iTunes/iPods compatibility issues

[bertrand]

I know people have had compatibility problems with iPods and iTunes, including some on this board. My wife has with her new computer, and I have not with a computer that's 2.5 years old. I am trying to figure out the options. You will see this statement on the web:

The iPod Classic is no longer supported by the software, period. Backwards compatibility is not considered and old versions of iTunes are not provided by Apple. In fact, the support personnel are forbidden to provide an older version. They suggest buying a new iPod.

My computer has iTunes version 12.10.7.3. I have 3 iPods:

1) One that I believe is compatible with my PC. I think I actually bought it a few months after I bought my computer. I believe it is the latest one can buy, 120 gigs. I have not tried to load it as a test since I started hearing about this issue because I would have to take music off my iTunes, I have almost 130 gigs right now. I have not had time to delete anything.

2) A nano which I have not loaded in a long time.

3) A 160-gig (is that the classic?). I have not loaded it in a long time because it was having issues charging and I think it is now dead, although there is one last thing I want to try when I can go back to a store.

My guess is 2) and 3) will not work with 12.10.7.3. I am not sure this is the version I first got with the new computer or if it quietly upgraded itself while I was sleeping.

My wife has iTunes 12.10.6.2. Not sure why it is older than mine. This is a new computer. I believe her iPod is a classic hence the issue. So for her, if she bought the most current iPod on the market, she should be OK, right? What is the model she should get?

This would solve my immediate issue. Not a fan of playing into Apple's BS but she is busy, she just needs something that works. No time for games. Plus she loses 40 gigs.

For the future:

1) Some guys out there have rigged old iPods to hold a terabyte. Probably too expensive for me, but would these even be compatible with 12.10.7.3 or 12.10.6.2?

2) What else than iPods are out there that will still work with iTunes? I don't want to give up the option of making playlists.

3) Is downloading an earlier iTunes version an option? What version works with classics? I will google around. Or does that option not work with Windows 10?

4) I have an older PC that still works with an older iTunes. Maybe that could work for my wife if we can get her music on there. A cumbersome approach.

 

 

Edited July 25, 2020 by bertrand

[mjzee]

Are your computers Apple or Windows?  There was a recent thread on this topic: http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php?/topic/84952-apple-music-app/#comment-1687778

As I mentioned in that thread, my older iPods (all 30-pin) sync with the most current version of macOS.  I can't speak to Windows, if that's what you use, but could it be that is the source of your problems?

[JSngry]

38 minutes ago, bertrand said:

 

3) Is downloading an earlier iTunes version an option?

Downloading ANYTHING is an option, just know your source.

fwiw, I stopped updating iTunes years ago because all I do with it is my ancient iPodClassic. Until that damn thing finally gives up the ghost for good, between it and the software, everything is brand spanking new, and what they don't know won't hurt them or me.

[Brad]

My classic gave up the ghost a couple of years ago. I think the only thing comparable from Apple is the iPod Touch. If you want the most storage (256KB), it’s going to cost you $400. 

[bertrand]

This is an apple product that stores 256KB?

[John L]

I have been going through hell lately with Apple and my music.  

As far as I know, every version of iTunes is compatible with all iPods.  I have iPods of most generations that still function and I used them until the end with sequential versions of iTunes.   

The compatibility issue kicks in seriously when you lose iTunes like I did when I updated my Mac to Catolina.  I would never have done it if I knew.  But once you do it, there is no going back.   You can't have iTunes on your computer any more.   You get an "Apple Music" app that looks like iTunes, but it is not.   It is not compatible with any iPods except for the very latest version of iPod touch.   I bought an iPod touch last year that is already incompatible.   I am really pissed because, living large amounts of time away from home with a large music collection, I was organized around numerous iPods that I can't use any more with my Mac.  There should at least be some kind of warning that even very expensive Apple music devices purchased recently might become incompatible with your computer if you update to Catolina. 

Ironically, if you don't have a Mac, you can still have iTunes and your iPods can still work.   So this is probably the LAST time I ever buy a Mac or anything else from Apple. 

