Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iPod Family, Retail, Odds and ends, Apple
Random album flash in iPod Classic
While a lot has been said about the iPod Touch, not much has been said about the new old standard, the iPod Classic. Kirk McElhearn has written a pretty scathing review of a feature that I didn't even notice-- that album artwork on the side while you're browsing music. Apparently it's not related to what you're listening to at all (which is what I originally suspected it was): it's completely random.Why would this be the case? I thought it was a cool feature to put what you're listening to on the side, so even while you browse through the music, you could have a static reminder of what's playing. But no. Kirk says it's flashy and moving and random-- just like (gasp) a Flash ad. Apparently you can turn it off, and have just a static graphic sit there. But that doesn't explain why anyone thought it was a good idea in the first place.
To be completely fair to Apple, I haven't actually used the iPod Classic myself yet-- maybe there's some useful function that can come out of showing random, moving art (suggestions for what to listen to next, maybe?). But flash for flash's sake like this seems a weird decision on Apple's part, especially in a device that's supposed to be a Classic iPod.
[via Tsai]
Get a WordPress.com Blog
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
nathan said 12:08PM on 9-14-2007
Why not wait to write something until you have used it? Run down to an apple store it ain't that hard
Reply
Corey said 12:14PM on 9-14-2007
I never thought that the image was the 'Now Playing' album. What made the most sense to me is that the images work like the Apple TV...so when you click 'Music' it shows all your albums, when you click 'Artist->Nelly Furtado' it only shows Nelly Furtado album art.
Reply
Henry said 12:25PM on 9-14-2007
It's a great feature for two reasons.
If you have an album you probably like the art so why not look at it. Reminds me, born in '84, of that scene in Almost Famous when the kid's perusing his sister's records. Coverflow does the same.
Secondly, it's kind of nice because it reminds me of music I havn't listened to or thought of in weeks.
Reply
Eric said 12:26PM on 9-14-2007
Yeah sorry Mike, but this post comes across a bit juvenile or naive... I'm not sure why anyone would expect the art on the side while browsing to display the "now playing" art, which would consist of a single cover... what moving around?? That doesn't make sense at all.
The side area shows you what is below the area you are currently browsing... reminding you visually what is there. Corey's comparison to the Apple TV is actually in the right ball park I think. This was a way to do something visual in a small space...
I think you need to actually use something before you write a critical post about a feature, particularly on a blog that has such a large readership.
Reply
Jim C. said 3:58PM on 9-14-2007
To each their own, I suppose.
I've had my 80 GB classic for six days, and I rather like the sliding & fading album art on the right side. Besides, the right half of the screen is only used up with art on the top-level menu, the music sub-menu, and the videos sub-menu (and when you've highlighted the "Videos" line on the main menu - or are in the Videos sub-menu) the artwork changes to only reflect video titles. Once you're looking at playlists, album listings, etc., you get a simple listing (covering the entire screen), with a small icon of the associated artwork to the left of each item.
By the way, you can't actually "turn off" that feature... you can only choose not to have *any* album art sync to the iPod classic. If there's no album art loaded, then the interface has nothing to pull from (if you re-read Kirk's blog post, you see this is exactly what he did). As soon as one item with album artwork transfers, it'll start to show up in that right pane.
But, as I said, I kind of like the Ken Burns-esque interface. Now, if I could just disable the clock "screensaver" without having to leave the backlight set to "always on"...
Reply
William Donelson said 12:33PM on 9-14-2007
If by "Classic", Apple means old and slow, then Yes.
AND it's FULL of bugs and onerous "features" -
/- VERY Slow menu switching response
/- Display of clock rather than song info when "Now Playing"
/- Inability to use existing LEGAL 3rd party dock products (including Apple-advertised)
/- Audio skipping during operation
/- Slow connection to Mac/PC
/- Inability to disable "split-screen" menus
/- Lagging / Unresponsive click-wheel
/- Camera Connector not working
/- Inability to use EQ settings without skipping / distortion
Reply
Donald Burr said 12:33PM on 9-14-2007
Good grief, some people are WAY too picky for their own good. I personally don't mind (and indeed, I actually like) this feature. It's fun looking through your cover art randomly, and it does that cool pan-and-scan Ken Burns effect thingy. I think of it as kind of like the iPhoto screen saver on the Apple TV. Besides, who sits at the main menu screen when they are listening to something anyway? Don't you usually sit at the "Now Playing" screen when doing this?
