Learn how to restore iPod, iPod mini, and iPod nano to factory settings.
If you need to restore an iPod shuffle, click here.
Background
It is important to understand the difference between "update" and "restore". Update simply installs the software that controls iPod and does not affect the songs and files stored on iPod's disk. Restore erases the iPod's disk and restores iPod to its original factory condition.
Warning: because Restore erases all of the songs and files on iPod, make sure to back up any files you've saved on the iPod disk. All of your songs, videos, podcasts, audiobooks, and games can be loaded back to your iPod provided that you have them stored in your iTunes Library. If you use the Nike + iPod Sport Kit, see this document for more information.
How to restore iPod
1. Ensure that you have an active Internet connection as new versions of iTunes and iPod Software may need to be downloaded to your computer.
2. Download and install iTunes 7.0 or later if you do not already have it installed.
3. Open iTunes, and then connect your iPod to your computer using the USB or FireWire cable that came with your iPod.
4. After a few moments, your iPod will appear in the Source pane in iTunes.
5. Select your iPod in the Source pane and you will see information about your iPod appear in the Summary tab of the main iTunes windows.
6. Click the Restore button. You will be prompted with one or more restore options that may prompt iTunes to automatically download of the latest iPod Software. The 4 possible restore options are:
7.
* Restore Option 1: Restore - Restores with same iPod Software version already on iPod.
* Restore Option 2: Use Same Version - Restores with same iPod Software version already on iPod even though a newer version is available.
* Restore Option 3: Use Newest Version - Restores with the latest iPod Software on your computer.
* Restore Option 4: Restore and Update - Restores with the latest iPod Software on your computer.
8. If you are using a Mac, a message will appear prompting you to enter an administrator’s name and password.
9. A progress bar will appear on the computer screen indicating that the first stage of the restore process has started. When this stage is completed, iTunes will present one of two messages on screen with instructions specific to the iPod model you are restoring.
10.
* Restore Instruction 1: Disconnect iPod and connect it to iPod Power Adapter (typically applies to older iPod models).
* Restore Instruction 2: Leave iPod connected to computer to complete restore (typically applies newer iPod models).
11. During the stage 2 of the restore process, the iPod will show an Apple logo as well as a progress bar at the bottom of the display. It is critical that the iPod remains connected to the computer or iPod Power adapter during this stage. Note: The progress bar may be difficult to see since the backlight on the iPod display may be off.
12. After stage 2 of the restore process is complete and the iPod is connected to the computer, the iTunes Setup Assistant window will appear asking you to name your iPod and choose your syncing preferences similar to when you connected your iPod for the first time.
http://www.thegadgetlocker.com/article_info.php/articles_id/2
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Installing Games in Your iPod Video
When Steve Jobs announced that the 5G iPod is going to begin offering support of more and better games, I wasn't moved too much. I've had my iPod for quite some time now and maybe only once or twice bothered to look in the games file to see what was there. Breakout? Solitaire? Thank you, but no. I'll stick with my music.
Once I downloaded the new iTunes v7, however, and went to the iTunes Music Store to see what games were available, I was floored. Bejeweled? Are you kidding me? Mini-golf? Pac Man? Maybe there's something here, after all. At only $5 a game, it's certainly worth giving it a try, right?
I opted for Mini-Golf from Electronic Arts, because that's just who I am, and I'll have a review of the game soon. In the meantime, for those looking to add a game or two to their iPod, here's the process:
Step 1: Update your 5G iPod (video) to v1.2
Yes, the games are only compatible with the iPod Video (the Flash drive capacity is way too small). No, you don't have to update your iPod first, but you may as well, as the games need v1.2 to run. If you don't update, iTunes will tell you this is necessary during the game installation process.
