Sep 9th 2007 11:47 pm iPod Classic is Incompatible With Many Existing Accessories
The new iPod Classic offers little backwards compatibility with older model accessories.
The main frustration being experienced right now by iPod users relates to video cables. The iPod Classic requires the output cable to have an Apple authentication chip in it. Most existing accessories from third party vendors do not have the Apple authentication chip.
This “feature” was not well publicized and it appears consumers are running into unknowledgeable employees who are of the opinion that it worked in the old iPod so it will work in the Classic. But sadly this is just not the case.
The problem extends to the third party manufacturers themselves. They were not given advance opportunity to review the change in architecture so that they could roll out new accessories that would function with the iPod Classic right at launch. As it stands now they will be forced to play catch up for the next several weeks.
The real question is: Why the change? Is it a DRM thing? Is it a customer support issue where Apple was fielding too many calls that stemmed from poorly designed accessories? Or is it simply a money grab? Regardless it is unfortunate that anyone’s excitement will be dampened when they go to hook up their shiny new iPod Classic to their TV with their existing video cables and find out that it doesn’t work. And worse, they will have no idea why.
Posted by Gregory / Accessories