Newbie Q: USB 1.1?

[pegjl]

I'm considering buying an iPod and after reading messages and talking to sales people at the Apple store, I'm still confused.

What exactly do I need to get this thing sync up to my computer?

Is is an absolute must that I buy a Firewire card?

If I don't care about syncing speed, can I just plug it into my USB port and have it work?

Does the 20g iPod come with the cable I need to just plug it in to USB or do I still need to buy something?

If I absolutely have to buy a Firewire card, what is the cheapest one I can get that will still work? I know about Adaptec but I think another $60-$100 is ridiculous.

Thanks in advance.

[Shadow]

Yes, you can use USB. Firewire is not required. USB 1.1 will work, but it will be slow. USB 2.0 and Firewire are much faster. The iPod will only come with a firewire cord (unless you are buying a mini - which comes with both). If you want to connect to USB, you have to buy the USB/Firewire combo cord (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?productLearnMore=M9126G/A) from Apple. It's $19 from Apple and it's available at most stores that sell the iPod (Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.). With that cord, you plug the USB plug into your PC for sync purposes and plug in the firewire plug into the AC adapter that comes with your iPod to charge it. So, with this cable, you can charge (via firwire) and sync (via USB) at the same time.

[pegjl]

Thanks Shadow.....clear, coherent, concise information. I love it...it's more than I've gotten from anyone else this whole week.

So how much slower is USB 1.1 as compared to USB 2.0?

[W9FIF]

There's at least a 4 or 5 to 1 difference in speed between 1.1 an' 2 USB. FW cards can be had for less than 40 USD, if you take your time and shop aroun'. Yeah, but.... IF you're going to have to buy the latest USB card, you'll still be better off with FireWire. FW is just the handiest fix. FW will do both sync and charge thru the 6 pin cable. That way, you can reserve the wall charger for travelin'.

[anjam]

How long would it take to transfer say 1 gig of music to an ipod via usb1? Approx!

[Shadow]

USB 2.0 is about 40 times faster than USB 1.1. USB 2.0 offers a transfer rate of 480 Mbs while USB 1.1 is only 12 Mbs. In an optimal condition, it should take about 11 minutes to transfer 1 gig of music on USB 1.1. It would only take about 16 seconds on USB 2.0. Again, this is under optimal conditions which probably never exist. There is overhead associated with USB so actual times will be a bit higher. So, maybe 15 minutes for USB 1.1 and 20 seconds for USB 2.0.

[anjam]

Originally posted by Shadow
USB 2.0 is about 40 times faster than USB 1.1. USB 2.0 offers a transfer rate of 480 Mbs while USB 1.1 is only 12 Mbs. In an optimal condition, it should take about 11 minutes to transfer 1 gig of music on USB 1.1. It would only take about 16 seconds on USB 2.0. Again, this is under optimal conditions which probably never exist. There is overhead associated with USB so actual times will be a bit higher. So, maybe 15 minutes for USB 1.1 and 20 seconds for USB 2.0.

Right thanks a lot for that. So 15-20 minutes. I can wait that long i think as i am used to md recording speeds.

Thanks for the help

Anjam

[Shadow]

Yeah, it's not that big of a deal as it will probably only be the initial sync that will take a long time. After that, you are most likely only going to have to sync a few songs you buy from iTunes or when you rip a new CD or something.

[W9FIF]

Not hard to tell I've never used USB 2, huh? All I can attest to is USB 1.1 which I use to load my little Nomads, is slow. It gets the job done when moving small files, but the FW is startlingly fast after being used to the old USB! 100 to 150 Meg books take only seconds to load. If USB 2 is that fast, I'd be hard put to decide also. Just remember, the longer it takes to transfer files, the more chance for errors! FW allows charging/sync with only one cable.

[hexidecimal99]

I will have enough money to buy a 3g 15 gig ipod soon so i need to know this. I have a brand new PC that uses usb 2.0. If i buy the 19 dollar USB cord (which is ridiculous) than can i sync at 2.0 speed?

[Shadow]

hexidecimal99, yes, it will sync at USB 2 speeds.

[acorns]

when i get my mini which comes with usb 2.0 cable, will i be able to use the supplied usb cable with the usb 1.1 ports on my computer. sorry if this has already been covered!

[Shadow]

Yes, it will work, but it will only be at USB 1.1 speed (i.e. very slow).

Any USB 2.0 device will work on USB 1.1 ports. Backward compatibility to USB 1.1 is part of the USB 2.0 spec.

[hexidecimal99]

sorry, im probably just being hopefull but does the 3rd generation ipod 15 gig come with a usb cable?

[hexidecimal99]

o yeah, whats a "PC firewire adapter" that apple.com says it comes with

[Shadow]

The normal iPods do not come with a USB cable. They only come with a firewire cable. iPod Minis, however, do come with a USB cable.

The PC Firewire adapter is simply a 6-pin to 4-pin firewire adapter. Some PC firewire cards have only 4-pins so you can use this adapter to connect the iPod to one of those. 4-pin firewire ports do not provide power so you wouldn't be able to charge the iPod through one of those.

[billybob1111]

Hi, to the experts,

I have win 98 and usb 1.1 is it possible for me to get my 3g ipod working with that. Or should I just return the ipod cuz I dont have enough money to upgrade to XP.

Thanks
Billybob

[Shadow]

I've heard people here talk about getting them working with Win98. I believe the hardest part is to get the iPod initially configured for Windows. This is normally done by running the setup program from the iPod CD that comes with the iPod. However, I don't believe this works on Win98 machines. I believe people usually go to a WinXP machine (a friend's or relative's machine) and setup the iPod. Then, after that, it should work fine with Win98. You wouldn't be able to use iTunes but you could use one of the many other programs to sync your iPod such as ephpod (http://www.ephpod.com/).

I've never done this so I'm not 100% sure this will work. I'm just describing what I've heard other people talk about on these boards. So, if someone has better knowledge, please chime in.

[W9FIF]

BillyBob,
Save your nickles and buy a FW card. Any of your computer literate friends should be able to load the FW update from MS and configure the pod with the lates firmware for W98se. I'm going on 6 months with EphPod and AnaPod and no problems whatsoever!!

Enjoy!!

[billybob1111]

thanks guys,

I am jsut wondering, since the guy at the store managed to convince me to buy a USB2.0 cord, should I return that since I will enver use it? It makes me angry that the guy at hte store told me that USB1.1 would work perfectly fine on win 98.

BillyB

[Shadow]

Well, unless you have/buy firewire on your Win98 machine, you'll need the USB cable to transfer files/songs to your iPod. It will work with USB 1.1, just much slower than USB 2.0 or Firewire.

If you don't have firewire already, you may want to consider returning the USB cable and buying a firewire card instead. Not much more money and you'll greatly increase your transfer speed.

[billybob1111]

ahh, thanks shadow,


Would you happen to know anyone who acutally used the ipod with usb 1.1 and win 98? I would really like to private message someone and ask them about setting it tup


Billy Bob

[Shadow]

No, I don't actually know anyone off hand. Have you tried searching these forums?