Someone @ Apple Needs a Boot in the Ass

FrgMstr

FrgMstr

Just Plain Mean
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May 18, 1997
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I have had the luxury of “upgrading” my 60GB gen5 iPod to a new 16GB Apple Touch. Surely there is a lot less room on this device, but I figured I would give it a go to see what all the fuss was about, and given that the dust should have settled by now I figured all the bugs would have been worked out. Well, maybe the bugs are fixed, but the feature set is still very much lacking. Who the hell made it where you can’t adjust the volume of music while in landscape mode and the headphone connect will not allow you to set the unit down except in landscape mode? I use my iPod at the gym, and that is about it. I run on a machine for about an hour a day and am used to keeping my iPod there with me for motivation in the form of music. (Everyone knows a little Rob Zombie and Ministry can get you moving.) So I can’t set it on the incline surface there to hold whatever you have without setting the Touch down in landscape mode. And I can’t adjust the volume with it in landscape mode. Currently I have to pick it, turn it to portrait position, wait for it to react, then adjust my volume, then set it back down. Instead I would love to just TOUCH the damn thing, slide the volume, and be on my way….

For the love of God, or whoever, please give me a volume switch in landscape mode for my music. And where the hell is my “Shuffle Songs” button on the main menu? My Touch feels more like a Must Pick Me Up.
 
does the touch not have the volume buttons on the side?

that's how i adjust my volume in all modes on my iPhone, it's the best way when it's in the pocket too.
 
Optional87 said:
does the touch not have the volume buttons on the side?

that's how i adjust my volume in all modes on my iPhone, it's the best way when it's in the pocket too.
Click to expand...


No hardware adjustment to my knowledge. No buttons there....
 
just went to apple.com to check the iTouch gallery, well, no side buttons, stupid... you'd think they'd have incorporated that from the iPhone...

yeah that is stupid, but I think the whole idea of an iTouch is stupid in the first place because at that price, the iPhone (even current) is just a better experience, but of course, not everyone wants to switch to AT&T/T-Mobile to use one, and I can't argue with that, so whatever.
 
Excluding this one issue, hows your experience? I was thinking of ditching my zune for one but waiting to see if there is a hardware or price refresh after the new iphone comes out.
 
So I did some testing and while this isn't optimal I found you can do the following.

1. Leave it in landscape mode and hit the top button to turn the display off
2. when you want to change volume tap the top button to wake it up so you see the slider to unlock it
3. double tap the home button and you will get basic controls on the screen including volume. They will be in a portrait orientation but you should be able to slide the volume up and down from there.

Best of Luck.
 
If you hit the button (the front one with the square, whatever it's called) twice quickly while the ipod sleeping, you get a mini-interface where you can play, pause, go back/forward, and change volume without having to unlock it.

Not sure what you mean with "main menu" but when viewing a playlist, album, or all songs, the first entry is always Shuffle. When the song itself is playing, in upright mode if you touch the screen you get an additional little bar below the song title where you can change the shuffle/repeat modes and jump around on the timebar.
 
I don't know about you guys, but when i'm running on a treadmill, the last thing I want is my sweaty fingers fumbling around with a little touch display trying to adjust the volume. I mean, you're kind of bouncing around and not exactly looking to excersize fine motor skills on a touch screen. Not to mention getting the screen all sweaty.

Would a button or wheel be too much to ask here?
 
mnetting said:
So I did some testing and while this isn't optimal I found you can do the following.

1. Leave it in landscape mode and hit the top button to turn the display off
2. when you want to change volume tap the top button to wake it up so you see the slider to unlock it
3. double tap the home button and you will get basic controls on the screen including volume. They will be in a portrait orientation but you should be able to slide the volume up and down from there.

Best of Luck.
Click to expand...

Yep that works. Guess doing that once is better than doing it 10 times an hour with sweat dripping off you. Thanks!!
 
and what about looking into some headphones with volume control?
 
often touted for great gui and design, apple takes another hit. i returned my ipod touch, looks like i'll have to remain content with my zen vision:m for a bit longer.. :rolleyes:
 
I normally do not do this kind of thing, so I'm hoping you do not weild the ban hammer on me for this one. You bought Apple, no points for you:

Kyle (Caboose): -1
 
So the Apple iTouch doesn't come with the little wired headphone remote like you used to get with the iPod?
 