As for iTunes, the most recent versions also suck.   It does so much scanning and other bullshit automatically that, if your have a large collection it can take hours to add MP3s to your library.   So I would download a version of iTunes from a few years back.  

Anyway, FUCK Apple. 

 

 

[Brad]

6 hours ago, bertrand said:

This is an apple product that stores 256KB?

Yes, here’s the Apple link, https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-ipod/ipod-touch/256gb-space-gray

I haven’t used an iPod or iTunes in several years so I don’t know how the system works nowadays. I purchase a Sony digital music player but it wasn’t very compatible with my car’s audio system so I haven’t used it in a couple of years. I prefer CDs anyway. 

Edited July 26, 2020 by Brad

[sonnymax]

7 hours ago, bertrand said:

This is an apple product that stores 256KB?

That's 256 gigabytes, not kilobytes. Have you considered replacing your current player with an inexpensive unlocked android phone like the Motorola G7 Play? Currently, it's $133 on amazon, and you can buy a microSD card that holds up to 512GB.

Edited July 26, 2020 by sonnymax

[John L]

I see now that the there were some answers to the earlier complaint that I put on the other thread that is inked above.   Unfortunately, that solution does not seem to really work for me.  When I drag music to my iPod in Finder, the iPod creates a separate album for each track that I drag.  So the music on my iPod ends up completely unorganized and virtually impossible to find. 

[JSngry]

52 minutes ago, John L said:

Anyway, FUCK Apple.

I think you've answered your own question?

[John L]

Just now, JSngry said:

I think you've answered your own question?

[bertrand]

256 gigs makes more sense then KB but now I am pissed for another reason - when I bought my new model 2 years ago, they said 128 gigs was the max and I am pretty sure I had looked it up. Is the 256 gig a new thing?

What is Catolina? A new Mac? I have always been on PCs, no particular reason. I am used to Windows. Never had to deal with Vista though.

Yes, something else than an iPod is an option but my wife has to buy into the idea. She is busy.

But if I understand correctly, if she has iTunes 12.10.6.2 on a Windows 10 PC, she should be able to load onto any iPod, even a classic? So why is she having issues?

Now I am tempted to get a 256 gig. It will definitely work with iTunes 12.10.7.3? I don't trust these guys.

Edited July 26, 2020 by bertrand

[bertrand]

3 hours ago, sonnymax said:

That's 256 gigabytes, not kilobytes. Have you considered replacing your current player with an inexpensive unlocked android phone like the Motorola G7 Play? Currently, it's $133 on amazon, and you can buy a microSD card that holds up to 512GB.

1) Do you still use iTunes with it?

2) Will it recognize the special iTunes format (I think it is .mp4) that was created when I loaded all my CDs.

Yes, Apple sucks, except the playlists in iTunes are very useful. I would like to keep using that.

[Brad]

5 hours ago, sonnymax said:

That's 256 gigabytes, not kilobytes. Have you considered replacing your current player with an inexpensive unlocked android phone like the Motorola G7 Play? Currently, it's $133 on amazon, and you can buy a microSD card that holds up to 512GB.

Sorry I meant GB, obviously not KBs.

I think going to 256 GB is somewhat recent because I too remember 128 being the max.

I have to think that an iPod Touch will work with the most version of iTunes if that’s what you mean. 

Edited July 26, 2020 by Brad

[John L]

4 hours ago, bertrand said:

What is Catolina? A new Mac?

Catalina is the current operating system for a Mac.  All new Macs have it.   Many older Macs can be updated to it.  Once you have it, you cannot download iTunes.  

[bertrand]

Update - my wife got it working. Something was greyed out but then she googled and found that it worked by hitting something else. No idea what the solution was because I was not allowed to be involved, of course.

So what does this mean? It means that this statement that is all over the web is horseshit:

The iPod Classic is no longer supported by the software, period. Backwards compatibility is not considered and old versions of iTunes are not provided by Apple. In fact, the support personnel are forbidden to provide an older version. They suggest buying a new iPod.

She was able to load a classic with a new version of iTunes, or at least we think it is a classic because it is quite old.

