iPod Update to Address Volume-Level Concerns 264
aardwolf64 writes "In an apparent response to the hearing loss lawsuit against Apple, the company has released an update to the iPod nano and 5th generation iPod that allows the user to set the maximum volume level. Parents can even set a lock code that prevents the volume from going above a certain amount." Apple also has instructions at their site on how to implement the changes
It's not a bad thing (Score:2, Insightful)
Wasted effort, stupid feature (Score:5, Insightful)
Ipod volume limit remover (Score:4, Insightful)
Yes but... (Score:2, Insightful)
Darn, I was hoping I could _increase_ it... (Score:5, Insightful)
I have a pair of wonderful Sennheiser HD570 headphones which, unfortunately, are much less sensitive than those that come with the iPod. Using these headphones, perhaps 2/3 of my music sounds about right with the iPod volume set to its maximum. If I could just boost the output up about 6 db or so, it would work with all of them.
Mr Cynic (Score:3, Insightful)
There. That should summarize about half of the responses.
my, cynical today, aren't we?
Actually, let me add to your prediciton: It'll be hax0r3d, then /. will carry posts, then Apple with threaten the author of the hack page, then /. will carry the story of that, plus the author's valiant struggle for freedom to reprogram crap you bought and the evils of DMCA reverse engineering provisions.
don't these things have a variable volume control? (Score:3, Insightful)
Eh?
But I guess that it is relatively easy to go past your comfort zone once you get acclimated to a certain volume and many different songs have different RMS values to them, so mixes can be difficult, even with a max threshold.
Also, I hope that the lawsuit goes the way of the fat people suing McDonalds. Food and headphones are nothing new, and overusing them is personal responsibility.
Next week, I might drink 8 or so gallons of water, die, and then come back and sue the waterworks of my town. That will teach them not to sell water anymore.
God forbid people learn to use the volume control (Score:3, Insightful)
Or is it that we now have to assume that all teenagers don't know how to work the volume control by themselves.
Other MP3 players are still capable of playing music at any volume with no way to restrict it, what about them?
If people are going to complain about the potential for loud volume then they might as well complain about pencils being too sharp, fans spinning too fast, the sky being too blue, etc.
Fantastic (Score:5, Insightful)
So let's not hear any talk about this being a silly idea. It's not.
Re:Hearing damage is a function of volume + time (Score:3, Insightful)
Humans perceive relative volume. I've often gotten in the car and turned on the radio only to discover that I had left it set unreasonably loud. Of course, when I was listening to it before, it was on the freeway with lots of background noise, and now I've spent the last 30 seconds walking through a parking lot.
Back in our college days, my then-girlfriend (now wife) remarked that DJs were aware of this and would slowly increase the volume over the course of a dance or party as people got acclimated to the louder sound. They had to keep the music not just loud, but sounding loud. Unfortunately, they all too often started out at the top of the range they should have. By the end of the evening, it would be maximum strength plus 10%.
Re:Wasted effort, stupid feature (Score:5, Insightful)
The whole slashdot "I won't use this so it's automatically stupid" mentality is incredibly childish. Why this was modded insightful is a mystery to me. Of course, most moderation around here is a mystery to me.
Re:Good thing for parents (Score:3, Insightful)
You probably think that safety lock mechanism on guns is pretty bad idea too, eh? Of course one may use technology to make use of an appliance safer.
More power to 'em! (Score:2, Insightful)
For those of you who keep bashing people for "being idiots", you can shut it... not everyone can be as enlightened as you. Apple has provided their customers with more control... I am sorry if you are against that, but I have no reason to go against this. I am afraid that you guys are a little to quick to complain...
Re:what about those of us who are hard-of-hearing? (Score:3, Insightful)
Not if someone has enabled this feature: "Parents can even set a lock code that prevents the volume from going above a certain amount."
Just what the world needs: another techno-crutch that will absolve parents of the annoyance of actual parenting. Let's not talk to kids about the effects of loud noises on their hearing - that's too difficult. Instead, let's be passive-aggressive pricks and preempt their judgment with parental-surrogate crippleware.