To update your iPod, make sure it's connected to the computer and click on your iPod name under Devices in iTunes. The Summary tab will show your software version and let you know if you're iPod's up to date. If not, click the Update button and the rest will take care of itself.
iPod Games
Step 2: Purchase and download game(s)
This step is pretty much the same as purchasing songs or shows. Launch the store in iTunes, click on the new iPod Games link in the white area next to New Releases, then make your pick. There are currently nine games available, all of which already have the typical useless user reviews. Seriously, Apple, this isn't necessary. How is, "Come on itunes $4.99 for a game thats pretty bad they should be like 2-3 bucks tops. You can buy games on ur cell phone for like half the price itunes is charging. If you guys lower your price I bet a lot more people would buy games." going to help me make a purchasing decision?
iPod Games
Thankfully, clicking the game's icon pulls up some information on the title that's actually useful. Games Notes, Features and System Requirements are all well and good, but if you have QuickTime v7.1.3, you can watch a preview of the game to get a feel for the action.
Once you've made your decision, click the Add Game button to put it in your shopping cart, then go to the shopping cart and complete the purchase just as you would with any other iTunes Music Store item.
Step 3: Get the game onto your iPod
Once you've downloaded the game to your iTunes library, a new "iPod Games" link will appear under the Library section of the iTunes interface. This may be important, and you'll see why in a minute. To get the game onto your iPod, again, select your iPod under the Devices area of iTunes and click on the Games tab. As with syncing up pictures from iPhoto, simply check Sync Games then determine if you want to sync them all or just selected games (if you have downloaded more than one), then click Apply. When I did this, I was told I couldn't load the game onto my iPod because it wasn't registered with this account. This confused me, because iTunes and the iPod certainly were registered with my account. After poking around for a few minutes, I ended up back on the iPod Games screen within iTunes, where Mini-Golf was listed. I double-clicked on the Mini-Golf icon to see if I could get properties, and was instead asked if I wanted to register the game with my account. I said yes, and was told that I have now activated two of my allowable five licenses (the first being my home computer...I hope). I was then able to sync my iPod with the Mini-Golf game, and was good to go. I'm not sure what the difference is between registering a game with an iTunes account and registering iTunes itself with an iTunes account, but it's working now, so I'll leave that alone.
iPod Games
Step 4: Play
Once the game is on your iPod, you can access it by selecting Games with the click wheel, which is either in your Main Menu or your Extras menu, depending upon your settings. As for playing the game itself...well, watch for the review.
Step 5: Removing the game
Okay, so you decide you hate playing games on your iPod, or you need to clear 10 to 60MB (the file size range of the games currently available) to eek out enough room for the movie The Hot Chick (?!?!). To remove your games, go back to the Games tab in iTunes after selecting your iPod, check Sync Games, select Selected Games, then don't actually select a game. iTunes will remove your games from the iPod, but they'll still be on the computer in case you want to put them on again.
iPod Games
And there you have it. Simple as that. Cut through my usual verbosity, and you'll see it's only three simple steps to get the games onto your 5G iPod, where you can play them anywhere you're allowed to wear headphones. What's next, Apple? NFL highlights?
http://www.thegadgetlocker.com/article_info.php/articles_id/1
Once I downloaded the new iTunes v7, however, and went to the iTunes Music Store to see what games were available, I was floored. Bejeweled? Are you kidding me? Mini-golf? Pac Man? Maybe there's something here, after all. At only $5 a game, it's certainly worth giving it a try, right?
I opted for Mini-Golf from Electronic Arts, because that's just who I am, and I'll have a review of the game soon. In the meantime, for those looking to add a game or two to their iPod, here's the process:
Step 1: Update your 5G iPod (video) to v1.2
Yes, the games are only compatible with the iPod Video (the Flash drive capacity is way too small). No, you don't have to update your iPod first, but you may as well, as the games need v1.2 to run. If you don't update, iTunes will tell you this is necessary during the game installation process.
