Will my 3G iPod work with USB 2.0 in Panther?

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curtw

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My lovely bride just gave me an iPod nano as an anniversary gift. From now on, I'll be using this one with limited music selections for outdoor activities, but I still have a 3G, 15-GB model containing my entire Library that I'll want to retain as a car/office/travel jukebox. Rather than have two docking cables hooked up, will I be able to switch my two-year-old 3G from Firewire to the USB 2.0 cable that came with the nano? I know that the 3G's worked with USB under Windows, but I'm running Mac OS 10.3.9. If it's possible to do, will it need a firmware update? Right now, the last one I loaded was version 2.2, using "iPod Updater 2004-08-06," (which, I believe, was the last update to mention anything relevant to the 3G's in the Readme file).

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Curt
 

~tl

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The latest version for the 3G is version 2.3, which adds a few of the nice 4G features back to the 3G and below. You can get the latest version from:

http://www.apple.com/ipod/download/

However the 3G has always been able to sync through USB 2 on both Mac OS and Windows. I would advise you to stick to Firewire for the 3G though, as it is unable to charge through USB 2, therefore having it connected to your computer would drain the battery.

TOM
 

curtw

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tomlevens said:
...I would advise you to stick to Firewire for the 3G though, as it is unable to charge through USB 2, therefore having it connected to your computer would drain the battery.

TOM
Thanks! I had forgotten about the lower voltage of USB.

As far as updating the 3G's software, I've seen some complaints here that even though it adds some features, it "breaks" live playlist updating. Can you confirm or deny? I have playlists that depend on play count and rating, and I right now, I can charge in my car for weeks at a time, and things automatically vanish from my "unplayed" playlist, for example. I don't need to go back and dock the iPod to have those playlists updated. Would I lose this feature with the 2.3 software?
 

dcmacnut

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curtw said:
Thanks! I had forgotten about the lower voltage of USB.

As far as updating the 3G's software, I've seen some complaints here that even though it adds some features, it "breaks" live playlist updating.
The "broken" live updating only affects 4G iPods, and is a result from the Podcast software update for iPods that came out with iTunes 4.9. 3G iPods are immune (I have one and can confirm it is true). The new iPod updater will only update your iPod to its most recent software. The installer will tell you if you need to update your 3G.
 

curtw

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Thanks, dcmacnut!

But the point may be moot after all. I went out and got a USB 2.0 Cardbus card for my Powerbook, and the computer doesn't even recognize it. I may have had a broken card slot for years without realizing it. (the card does work in my wife's XP notebook).

I'm bummed. It looks like 1.1 transfer speed for my nano.
 

dcmacnut

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Is it a powered card? iPods require a powered USB hub to work, even though 3G iPod's won't power over USB. Does the iPod work connected to the XP notebook through the USB card?
 

curtw

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dcmacnut said:
Is it a powered card? iPods require a powered USB hub to work, even though 3G iPod's won't power over USB. Does the iPod work connected to the XP notebook through the USB card?
Yeah, it's a powered card. I picked one that uses a "wall wart" rather than a jumper to a USB 1.1 port.

Today, we got it to work on a buddy's AlBook, so I'm guessing that there is a physical flaw in my card slot. I can't even get a USB keyboard light to light up when it's plugged into mine.
 
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