I am also screwed because I was ready to have an excuse to get a 256 gig  I really mostly use the iPod when I go visit my family in France. That ain't happening anytime soon. For the same reason, I only drive short trips now so the music on my phone is enough (I could listen to On The Nile all day). I probably will not reload my iPod until the next trip, but if I do I will have to clear some music out which is pain and messes up my playlists. I have 128 gigs in my iTunes right now, about 15 too many. Totally a first world problem, I know, and I can afford a 256 gig, it just seems like a waste. Maybe between now and my next trip, they will have come to their senses and made a terabyte touch. The 256 is really a surprise, I thought they were phasing out iPods. Maybe popular demand?

I did notice the 256 has a bunch of crap I will never use, Alexa and photos and shit. I can still put about 230-240 gigs on music and only music on it, right? There is no space reserved exclusively for the other crap? I know there are always 15-20 gigs reserved for system stuff, although one employee said it was not system stuff. What the hell else could it be?

 

 

Edited July 26, 2020 by bertrand

[mjzee]

24 minutes ago, John L said:

Catalina is the current operating system for a Mac.  All new Macs have it.   Many older Macs can be updated to it.  Once you have it, you cannot download iTunes.  

To be clear: under Catalina, Apple split the old iTunes program into three new programs: Music, TV, and Podcasts, and syncing is now done through Finder.  They simply split the functionality of the old iTunes into these three new programs.  Nothing has been deleted and nothing "no longer works."  None of your old music, movies, etc., have been deleted; you just access them through different icons.  Arguably, this was done because the old iTunes program was getting too unwieldy, too much like a Swiss Army Knife, and this simplifies things.

[John L]

Mjzee,  

I beg to differ with you.  Quite a lot was lost with iTunes.  As I have written here, I cannot get my iPods to function with the new Music app.  Your idea about syncing with playlists through Finder will likely not work with my iPods that I need to manage manually, album by album.  There are quite a lot of other problems with the new Music app as well.   Even if it were possible to fix the compatibility problem for transferring music to iPods, what if you want to delete some music on your iPod classic?  You can't even browse the music on your iPod with the new App.  There are many other problems that I will not go into.  For example, when you edit information in your music library in the new app, the link between MP3s and music library is often broken, forcing you to "identify" lost tracks manually by pinpointing individual MP3s in your music library.  After adding music to your library (which can take an hour for just one album), the Music App sometimes goes crazy, doesn't let you scroll or select the music you want.  It just plain sucks.   Nothing works well at all. 

I have been an enthusiastic and happy consumer of iTunes and iPods for years, and never had many complaints.  Now, it is quite clear to me that they have really screwed everything up.   

 

Edited July 26, 2020 by John L

[JSngry]

Dude, you need to tap the Just Fix It! icon.

See? It just works!

[Bluesnik]

On 7/26/2020 at 3:47 PM, John L said:

So this is probably the LAST time I ever buy a Mac

I changed from PC to Mac in the mid 90s because I thought, and was told so by everyone, they were superior. But I saw they were not and at that time were a complete island: uncommunicated with everyone. And they hung constantly. So I ended changing back to PC.

Edited August 17, 2020 by Bluesnik

[jcam_44]

Thats so strange, I went mac 15 years ago and am completely satisfied and never considered PC again. 

[ejp626]

I have too many specialized programs (mostly statistical packages or transportation planning software) that were never formulated or compiled for Mac, so I went back to PC a long time ago.  While it is true there are Windows emulators for Mac, given the memory needs of these programs, it didn't seem like a feasible option.

[mjzee]

iMacs ship with Boot Camp, which allows you to natively run Windows (of which you need to buy a copy).  I'm awaiting delivery of my new iMac to replace my current Late 2013 model.  Can't wait!

[Dave James]

I have three iPods going all the way back to original from 2001.  All of them still work fine, but the only one I still occasionally use for new music is the latest, a 7th Generation.  No idea how many songs amongst the three, but it has to be well into the thousands.  

[mjzee]

A note to all: if you're having trouble syncing your old iPod to a Mac, try rebooting your iPod and then try syncing again.