To update your iPod, make sure it's connected to the computer and click on your iPod name under Devices in iTunes. The Summary tab will show your software version and let you know if you're iPod's up to date. If not, click the Update button and the rest will take care of itself.
iPod Games
Step 2: Purchase and download game(s)
This step is pretty much the same as purchasing songs or shows. Launch the store in iTunes, click on the new iPod Games link in the white area next to New Releases, then make your pick. There are currently nine games available, all of which already have the typical useless user reviews. Seriously, Apple, this isn't necessary. How is, "Come on itunes $4.99 for a game thats pretty bad they should be like 2-3 bucks tops. You can buy games on ur cell phone for like half the price itunes is charging. If you guys lower your price I bet a lot more people would buy games." going to help me make a purchasing decision?
iPod Games
Thankfully, clicking the game's icon pulls up some information on the title that's actually useful. Games Notes, Features and System Requirements are all well and good, but if you have QuickTime v7.1.3, you can watch a preview of the game to get a feel for the action.
Once you've made your decision, click the Add Game button to put it in your shopping cart, then go to the shopping cart and complete the purchase just as you would with any other iTunes Music Store item.
Step 3: Get the game onto your iPod
Once you've downloaded the game to your iTunes library, a new "iPod Games" link will appear under the Library section of the iTunes interface. This may be important, and you'll see why in a minute. To get the game onto your iPod, again, select your iPod under the Devices area of iTunes and click on the Games tab. As with syncing up pictures from iPhoto, simply check Sync Games then determine if you want to sync them all or just selected games (if you have downloaded more than one), then click Apply. When I did this, I was told I couldn't load the game onto my iPod because it wasn't registered with this account. This confused me, because iTunes and the iPod certainly were registered with my account. After poking around for a few minutes, I ended up back on the iPod Games screen within iTunes, where Mini-Golf was listed. I double-clicked on the Mini-Golf icon to see if I could get properties, and was instead asked if I wanted to register the game with my account. I said yes, and was told that I have now activated two of my allowable five licenses (the first being my home computer...I hope). I was then able to sync my iPod with the Mini-Golf game, and was good to go. I'm not sure what the difference is between registering a game with an iTunes account and registering iTunes itself with an iTunes account, but it's working now, so I'll leave that alone.
iPod Games
Step 4: Play
Once the game is on your iPod, you can access it by selecting Games with the click wheel, which is either in your Main Menu or your Extras menu, depending upon your settings. As for playing the game itself...well, watch for the review.
Step 5: Removing the game
Okay, so you decide you hate playing games on your iPod, or you need to clear 10 to 60MB (the file size range of the games currently available) to eek out enough room for the movie The Hot Chick (?!?!). To remove your games, go back to the Games tab in iTunes after selecting your iPod, check Sync Games, select Selected Games, then don't actually select a game. iTunes will remove your games from the iPod, but they'll still be on the computer in case you want to put them on again.
iPod Games
And there you have it. Simple as that. Cut through my usual verbosity, and you'll see it's only three simple steps to get the games onto your 5G iPod, where you can play them anywhere you're allowed to wear headphones. What's next, Apple? NFL highlights?
http://www.thegadgetlocker.com/article_info.php/articles_id/1
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Apple Unveils the New iPod shuffle
SAN FRANCISCO - September 12, 2006 - Apple today introduced the new iPod shuffle, now the world's smallest digital music player with Apple's pioneering shuffle feature that lets music fans serve up a continuous mix of their favorite songs anywhere they go. Nearly half the size of the original, the new iPod shuffle is just half a cubic inch in volume, weighs just half an ounce and features a stunning all-new aluminum design and a built-in clip which makes it the most wearable iPod ever. The new iPod shuffle contains one gigabyte of flash memory which holds up to 240 songs, and is more affordable than ever at $79.
"It's hard to believe the new iPod is a real music player when you first see it," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "But it is real, and holds up to 240 songs in an incredibly compact and wearable design that weighs just half an ounce."
iPod shuffle is based on Apple's super-popular shuffle feature which lets users enjoy their songs in a random order. Or listeners can simply flip a switch to listen to their songs in order, such as when listening to a new album. iPod shuffle features up to 12 hours of battery life.*
Users connect the new iPod shuffle to their Mac or PC with the included dock, and iTunes' innovative AutoFill feature automatically syncs the perfect number of songs from their music library. Seamless integration with iTunes 7 and the iTunes Store allows customers to choose from a selection of over 3.5 million songs from the world's most popular digital music store.