Of course, it will take the recipients of such devices 0.003 milliseconds to punch "amplified headphones" into RadioShack.com and come up with six hits. They will then tune in at twice the volume as a predictable act of rebellion. So the kids are still deaf, but the parents can shrug and say, "My conscience is clean, and that's what really matters." And of course, they can then sue Radio Shack, and lobby Congress for laws that criminalize the sale of amplified headphones to minors.
And of course #2, this "feature" will undoubtedly manifest primarily as an obstacle and annoyance to (1) people who buy an iPod from eBay but discover that it's been capped at 0.5 decibels, (2) kids whose buddies (or playground bullies) enable this "feature" as a prank, and (3) people who inadvertently trigger this feature and then can't disable it.
I hate the direction our country has taken - and the fact that our technologists have fallen victim to the same pathogenic thinking.
- David Stein
since when does natural selection reward stupidity (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:1st post? (Score:5, Insightful)
Various Ways This Will Be Worked Around (Score:2, Insightful)
- Kids will download a hack to reset the password.
- Kids will flash the firmware or reset the bios or otherwise erase the user preferences, thus unlocking the volume control. This one is probably real easy.
- Kids will edit ALL their MP3s and turn the volume as far up as possible, even possibly if the waveform ends up flattening out.
This might satiate certain groups for now, but if I came up with this in five minutes I'm pretty sure Apple doesn't REALLY think this will solve the problem. They might be able to use this as political leverage to say "not our problem anymore"!
(Not that I think it was theirs to begin with.)
Re:what about those of us who are hard-of-hearing? (Score:4, Insightful)
Seriously, I'm about as libertarian as they come, but your reaction here is way off the scale.
"Just what the world needs: another techno-crutch that will absolve parents of the annoyance of actual parenting."
Or a tool that parents can use to help them "actual[ly] parent".
"Let's not talk to kids about the effects of loud noises on their hearing - that's too difficult."
This makes total sense. After all, everyone knows that if you want a kid to do something, all you have to do is talk to them.
"Instead, let's be passive-aggressive pricks and preempt their judgment with parental-surrogate crippleware."
Pre-empt whose judgement? You can't mean the parents', because this tool just gives parents an additional choice. You must mean the kids'. But that doesn't make any sense either -- sometimes, pre-empting a kid's immature, inexperienced judgement with your own, hopefully more mature and informed judgement is exactly part of what you call "actual parenting."
Relax, big fella.
- Alaska Jack
It doesn't absolve parent of anything (Score:5, Insightful)
Ah, spoken like a true non-parent (I'll be shocked if you're the parent of anyone old enough to be effected by this). This doesn't absolve parents of anything. You can explain and reason with a teenager all you'd like and the second they're out of your sight, it's time to ignore everything the parents said. You can't hold their hand every minute of every day, but you're still responsible for them and that means not just talking to them, but being proactive in their lives and putting down certain boundaries.
Do I let my kid have free reign on the TV? No, I'm a parent and part of that is, as you said, parenting. Discussing with them what they're watching and why and putting down limits on what I think is appropriate for their age, not what THEY think is appropriate. Since I can't take the remote from them every minute of every day and be in the room with them every time it's time to watch TV, I lock out the channels I feel are inappropriate.
I see this as no different. My 6 year old wants and iPod. Younger and younger kids are getting them. And if he got one, I could explain to him and reason with him the dangers of loud music, but he doesn't have a sense of what's too loud, so I think this would be a great solution. If I explain to him not to touch the open bottle of sleeping pills on the counter, is that good parenting, or is leaving them there just plain irresponsible? Putting them in a locked cabinet doesn't absolve me of actual parenting. It's just being proactive and looking out for my child's best interests. Parenting is a continual series of teaching, learning, and guidance. Sometimes they do the right thing, other times you need to step in.
It's not a substitute for parenting. It's just another tool.
-S
Re:1st post? (Score:4, Insightful)
Alas, should, and will are probably different here.