Apple today announced a software update for the iPod nano and fifth generation iPod, allowing customers to easily set their own personal maximum volume limit. The software update also gives parents the ability to set a maximum volume limit on their child’s iPod and lock it with a combination code.
“As the leading provider of digital music players, Apple continuously brings iPod customers innovative and easy to use solutions,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPod Product Marketing. “With the increased attention in this area, we want to offer customers an easy to use option to set their own personal volume limit.”
The new software update 1.1.1 is available immediately as a free download for the iPod nano and the fifth generation iPod from www.apple.com/ipod/download. The new Volume Limit feature works with any headphone or accessory plugged into the iPod headphone jack as well as the iPod Radio Remote.
For further information on safe listening with iPod: http://www.apple.com/sound/
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what did you say?
What they need to do is make the lowest possible volume lower. When I try to go to sleep with my ear buds on it is too loud. I wish I could set it so it was barely there.
Nice addition. I would imagine that it’s also good for potential lawsuits.
Nuts,
What can’t hear you. Louder please.
I hope this is something akin to Volume Logic and not just a trivial hack of Sound Check that ignores the actual sound level of the music.
eh…I don’t see this update on the link. Or am I blind as well as deaf?
Not that it’s a feature I’m interested in using but, why isn’t it available for older models as well?!
This is of no VALUE to me. Where the _hell_ is the iPod update that makes the “menu” button on my Apple remote work with the iPod?
I own a 3G iPod. So much for my hearing.
i thought the volume was adjustable?
Apple’s new motto:
“When you fail to take responsibility, we must take up the slack…”
Isn’t there already and has always been a volume control – it’s called the volume control.
The way it works is – when it’s to loud – you turn down the volumn.
WTF
This is a small but good solution to the problem of hearing damage caused and suffered by irresponsible young users. Apple’s motivation was probably to safeguard against more hearing damage lawsuits but the end result is good for all iPod users. The new menu option will get people thinking about their listening habits and it will hopefully inspire some to lower the volume.
nonarKitten the SoundCheck option is nothing more than a normaliser filter that looks at the maximum level of a track and re-adjusts it to a set level. I do not like it much either because instead of making all tracks uniformly loud, it makes them uniformly low. Something like Volume Logic changes the average level of a track which takes more processing power than the iPod can handle. After all, we are talking about a device that is still not able to cross-fade tracks.
The Volume Limit setting is great. Finally I can get my kids an iPod without worrying that they are blowing out their ear drums.
Tell me, what value will having the Menu button on the remote work? You want it to go up in the menu system? Then what? There’s NO click wheel on the remote. And not to mention the idea of viewing a 2.5 inch screen from 10 feet away. You must be superman if you can see that.
KISS… Keep it simple silly-willies…
HEY!!!! IS ANYONE WONDERING ABOUT WHERE THE APRIL 1ST KEYNOTE ANNOUNCEMENT IS GOING TO BE?????? WHAT HAPPENED TO THE NEW MAC BOOKS AND TRUE VIDEO IPOD????
IS APPLE JUST GOING TO FORGET ABOUT THEIR 30TH ANNIVERSARY??
perhaps this is all just a big april fools joke…..
What about the iPod mini? I feel left out.
Has anybody used the new updater and then tried playing back videos whose sound dropped out with the January updater? I’d like to know if that bug was fixed before I update from 1.0…Thanks!
Good for Apple, but I think it’s a sad statement about society that they had to do this. It’s like hammer manufacturers putting a giant foam cover on the hammer so that, if you happen to repeatedly hit yourself in the head with it, you can’t injure yourself and sue them. Personal responsibility is something sorely lacking in the world today.
Ahhh forget it! If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em! Hey Tommy Boy, I have a 3G iPod too! Whadda you say we file a class action lawsuit! And while we’re at it, where’s my hammer?
This update just destroyed my iPod. All was working well until I tried to update. Now the iPod won’t switch off, displays nothing but a white screen, and won’t mount on the computer so I can’t be recognised by iPod updater.
I called Apple help, and they wanted to charge me £32 as my Christmas present iPod is just days beyond its 90 days of free technical support. Nice. I only need support because their update broke my iPod.
DO NOT INSTALL THIS UPDATE
Apple is the largest supplier in the market for this product. Like all shit running downhill, this is a case of all “portable audio concerns” running to them – in this case, volume. The important thing here is that unlike MS, Apple still acts like a small company, quick and responsive. What this feature amounts to is an adjustable max. Its unfortunate that previous models don’t support it but its a good thing.
First impression -> it seems so obvious, why didn’t anyone do it sooner. My favorite feeling for anything Apple does.
hey Someguy –
I am not ANTI Apple, but I am not blinded by the rediculous either.
The “menu” button ought to function just like the menu button on the iPod does. I know there is no click wheel, but clicking up and down should do the trick. It makes NO sense why this doesn’t work. It works on “Front row” enabled Macs. Apple should have figured this out!
Am I the only one that’s beginning to feel let down by Apple by the lack of recent support for my 4G iPod Photo. I don’t need video but full screen album art on the iPod Hi-Fi would have been a nice to have. Understand that Apple want to drive 5G and Nano sales!
This is a good thing. I really needed that. I love my video iPod, but I hate when it when it accidentally goes too loud.
And that update did not cause any trouble in my 30G iPod Video.