The new iPod shuffle is expected to be available worldwide in October through the Apple Store, Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for $79 (US). iPod shuffle includes earbud headphones and an iPod shuffle Dock.
iPod shuffle requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 port and Mac OS X version 10.3.9 or later and iTunes 7.0 or later; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows 2000 (Service Pack 4), Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2) and iTunes 7.0 or later. Internet access is required and a broadband connection is recommended.
* Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. See http://www.apple.com/batteries for more information. Music capacity is based on four minutes per song and 128-Kbps AAC encoding; actual capacity varies by content.
http://www.thegadgetlocker.com/article_info.php/articles_id/6?osCsid=97603c3977800a2c923225d52ed81af8
"It's hard to believe the new iPod is a real music player when you first see it," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "But it is real, and holds up to 240 songs in an incredibly compact and wearable design that weighs just half an ounce."
iPod shuffle is based on Apple's super-popular shuffle feature which lets users enjoy their songs in a random order. Or listeners can simply flip a switch to listen to their songs in order, such as when listening to a new album. iPod shuffle features up to 12 hours of battery life.*
Users connect the new iPod shuffle to their Mac or PC with the included dock, and iTunes' innovative AutoFill feature automatically syncs the perfect number of songs from their music library. Seamless integration with iTunes 7 and the iTunes Store allows customers to choose from a selection of over 3.5 million songs from the world's most popular digital music store.
The new iPod shuffle is expected to be available worldwide in October through the Apple Store, Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for $79 (US). iPod shuffle includes earbud headphones and an iPod shuffle Dock.
iPod shuffle requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 port and Mac OS X version 10.3.9 or later and iTunes 7.0 or later; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows 2000 (Service Pack 4), Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2) and iTunes 7.0 or later. Internet access is required and a broadband connection is recommended.
* Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. See http://www.apple.com/batteries for more information. Music capacity is based on four minutes per song and 128-Kbps AAC encoding; actual capacity varies by content.
http://www.thegadgetlocker.com/article_info.php/articles_id/6?osCsid=97603c3977800a2c923225d52ed81af8
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
How To Tell Which iPod You Have?
SAN FRANCISCO - September 12, 2006 - Apple today introduced the new iPod shuffle, now the world's smallest digital music player with Apple's pioneering shuffle feature that lets music fans serve up a continuous mix of their favorite songs anywhere they go. Nearly half the size of the original, the new iPod shuffle is just half a cubic inch in volume, weighs just half an ounce and features a stunning all-new aluminum design and a built-in clip which makes it the most wearable iPod ever. The new iPod shuffle contains one gigabyte of flash memory which holds up to 240 songs, and is more affordable than ever at $79.
It's hard to believe the new iPod is a real music player when you first see it," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "But it is real, and holds up to 240 songs in an incredibly compact and wearable design that weighs just half an ounce."
iPod shuffle is based on Apple's super-popular shuffle feature which lets users enjoy their songs in a random order. Or listeners can simply flip a switch to listen to their songs in order, such as when listening to a new album. iPod shuffle features up to 12 hours of battery life.*
Users connect the new iPod shuffle to their Mac or PC with the included dock, and iTunes' innovative AutoFill feature automatically syncs the perfect number of songs from their music library. Seamless integration with iTunes 7 and the iTunes Store allows customers to choose from a selection of over 3.5 million songs from the world's most popular digital music store.
The new iPod shuffle is expected to be available worldwide in October through the Apple Store, Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for $79 (US). iPod shuffle includes earbud headphones and an iPod shuffle Dock.
iPod shuffle requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 port and Mac OS X version 10.3.9 or later and iTunes 7.0 or later; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows 2000 (Service Pack 4), Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2) and iTunes 7.0 or later. Internet access is required and a broadband connection is recommended.
* Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. See http://www.apple.com/batteries for more information. Music capacity is based on four minutes per song and 128-Kbps AAC encoding; actual capacity varies by content.
http://www.thegadgetlocker.com/article_info.php/articles_id/6?osCsid=db83547bae1b07dff3391ecf78265b0c
It's hard to believe the new iPod is a real music player when you first see it," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "But it is real, and holds up to 240 songs in an incredibly compact and wearable design that weighs just half an ounce."
iPod shuffle is based on Apple's super-popular shuffle feature which lets users enjoy their songs in a random order. Or listeners can simply flip a switch to listen to their songs in order, such as when listening to a new album. iPod shuffle features up to 12 hours of battery life.*
Users connect the new iPod shuffle to their Mac or PC with the included dock, and iTunes' innovative AutoFill feature automatically syncs the perfect number of songs from their music library. Seamless integration with iTunes 7 and the iTunes Store allows customers to choose from a selection of over 3.5 million songs from the world's most popular digital music store.
The new iPod shuffle is expected to be available worldwide in October through the Apple Store, Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for $79 (US). iPod shuffle includes earbud headphones and an iPod shuffle Dock.
iPod shuffle requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 port and Mac OS X version 10.3.9 or later and iTunes 7.0 or later; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows 2000 (Service Pack 4), Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2) and iTunes 7.0 or later. Internet access is required and a broadband connection is recommended.
* Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. See http://www.apple.com/batteries for more information. Music capacity is based on four minutes per song and 128-Kbps AAC encoding; actual capacity varies by content.
http://www.thegadgetlocker.com/article_info.php/articles_id/6?osCsid=db83547bae1b07dff3391ecf78265b0c
Play iPod's Movies In Dvd Quality On A Tv
HomeDock Deluxe now lets iPod owners enjoy their new iTunes movies on their home television and entertainment systems in DVD quality resolution.
With Apple® Computer's recent announcement of its new iTunes movie service, the DLO HomeDock Deluxe's impact on an iPod owner's ability to enjoy all that an iPod has to offer is greatly enhanced. Notably, now that Apple's iTunes movies and TV shows feature higher resolutions (640 x 480), the HomeDock Deluxe will play a person's movies or video from an iPod on a big-screen TV at near-DVD quality. It does this while giving owners the ability to control their iPod's video from the sofa with an included full-function remote control.
The HomeDock Deluxe also adds a new twist to the iPod by displaying music content onto a television screen and allowing users to navigate, select and play their songs using an included remote control. The HomeDock Deluxe simply connects to a person's TV and home stereo via standard A/V cables or S-video cable, and allows control of iPod's iTunes movies, television shows and videos, photo slideshows and, of course, music - all from the comfort of the couch. Browsing through Playlists, Artists, Albums, Songs, Genres and more from the sofa with the HomeDock Deluxe is a completely new experience for iPod owners. Users can control over 14 playback functions with the remote control.
The HomeDock Deluxe features an original, customizable interface. It even has screensavers to prevent plasma burn. Song information is large and easy to read from anywhere in the room. The HomeDock Deluxe has two distinct modes: On-Screen Navigation Mode for music interface on a TV and iPod Mode to play movies, videos or photo slideshows on a TV directly from the iPod. A person can quickly switch modes on their HomeDock Deluxe with a push of a button to watch and control videos and photo slideshows from an iPod on their television, or browse and play their music with on-screen navigation.
http://www.thegadgetlocker.com/article_info.php/articles_id/9?osCsid=db83547bae1b07dff3391ecf78265b0c
With Apple® Computer's recent announcement of its new iTunes movie service, the DLO HomeDock Deluxe's impact on an iPod owner's ability to enjoy all that an iPod has to offer is greatly enhanced. Notably, now that Apple's iTunes movies and TV shows feature higher resolutions (640 x 480), the HomeDock Deluxe will play a person's movies or video from an iPod on a big-screen TV at near-DVD quality. It does this while giving owners the ability to control their iPod's video from the sofa with an included full-function remote control.