Reply
Eric Kiel said 12:46PM on 9-14-2007
@ #6:
That sounds like you are describing a 5th gen ipod too! Everyone I know who has a 5th gen iPod - the menus suck and aren't silky smooth like they are on my 4th gen photo iPod. For this reason alone I've held off upgrading my ipod. The new ones just dont hold a flame to the true "classic"
4th Gen Color FTW!!
Reply
E-Rock said 12:55PM on 9-14-2007
@ #6:
If you hate Apple products so much (as it seems you do from your other posts) and have problems with how they work, why are you here and why are you using them. There's plenty of other products that play music and video that are completely "open" and have all the options you're looking for. Go take a look at one of those Archos monstrosities maybe you'll like that. Or get a Zen...maybe even a Zune. (*Gasp* ...hey, you might like it). Just stop b*tching about it. The menu system is in its first revision, maybe like everything else from Apple, you should wait until they update with bug fixes and the like until bashing it.
Reply
Kevin said 1:02PM on 9-14-2007
#6 - please stop spamming your blog post all over the internet.
I've read that exact comment at least three times now, and it's really pretty clever.
Classic...old, slow haha! Such laughs. /sarcasm
sheesh.
Reply
Chad Wright said 1:52PM on 9-14-2007
I love the idea. Like cover flow, I've rediscovered long-forgotten albums because I saw the artwork pop up.
Reply
Jeff said 1:11PM on 9-14-2007
If you want to have a truly "classic" iPod experience, try the 3G: no color and no album art to distract you --just pure music and the feel of the original 1984 Mac.
The basics, man. That's what I like in my iPod. ;-)
Reply
mnit said 1:12PM on 9-14-2007
The point of why a flash ad is crap is its unrelated, snappy annoying graphics with no bearing on the contact which distract you. The ipod menu shows you things only related to what you are doing, to your menu choices. It isn't distracting, its enriching. You get to think of your music in a visual sense as well.
The only valid complaint I've heard about it was from a friend who said while perusing the menu he felt the need to pull the menu up to see the full art below...
Reply
Donald Burr said 1:17PM on 9-14-2007
@10,
I'll do you one better. For a TRULY, HONEST TO GOODNESS "classic" experience, nothing can beat the Original 1st gen 5 GB iPod. Big chunky brick looking thing, mechanical scroll wheel that makes that nasty scraping/crunching noise when you get any manner of dirt under the thing, the circle of 4 buttons surrounding the wheel, and oh yes, the Firewire port at the top of the unit.... ahh, nostalgia.
yes I still have mine and yes it still works.
Reply
Gordon Werner said 1:21PM on 9-14-2007
I have a gen 2 iPod ... it works fine. and has firewire!
Reply
krye said 1:30PM on 9-14-2007
If you are already listeing to an CD, then you don't need to see the coverart for it. What you may need to see is the cover art from an CD that you have not heard in a while. Seeing a random cover art image may show you a forgotten oldy but goody. It's a good way to rediscover some of your old, forgotten, or less played music.
Reply
david said 8:10PM on 9-14-2007
i agree with you. . i want to see the cover art of the album i'm playing.. this would annoy the piss out of me
i was considering picking up a 160 because my 60 cant hold my tunes.. but not now. i'll deal with what i have
Reply
Bryan Hughes said 1:43PM on 9-14-2007
Guys, you are all missing the point. If Kirk McElhearn says something is stupid, then it MUST be stupid.
/sheesh
BTW, in his review of the iPod Classic, Kirk says, "Overall, I think this is a great update to the iPod."
/sheesh (again)
Reply
Howard Wright said 1:50PM on 9-14-2007
I stopped into my local Apple Store and checked out the Classic. While the scroll wheel seemed a bit lifeless, what really threw me was the terrible skipping that happened when listening to music and using Coverflow at the same time. Must be a hard drive access issue (and possibly why they didn't put a HD in the Touch). Very annoying.
Hopefully they warn users not to use Coverflow while listening to tunes or many people could be surprised by this.
Reply
Rae Whitlock said 1:52PM on 9-14-2007
How strange. I agree with Kirk.
If there's any album art on the side of the menu, then I'd want it to be the art of what's currently playing, not some random one album. There are much better ways to be "reminded of music I haven't listened to in a while". This needs to be fixed (or at least made optional) with a firmware update.
Reply