Filed under: iPod Family, iTunes, Bad Apple
The iPod touch upgrade: Are they bugging you?
Did you upgrade your iPod touch? I did. But I presumed it was optional. TUAW readers who have chosen not to upgrade report they're being hounded. By iTunes. They say that every time they connect their iPod to iTunes for syncing, they're getting hit with a "buy the upgrade" page that only has an OK button. Once clicked, it transports you to the iTunes page for buying the software. Is this happening to you? Are you feeling strong-armed into buying the upgrade? Let us know in the comments.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
mohammed sarwar said 3:24PM on 2-13-2008
apple should make it free.
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Richard said 3:47PM on 2-13-2008
It's called Sarbanes-Oxley.
zmf001 said 6:37PM on 2-13-2008
The $20 price is exactly the price difference between the old one and new one. They will probably enforce this update price until the retail stock is reduced. Walmart and Target are selling the non-updated ones for $279.99 right now.
Alex Finn said 3:21PM on 2-13-2008
Just jailbreak your ipod, saves you the money :)
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Cole said 4:34PM on 2-13-2008
I do have a jailbroken 1.1.3 and it gives the same nag screens. The nag screen makes it so you can no longer access sync settings anymore! I was so annoyed I did a reformat and now I can't even get back to 1.1.3 jailbreak and am returning the thing.
Mtirv said 5:48PM on 2-13-2008
And crap like this is exactly why I haven't upgraded mine from 1.1.1 (jailbroken) yet.
Benjamin said 3:21PM on 2-13-2008
Yes, this is very true. You have to unplug your internet while plugging in an iPod Touch without the upgrade in order to not be hounded. It's a very annoying workaround really.
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XIV said 7:00PM on 2-13-2008
I don't have the screen when I connect my iPod. If I remember correctly I just checked something so I wouldn't be bothered anymore.
My ipod is not jailbroken and I'm from Canada, if that's of any use to you guys.
XIV said 7:00PM on 2-13-2008
I don't have the screen when I connect my iPod. If I remember correctly I just checked something so I wouldn't be bothered anymore.
My ipod is not jailbroken and I'm from Canada, if that's of any use to you guys.
hiredgun469 said 12:03AM on 2-14-2008
I just encountered this problem today. I was pissed! Buy me. Buy me. I couldn't sync, so I called support. He told me if I buy it, it won't bug me anymore and I could sync fine. I gave in and bought it. Still didn't work. I called back and when the new guy asked me for the serial number, I tried to turn on my iPod and it was dead. They told me that they will either fix it or if I want, I can return it to an Apple store even though my wife bought it at Best Buy. Cool and sad all at the same time.....
Logan Snow said 3:25PM on 2-13-2008
I can imagine that that would be an annoyance. I don't actually have the touch...yet, but I can see that they are really trying to get their money from their customers. Or maybe it is just a really important update.
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friko said 3:26PM on 2-13-2008
or not annoying.
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p2rjade said 5:35PM on 2-13-2008
People will eventually have to upgrade if they want the new apps that will be coming after the new sdk is released. I bet the new apps will only work on 1.1.3. I'm guessing that transferring the new apps you want to your ipod touch will be like transferring rented movies.
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RyanTV said 3:27PM on 2-13-2008
If it's just a "really important update" then it shouldn't cost anything. Paid updates should never be required or even attempt to annoy the crap out of you.
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matthew said 3:53PM on 2-13-2008
Unfortunately due to federal accounting laws, they can't legally make it free. But they could choose to make it cheaper if they wanted....
byaah said 4:15PM on 2-13-2008
I'm still not entirely sure how that makes sense. If they can add new features to the AppleTV without charging more, how is it that they have to charge for this particular update?
Hawkman said 4:28PM on 2-13-2008
AppleTV, and iPhone, are accounted for in a different way. It's still an unfairly high price for the upgrade, though.
ChillyWilly said 4:47PM on 2-13-2008
As byaah said, if Apple TV can get a free update, why can't the iPod touch?
Does Sarbanes-Oxley fall under the "adding new features to an existing product" like the 802.11-N enabler did for MacBook Pros? And if something like Apple TV is excluded, what is different about how it "added new features to an existing product"?
cbisquit said 5:02PM on 2-13-2008
The idea that this is some requirement of accounting is such bs, and anyone who buys into it has lost their critical thinking skills. Microsoft pushed a much more major update, developed completely after the fact and containing huge functionality increases, to their original zune line for FREE a year after they launched it. There is no difference between the revenue model for zune players and the revenue model for ipods.
Either Apple's marketing apologists or their accountants are lying weasels on this point.
Tomas said 6:09PM on 2-13-2008
How does MS get away with giving away service packs if they are full of new features (not just bugfixes), and the zune as mentioned, but apple needs to charge for apps that should have been on the ipod in the first place