The HomeDock Deluxe also adds a new twist to the iPod by displaying music content onto a television screen and allowing users to navigate, select and play their songs using an included remote control. The HomeDock Deluxe simply connects to a person's TV and home stereo via standard A/V cables or S-video cable, and allows control of iPod's iTunes movies, television shows and videos, photo slideshows and, of course, music - all from the comfort of the couch. Browsing through Playlists, Artists, Albums, Songs, Genres and more from the sofa with the HomeDock Deluxe is a completely new experience for iPod owners. Users can control over 14 playback functions with the remote control.
The HomeDock Deluxe features an original, customizable interface. It even has screensavers to prevent plasma burn. Song information is large and easy to read from anywhere in the room. The HomeDock Deluxe has two distinct modes: On-Screen Navigation Mode for music interface on a TV and iPod Mode to play movies, videos or photo slideshows on a TV directly from the iPod. A person can quickly switch modes on their HomeDock Deluxe with a push of a button to watch and control videos and photo slideshows from an iPod on their television, or browse and play their music with on-screen navigation.
http://www.thegadgetlocker.com/article_info.php/articles_id/9?osCsid=db83547bae1b07dff3391ecf78265b0c
Monday, May 21, 2007
Apple iPod nano
Introduction
What’s small, white, strung together and used as Christmas lights in China? Alright, maybe they don’t have Christmas lights in China, and maybe not all iPods are white, and maybe they aren’t easily strung together, and maybe that wasn’t even the best of analogies to imply how common iPods are right now, but that’s what I was going for at least. The point is that Apple is dominating the portable media player market with their line of iPods, and today we’ll be taking a look at the iPod nano to see if all the slick marketing campaigns are actually backed up by a quality product.
The nano is currently Apple’s mid-priced iPod solution, falling between the iPod shuffle on the low end, and the new iPod video on the high end. The nano integrates a color screen and the patented iPod control interface into a much smaller design than its bigger brother. Of course, you sacrifice the vastly superior storage capacity found in the full size iPod, going from either 30 or 60GB down to 1, 2, or 4GB of storage for the nano. The nano is for those of us that prefer a smaller, more convenient device and don’t require video playback or massive amounts of storage space.
First Impressions
Although the iPod accessories market is very robust (as anyone who has walked by the portable media section of a Best Buy can tell you), you won’t find much more than the essentials included with a nano right out of the box. Of course you’ll get your standard earbud headphones, a USB cable that serves as a charger and uplink cable to your Mac/PC, as well as a dock adapter for use with other iPod accessories (all of which are sold separately). You’ll also get a couple replacement foam earbud covers, and a little custom fitted cloth "pocket" to protect your nano from scratches and the like. (This is something Apple began including shortly after reports surfaced of people easily scratching the nano in their pocket. - Ed)
The disc includes Apple’s iTunes software, but since you’ll need to update to the latest version upon installation anyway, you might as well skip the CD and just download the current version directly from Apple’s site. When you first connect your iPod to your computer, you’ll also be prompted to update the software running on your iPod. The installation of iTunes, and the iPod software is all fairly straightforward although if you’re using a Windows PC you might run into a fairly common InstallShield error. I say "fairly common" because I experienced the problem - Apple has a page dedicated to the issue on their support site, and there’s even a website called "error1607.com" which references the InstallShield error code which is, if you can believe it, "1607." While it was pretty easy to find a solution to the problem on the Internet, it definitely ruined the whole "plug and play" experience I was hoping for from an Apple product. (I own an iPod nano as well and when installing iTunes on a few of my PCs, I never had this error. Maybe just the crappy PCs have this error? Hehe. - Ed)
http://www.thetechlounge.com/article/275/Apple+iPod+nano/
What’s small, white, strung together and used as Christmas lights in China? Alright, maybe they don’t have Christmas lights in China, and maybe not all iPods are white, and maybe they aren’t easily strung together, and maybe that wasn’t even the best of analogies to imply how common iPods are right now, but that’s what I was going for at least. The point is that Apple is dominating the portable media player market with their line of iPods, and today we’ll be taking a look at the iPod nano to see if all the slick marketing campaigns are actually backed up by a quality product.
