Apple Releases Software to Set iPod Volume

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2006/03/29/financial/f074039S76.DTL&type=tech

Apple Releases Software to Set iPod Volume

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

(03-29) 08:06 PST Cupertino, Calif. (AP) --

Owners of recent iPods will now be able to set how loud their digital music players can go. Apple Computer Inc., facing complaints and a lawsuit claiming the popular player can cause hearing loss, made the setting available as part of a new software update Wednesday. The free download applies to the iPod Nano and the iPod models with video-playback capabilities.

Parents also can use the feature to set a limit on their child's iPod and lock it with a code, the company added.
---->
"As the leading provider of digital music players, Apple continuously brings iPod customers innovative and easy to use solutions," Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president for iPod marketing, said in a statement. "With the increased attention in this area, we want to offer customers an easy to use option to set their own personal volume limit."
<----
---->
Apple ships a warning with each iPod that cautions "permanent hearing loss may occur if earphones or headphones are used at high volume."
<----
--------
More:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2006/03/29/financial/f074039S76.DTL&type=tech
--------

When people blow out their ears they still have themselves to blame, just more now.

...they would release a patch for the cheapest of their devies - the shuffle. That's the device that the youngest users - the ones most at risk for hearing damage - probably are using.

I'm just saying...

Of course, I meant 'devices' above, not 'devies', whatever-the-hell-those are. <sigh> To late to edit. Damn keyboard. :argh:

I have given players to two children and I know that they ignore my volume warnings.

They should also add a parental password lock for this setting.

---------

I switched paragraphs and eliminated the one about the idiot from LA.

"Parents also can use the feature to set a limit on their child's iPod and lock it with a code, the company added."

Is it that Apple has been selling machines that have no volume control at all? or was it just very hard to use?

on edit: OK, I see that it's a volume governor instead. Still, seems to me you could just, oh I don't know, set the volume lower yourself?

is to blame for his stupidity and allegedly blowing out his ears.

Idiots like that need instructions on how to wake up in the morning, but still, that might not even work.

I mean, I really do hate Steve Jobs and I think Apple fans are frankly silly, but c'mon, Apple's reaction has "corporate lawyer draining company resources with her/his justification for existence" written all over it. Which is sad.

Music players with headphones were around for a long time before iPods were dreamed of. There is no justification for a law suit.

It would be very very easy to add a volume governor to the device. It would be great for children and I will probably use it myself. It is easy to crank up the volume too loud when there is too much ambient noise.

R&D working overtime on this one. :eyes:

so as soon as I can pry those ipods out of kids' hands I will be setting a volume limit (behind their backs, of course)