So its official, others feel badly about their iPod touch purchases too!

I'm glad I'm not the only one, here is my complaint.

I mostly use the iPod for books on tape which tend to be segmented into 45 minute files. On a standard iPod, you can use the wheel to fast-forward/rewind to the EXACT second, even within such a long file. With the iPod touch, you have to use your fat finger to pick your point on a one inch progress bar. Usually this means you have to deal with it and skip a few minutes, or re-listen to the 5 minutes of audio to catch up with where you are.

I've learned how to set files to remember where they were last left off, which helps, but it still doesn't help if you want to hear something again, or need a refresher of where you left off...

I'm convinced all they need to add is a touch interface which copies the already proven iPod design, with a nice little touch jog wheel...
 
Front page rant LOLZ!

Totally frustrating for sure. That's why I'm buying a friends used iPhone after the new ones come on sale... None of the deficits of the Touch, and no AT&T contract! :D
 
Kyle, given how many other things you've gotten fixed by saying something on the front page, I'm sure there's somebody at Apple that just ran over to Steve Jobs' office and said, "Uh... Sir? I think we pissed off Kyle again."
 
Kyle,

You have missed an even bigger issue with the iPod Touch. It does not work with Apple's own Radio Remote. Now I could care less about the radio functions of the remote but I used the Apple Radio Remote with my old 2GB iPod nano all the time when I went jogging, took the dog for a walk, or mowed the lawn. It was damn convenient to have the iPod in my pocket while I clipped the remote to my collar. Why they would take that functionality out of my 8GB Touch is beyond me. If I didn't like the screen, wifi, and video capabilities of the unit so much I would return it fro a 3rd gen nano.
 
LOL

Make Apple your bitch just like when you hammered ATI for doing a paper launch a few years ago. :p
 
I can certainly understand Mr. Bennett's frustration - even though I'm in the gym too, and would love to listen to some NIN and the like to get me motivated, I can't use any headphones at all, they just make my head feel like it wants to explode because it gets so hot while wearing them. :eek:As per other gym goers who I know, they say the same thing about the iPod and other mp3 players, but the iPod's issue looks like a no-brainer: when you're on a treadmill/stairstepper, or even jump roping,(which is a tangling nightmare to say the least) you have to have quick access to do what you need to do with the player since you only have one hand (or even just one finger) to use. I wonder if wireless headset would solve those issues, but like he said, it's not fair to have to buy something else to compensate for a feature that should've been built in.

Philip
 
Isn't the Shuffle for the gym? That's what that model was designed for. It's light, clips to clothing, syncs you a random selection from your 'gym' playlists, has controls that don't care if you are dripping with sweat etc. etc.

My partner grumbles like this. He'll be trying to send a text on his iPhone that's a zillion pages long and then grumbles that there is no 'draft' feature for SMS messages, when there is an email application right next to it for that kind of communication... Apple of course gets the flack from people trying to use the wrong tools for the wrong job. He used to have a Shuffle before his iPhone as well and grumbled that he couldn't visually organise his news podcasts each morning.

There's a whole selection of iPods with different functionality, for different needs, that can all be synced differently from the same library at home.
 
Well, there are two shuffle buttons. One is in the music playing dialog, its a toggle (top left side, if its not there tap the screen once to show the music position slider and its on the left of it). The actual shuffle playlist button is at the top of whatever playlist you're listening to.
 
I hate all things apple but I love the iTouch. I got an 8gb one for $150 awhile ago and I hear they are dropping the prices on the iTouch's also to reflect the new 3g iPhone price. With that said, Kyle this seems to be a rant because you haven't figured out how to use your toy yet.

The home key doubletap should help you out. They also sell a lot of different armband cases for people who do just that, workout while listening to the iTouch. The lack of the side volume buttons are kinda disappointing though, no matter how useful the homebutton doubletap is.

