Filed under: iPod Family, Software Update
iPod Updater 2006-03-23
If you launch Software Update, you should see iPod Updater 2006-03-23 pop up. Weighing in at 27.6MBs this update contains both New iPod Software 1.1.1 for iPod and New iPod Software 1.1.1 for iPod nano. Besides the normal group of bug fixes, the main feature being added is Volume Limit, which Apple claims will be mentioned here, although the link currently doesn't work.
Cool. I wonder if it will limit the volume from blaring every time my cellphone rings, or if that bug still works around this fix.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Billy K said 10:42AM on 3-29-2006
I don't need nagware to keep me from turning up the volume. What I need is a fix for the video playback 1.1 broke.
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Blake said 11:06AM on 3-29-2006
also noticed that Final Cut 5.1 Universal is available in the store
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Tyler Lemke said 11:24AM on 3-29-2006
I like this new feature.
Not for me, but for my daughters, 7 and 9. I don't want them to hurt their ears.
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Darren said 11:38AM on 3-29-2006
Anyone know if the update lets you *raise* the maximum volume? I'm surprised more people don't share my problem -- when I'm using headphones with the iPod, I can't get it to go loud *enough*. I'm surprised that feeble output could be enough to hurt anybody's ears. And no, I don't have any hearing impairments. I just like my music to be audible while I'm on a plane or biking.
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Ireland said 11:41AM on 3-29-2006
They think of everything!
Now no more money grabbing bastards will try to sue baceause they are too fucking lazy to turn the volume down!!
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Rick said 11:54AM on 3-29-2006
Hopefully, this will end all of those frivolous lawsuits.
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Jason said 12:07PM on 3-29-2006
Will this iPod "Volume Limit" be optional or enforced? I agree with #4 (Darren) about needing the volume higher in certain situations. Even with Sony studio headphones, airplane use requires one to turn it up. Also, some songs are just so much better loud. Somtimes you can hear AND feel the music!
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RyAndrew11 said 12:08PM on 3-29-2006
Anyone know if it fixes the feature that was removed with 1.1, where you can turn on/off the backlight by holding the Menu button?
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Jason said 12:35PM on 3-29-2006
NEW NEWS!!
According to a major news source, it appears that the volume limit is user-determined. Users can assign their own volume limits and password protect them.
See the Apple Press Release:
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/mar/29ipod.html
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lgc90 said 12:58PM on 3-29-2006
Darren, make sure Sound Check is disabled if you want louder playback.
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tmphoto said 1:13PM on 3-29-2006
I think that there should be a limit to how fast the volume can be turned up because I have on several occasions brushed the click wheel just the right way to cause the volume to be very suddenly maxed. Might save just as many eardrums... or is it just me?
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mathmonkey said 1:27PM on 3-29-2006
How about some anti-earphones-while-riding-your-bike DRM, too, to keep people like Darren from causing wrecks by not hearing car horns.
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Niklas said 1:36PM on 3-29-2006
Good news. I'd cap my volume at about 75%.
Just FYI: prolonged exposure of sounds above 85dB will inevitably lead to hearing loss. The higher the volume is the shorter time is needed for hearing loss to happen.
Darren. You might consider that a warning sign that your ears might not be totally ok.
The louder the noise is, the shorter the safe amount of exposure is. For example, the safe exposure amount at 85 dB is 8 hours, while the safe exposure at 90 dB is only 2 hours, 31 minutes (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1998)
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Jeremy Writebol said 2:17PM on 3-29-2006
Can anybody report if this Software Update makes the "Menu" botton the Apple Remote work with the iPod and the universal dock? Thanks.
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Ashley Boyd said 3:29PM on 3-29-2006
I tend to keep my volume pretty low, bout 1/4 most of the time, so when im walking I can hear any vehicles (not that I walk on the road or anything but best to be safe). Plus lately im spending a lot of time with my friend's band which isn't good for the old eardrums so trying to level it off in my own way.
Anyone know if this mucks up the iPod 5G like 1.1 or not?
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Jabbar said 4:06PM on 3-29-2006
eh...too many rock concerts, but mainly the korn, disturbed, trust company, and union underground fucked up my ears. i kinda need it to be loud. the only time i limit the volume is when i attach it to my iTrip in my car. oh and damn the deftones are loud in concert. forgot about that one...
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Fornya said 8:44PM on 3-29-2006
This is a nice thing for parents and their kids, but what I'd really like is for Apple to come up with a way to automatically balance the volume level of all tunes no matter what their original source (within reason) or encoding option. iVolume is okay, but it doesn't always help and sometimes that's when my ears get hurt. Volume is reasonable, reasonable, reasonable, then WAM! Some track comes in at 10x the volume.
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Darren said 12:18AM on 3-30-2006
Thanks for the tip, lgc90, but my Soundcheck is always off. Mathmonkey, while hearing a horn might be a nice distraction from the impact, I take the approach of making sure drivers never have to honk at me in the first place :) But maybe France will implement your suggestion. Niklas, I don't think there's a hearing problem. :) -- my TV volume is comfortably set at 5 out of 30 and I can hear everything on it. I guess I just prefer my music louder than many people.
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Chris K said 12:54AM on 3-30-2006
Does this just limit the volume control to a specific point on its scale (ie: 50%)? Or does it also "rescale" the volume control, so 50% of the iPod's absolute volume limit is now 100% of the controls' range?
The latter would be cool, because with my headphones I always have the volume set on the absolute minimum level. Even ten pixels up is too loud. This would give me much finer control, by letting me limit the volume to, say, 25%.
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bladerunner said 10:29AM on 3-30-2006
This release has fixed the dreaded 31 second bug on the 60Gig ViPods that 1.1 broke. Hooray !
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