh Authority
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I've been an iPod owner for some time. My first iPod was a 4th generation unit. Accessories for that particular model used a special connector at the top of the iPod that was adjacent to the headphone socket. I used an FM transmitter and voice recorder through that port.
Time marched on and I sold that iPod off and purchased a series of 5th generation iPods (30GB, 60GB and then 80GB because it had a better screen) and an iPod nano. There was an extra cost as my old accessories wouldn't work with the later iPods as they used Apple's Dock Connector. That's the price of progress, I thought. Mistakenly, I thought that all iPods with the Dock connector would be able to share accessories.
When I purchased my iPod touch a few months ago I discovered that my ExtremeMac Micromemo wouldn't work. I can accept that the iPod touch, and iPhone, run totally different software, so — while I'm disappointed — I figure that a solution will come to the fore at some other time.
Now that I have my iPhone 3G I'm somewhat stunned at the fact that many of my iPod accessories are now either nobbled in some way or completely useless. For example, I purchased an iPod Remote Dock a couple of years ago and have used it with my various 5th generation iPods, an iPod nano and an iPod touch. Incredibly, this simple accessory doesn't work with the iPhone 3G. Surely an Apple-issued Dock should just work. The cable connected to the Dock is OK with the iPod (even though it's from an older iPod) — it's just the Dock that the iPhone doesn't like.
My Logitech mm50 speaker deck is another device that now has limited functionality. I can play sound back though the speakers and control the volume but the mm50 can't charge the iPhone. In other words, even with the speakers on AC power, the iPhone's battery will drain. That's another fail in my view.
A quick web search revealed that many users are discovering that their iPod — and even iPhone 1.0 — accessories don't work with the iPhone 3G. The cynical part of my psyche thinks that perhaps Apple is hoping that we'll all shelve our old accessories and buy new ones. However, while Apple does sell some accessories I suspect that it is just one of many players in the crowded iPod/iPhone accessory market.
Apparently, the technical driver for the change is that all previous iPods could be charged over FireWire. However, the iPhone 3G is strictly a USB 2.0 device only. This means that some changes have been made to the iPhone 3G's dock connector. It's possible that some accessory makers will offer adaptors to make their devices compatible but that may lead to clunky adaptors or product abandonment by manufacturers.
If you're considering joining the iPhone 3G conga line it's worth doing some due diligence. If you've got some iPod accessories that you're expecting to work with a new iPhone 3G do your research. Even Apple's own accessories aren't guaranteed to work.
wrote on July 21, 2008 8:29 PM
iPhone 3G doesn't have 12 volt charging. This is a real shame, as 12V charging is much quicker than the 5V that USB provides. 12V is also more robust. I have a friend with a near dead iPod battery and USB just won't power the device. Luckily he has a FireWire cable which is the only thing keeping his iPod alive. The bad news is - dropping 12V charging has broken many devices (including fast acting car chargers) which were a) manufactured to Apple's spec. and b) gave us better service than USB. As usual, I'm sure Apple will have a million reasons why they dropped 12V charging. But its customers will mourn this passing shaking our heads in disbelief. It's a wonder third party manufacturers even attempt to deal with Apple. We all remember last year's change to the iPod video-out spec, apparently without warning their "partners". It was one thing Apple doing it to their customers, now they do it to people who pay for the privilege to be an Apple partner.
As I type these words, I am waiting for Apple's Developer Connection web site to ease up sufficiently for me to download the long-awaited Software Developer Kit for the iPhone (and iPod touch, just by the by). In a way, I hate developer-oriented announcements — "here's a really cool thing we're working on, and it's available now, and hoi polloi can have it in about six months". Actually, it's the six months I hate.
Matthew JC. Powell | Mar 7, 2008
This morning Apple released a new version of its iPhone SDK for developers. iPhone SDK beta 2 includes Interface Builder, a component of Apple’s development tools that lets developers create the interface for their applications. That seems to be the only major change in the latest build, according to the SDK’s read me, which continues to list some known issues. Apple says “this second beta is known to be incompatible with installation folders other than the default /Developer.” Given the importance of UI on the Mac, Interface Builder is a pretty critical tool in the development process, and some developers had chosen to hold off on their efforts until the SDK was revised. Apple unveiled the iPhone SDK at a special event earlier this month, allowing developers to begin building applications for the iPhone and iPod touch. Several high-profile companies have already jumped onboard, demoing their applications at the event. Highlighting the demos was AOL with a native AIM client; other applications from Electronic Arts, Salesforce.com, and Apple were also shown.
jim dalrymple and Dan Moren | Mar 28, 2008
We don't normally run rumour stories in AMW, but this one's getting a bit too loud to be dismissed as rumbling. The Apple reseller "grapevine" has been abuzz this morning, with numerous sources now telling AMW that the iPhone will be released at the end of June or the beginning of July. While there has been no official public announcement from Apple yet, it is believed that the company has briefed its resellers on more detailed plans. Among the other tidbits: no network will have exclusivity and any Apple reseller — not just telecommunication resellers or Apple-owned stores -- will be able to sell it.
Matthew JC. Powell | Apr 9, 2008
Vodafone has made an iPhone announcement, telling Australia that it will be selling the iPhone in Australia, New Zealand and eight other countries. The release says nothing about 3G, exclusivity, timing or anything else, really — will Voda be the only carrier? And if so, what will it be carrying? And when?
Anthony Caruana | May 6, 2008
This morning Apple released a new version of its iPhone SDK for developers. iPhone SDK beta 2 includes Interface Builder, a component of Apple’s development tools that lets developers create the interface for their applications. That seems to be the only major change in the latest build, according to the SDK’s read me, which continues to list some known issues. Apple says “this second beta is known to be incompatible with installation folders other than the default /Developer.” Given the importance of UI on the Mac, Interface Builder is a pretty critical tool in the development process, and some developers had chosen to hold off on their efforts until the SDK was revised. Apple unveiled the iPhone SDK at a special event earlier this month, allowing developers to begin building applications for the iPhone and iPod touch. Several high-profile companies have already jumped onboard, demoing their applications at the event. Highlighting the demos was AOL with a native AIM client; other applications from Electronic Arts, Salesforce.com, and Apple were also shown.