The reason why the iTouch is so nice is that you basically get a PDA that also happens to have an mp3 for your money. Browsing the web, checking and sending email, checking stocks, and the weather, along with maps, oh yea... and it play movies and songs. Then you get into the jailbreak world and you have hundreds of apps at your disposal along with really cool themes. I currently have a Texas Holdem, Tetris, and two vertical shooter games along with an IRC app and an app called sketches which is basically a touchscreen ms paint.

The thing with the iTouch is that it's damn near a PDA but it also plays music. Once it gets to $200 or less it's the best bang for your buck. I won't even get into the 2.0 firmware update that will give you wpa enterprise(im really waiting for) and the app store which will give you access to even more apps.

Now I hate apple as much as the next guy, but you have had much better rants in your past. Keep up the good work, I love the site, and when are you gonna let us do a [H]ard System Survey?
 
Why I love my Linux of MP3 players: Creative Nomad Jukebox Zen. Simple controls, no frills. Need more drive space? Slap a bigger laptop IDE drive in there. Done.
 
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Finkus said:
Isn't the Shuffle for the gym? That's what that model was designed for. It's light, clips to clothing, syncs you a random selection from your 'gym' playlists, has controls that don't care if you are dripping with sweat etc. etc.

My partner grumbles like this. He'll be trying to send a text on his iPhone that's a zillion pages long and then grumbles that there is no 'draft' feature for SMS messages, when there is an email application right next to it for that kind of communication... Apple of course gets the flack from people trying to use the wrong tools for the wrong job. He used to have a Shuffle before his iPhone as well and grumbled that he couldn't visually organise his news podcasts each morning.

There's a whole selection of iPods with different functionality, for different needs, that can all be synced differently from the same library at home.
Click to expand...

So you're saying that everybody who goes to the gym and also wants a full-featured iPod needs to also buy an iPod Shuffle? That sounds kinda... dumb.
 
The problem may be a bit overstated but the iTouch always has been the red headed stepchild of the iPhone.
 
Talz said:
The problem may be a bit overstated but the iTouch always has been the red headed stepchild of the iPhone.
Click to expand...

bingo, but i actually have had a time getting to the exact point i want to when watching a movie on the iphone too... its impossible to get to the exact timestamp you were at before
 
it is buying around, but i have to say i recently bought a shuffle for my gf for the gym, and she loves it. It's no perfect solution, but it's teensy size, and clip on ability is pretty kick ass. Also, $75 shipped w/ tax for the 2gb one isn't too hard on the pocket book.
 
Kyle, you hit the nail on the head. This i really my big gripe with the touch. I also use it for working out and actually stopped because of this reason. The touch is still the best player out there for business travelers looking to have a nice mix of video and music but these shortcomings keep it from being the "be all" of the portable player market.
 
KrylonArt said:
So the Apple iTouch doesn't come with the little wired headphone remote like you used to get with the iPod?
Click to expand...

Not for several years. There was a 4-pin connector next to the headphone jack back in the 4th-gen iPod days, but that went away quickly. You need to plug a remote into the dock port now if you're going to do anything besides the simple inline-headphones-with-inline-potentiometer route.
 
Oh yea, for shuffle, you have to have the iTouch in Portrait mode in the music screen where it shows the song playing with the album art in the background; Just tap the middle of the screen and a progress bar shows up with an option for shuffle or repeat at the ends of it.
 
LOL, that explains it. I am still using my 40gb 4th gen iPod (love the buttons) but sadly it is slowly dying. I am actually surprised it made it this long since most of the other crap I took with me to Iraq didn't make it back in a working condition. :mad:
 
adding onto your complaints:
I have a 6th gen 80ipod classic.
Why can't I delete music/video/playlists on the fly?
Why can't I create playlists on the fly? (not just the on-to-go crap)

My old creative nomad jukebox zen nx/xtra 40GB let me do that.

Why can't I adjust the sensitively of the scroll pad?
Why can't I create my own EQ, without doing the itunes hack way?
Why can't I turn off displaying album artwork? (like the old ipod interface)
Why doesn't the ipod support FLAC?
And lastly, Why the fuck did you make it impossible for people to put rockbox on it?
 
They're probably redoing it for a new launch this fall anyway. APPLE loves to re-launch it's iPods every year it seems like.

Oh and one more thing......


:eek:
 
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