As the Apple Turns: Scene 4664: Bummer; Everything's Fine (4/29/04)

Bummer; Everything's Fine (4/29/04)

Hey, speaking of iPods, if you've been trying to puzzle through some weirdness with iPod Update 2004-04-28, you're not alone. Personally, we haven't gotten around to installing it yet, even though it claims that our ancient 5 GB models will enjoy "improved playback performance" (like, what-- our songs will play faster?) and "compatibility with iTunes 4.5 and the iTunes Music Store." Frankly, we aren't entirely sure just what sort of compatibility Apple's talking about, since iTMS songs we've bought via iTunes 4.5 are already playing just fine on our 'Pods sans update, so in light of the recent, um, "unpleasantness" surrounding a certain wireless networking update that issued forth from a certain Cupertino computer manufacturer, we figured we'd postpone the whole iPod updating process until it becomes apparent that we actually need it.

Well, it appears we might have been (marginally) right to wait, because faithful viewer fabian forwarded us a CNET article which reports that Apple is "investigating reports that some iPod owners have had trouble updating their devices to take advantage of the company's latest version of its iTunes jukebox software." Now, before you get your hopes up for a drama-drenched debacle such as the iPod update wiping hard disks clean and causing iPods to burst into flame, we should point out that the only malfeasance which affected users are attributing to the updater is that "the software cannot detect their iPod."

It's pretty tame, we know. Sorry, but they can't all leave big, smoking craters in the ground. Sort of a double-edged sword, really, now that we think about it.

At last check, Apple was "aware of a few isolated reports and is looking into it." Frankly, given the utterly nondestructive nature of the alleged bug and the apparent rarity of its occurrence, we're wondering just how slow a news day it was for CNET to write a story about the problem in the first place-- which has also started us wondering just how slow a news day it was for us to be incorporating what appears to be a total non-event CNET article into our plotline. Maybe if there were at least a couple of unconfirmed reports of the updater causing a kernel panic or swiping a twenty from a user's wallet, we could squeeze a little more out of it. But an updater that just doesn't recognize a few iPods?

Then again, software malfunctions of any shape or size hint that Apple's Quality Control team will still be a source of drama in the future. Sure, it's no "AirPort Update 3.4 kicked my dog and drank all my root beer," but at least it beats a software update that functions perfectly. Because, geez-- who the heck wants to see that?

SceneLink (4664)

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From the writer/creator of AtAT, a Pandemic Dad Joke taken WAYYYYYY too far

The above scene was taken from the 4/29/04 episode:

April 29, 2004: Some analysts see recent heavy stock sales by Apple execs as a hint of doom to come. Meanwhile, rumors claim that the next major iPod revision just finished shooting its small-screen debut, and it seems that Apple's latest iPod software updater is being naughty. A bit. On rare occasions...

Other scenes from that episode:

4662: Forecasting The Big Uh-Oh (4/29/04) Duck and cover, kids-- here comes the Big One! At least one pundit sees signs that AAPL will come crashing through the earth's crust any minute now. Oh, quit acting all surprised and stuff; you had to realize that Apple's recent luck with its stock price couldn't last forever, right?...
4663: Ending The Generation Gap (4/29/04) Say, we were just scoping out a calendar trying to find out when "Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbors' Porch Day" happens to fall this year, when we suddenly realized something: aren't we about due for another big iPod revision?...

Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast...


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