Blasphemy! Apple Does Windows
September 19, 2002
By Troy Dreier
Apple envy be gone—all three varieties of the iPod—5GB, 10GB, and 20GB—come in Windows-ready versions. Windows users can now sync the Apple iPod to a PC without shelling out for a third-party application like XPlay. Although we found room for improvement in the connection and the desktop interfaces, using the 20GB Apple iPod for Windows ($499 direct) on a Windows machine was largely a pleasant experience.
The 7.2-ounce 20GB unit measures 2.4 by 4.0 by 0.84 inches. The 10GB and 20GB Apple iPods have physical improvements that make the already beautifully designed music player even better. The scroll wheel has been replaced with a touch wheel, which has no moving parts. You just glide your finger around the circle to scroll up or down in the onscreen menu. A wired remote lets you pause or skip songs and control the volume without removing the iPod from your pocket. Both units also come with a carrying case with a belt clip. All three iPods come with Apple Earphones, an AC adapter, a FireWire cable, and a PC FireWire adapter.
You need a FireWire (IEEE 1394) port to connect the iPod to your computer. An included adapter converts the iPod's six-pin connector for use with a four-pin FireWire port, if necessary. A six-pin port allows the iPod to charge while plugged in. Those with 4-pin connectors will need to use the included wall plug for recharging.
Since there is no Windows version of iTunes, Apple partnered with MusicMatch for the desktop software. The iPod ships with MusicMatch Jukebox Plus. This combination takes slightly longer to transfer music than iTunes running on a Mac because of the way Windows transfers files. We transferred 6GB of music in slightly less than half an hour.
Although a bit more complex, Jukebox Plus has useful features that iTunes doesn't. We like the ability to store cover art and download song information for tracks that you have already recorded. The feature doesn't always work correctly but succeeds often enough to be useful. Jukebox Plus also lets you create CD labels with borders and print 150 song titles on a CD cover insert. Although the Jukebox Plus desktop interface isn't as simple as that of iTunes, it offers a powerful set of features for Windows users.
Our testing was delayed for several days because of a syncing problem that MusicMatch had never encountered. This is the first iPod-compatible version of Jukebox Plus—chalk it up to that. What's worse is that volume leveling doesn't work until you activate it for your main library—a confusing extra step that we hope to see smoothed out in the next version.
The iPod can store calendar and contact items in vCalendar and vCard formats, respectively, but you need to add the items manually. To do so, set the iPod to FireWire storage mode, which causes the player to mount as a separate drive when connected to your computer. Export your calendar and address book entries to vCal and vCard files, as appropriate, then drag those files into the suitable iPod folder—either Calendar or Contacts.
The Windows iPod experience might not be as smooth as that of the Mac version, but it does bring the iPod's famous ease-of-use and portability to the other 95 percent of the market. We predict a lot of happy Windows users will be saying, "What took you so long?"
pcmag.com |