The nano is currently Apple’s mid-priced iPod solution, falling between the iPod shuffle on the low end, and the new iPod video on the high end. The nano integrates a color screen and the patented iPod control interface into a much smaller design than its bigger brother. Of course, you sacrifice the vastly superior storage capacity found in the full size iPod, going from either 30 or 60GB down to 1, 2, or 4GB of storage for the nano. The nano is for those of us that prefer a smaller, more convenient device and don’t require video playback or massive amounts of storage space.
First Impressions
Although the iPod accessories market is very robust (as anyone who has walked by the portable media section of a Best Buy can tell you), you won’t find much more than the essentials included with a nano right out of the box. Of course you’ll get your standard earbud headphones, a USB cable that serves as a charger and uplink cable to your Mac/PC, as well as a dock adapter for use with other iPod accessories (all of which are sold separately). You’ll also get a couple replacement foam earbud covers, and a little custom fitted cloth "pocket" to protect your nano from scratches and the like. (This is something Apple began including shortly after reports surfaced of people easily scratching the nano in their pocket. - Ed)
The disc includes Apple’s iTunes software, but since you’ll need to update to the latest version upon installation anyway, you might as well skip the CD and just download the current version directly from Apple’s site. When you first connect your iPod to your computer, you’ll also be prompted to update the software running on your iPod. The installation of iTunes, and the iPod software is all fairly straightforward although if you’re using a Windows PC you might run into a fairly common InstallShield error. I say "fairly common" because I experienced the problem - Apple has a page dedicated to the issue on their support site, and there’s even a website called "error1607.com" which references the InstallShield error code which is, if you can believe it, "1607." While it was pretty easy to find a solution to the problem on the Internet, it definitely ruined the whole "plug and play" experience I was hoping for from an Apple product. (I own an iPod nano as well and when installing iTunes on a few of my PCs, I never had this error. Maybe just the crappy PCs have this error? Hehe. - Ed)
http://www.thetechlounge.com/article/275/Apple+iPod+nano/
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Seeking Out "Next Practices," the Next Generation of Best Practices
Improve your recruiting by developing a process for identifying next-generation best practices
Many in HR proclaim a desire to be more strategic, yet most doom themselves by not acting any differently than everyone else. A clear indication of this can be seen in the speed by which documented best practices are mimicked and improved. Benchmarking has become a common practice in the profession of recruiting, which most organizations use to identify what must be done to emulate those who do something better. Unfortunately, most stop there with emulation, and that may doom them to mediocrity forever.
The business world once moved at a significantly slower pace, a pace that made benchmarking and emulating best practices prudent activities. However, things no longer move so slowly! By the time firms benchmark a best practice today, the situation that warranted the development or implementation of the best practice might have changed or may no longer be present. Instead of systematizing an effort to consistently follow the leader and mimic the soon-to-be-obsolete practices of others, I recommend adopting a proactive approach, one in which you develop your own "next generation" of best practices. I call these "next practices."
Next Practice Development Is More Common in Other Business Functions
Next practice development isn't about making something more efficient; instead, it is about a fundamental transformation of the core business activity. For example, Apple has long been a participant in the computer industry, in which the core best practices are predominately focused on refinement of manufacturing technologies that enable computers to do more. While Apple could have easily jumped on the performance bandwagon, it instead opted to develop next practices in the areas of product packaging and service.
With the introduction of the iMac, Apple demonstrated that computers don't have to be beige and gray boxes. With the introduction of the iPod and iMusic service, Apple demonstrated that product companies can develop sustainable long-term relationships with consumers. It abandoned efforts to compete on the nature of performance, long a computer-industry challenge, and reinvented the game with best practices that were unique to its business.
Next Practices Help You Create the Future
Best practices only allow you to do what you are currently doing a little better, while next practices increase your organization's capability to do things that it could never have done before. By jumping a level up to next practices, you're taking a giant step in that you are actually creating your future recruiting capabilities, rather than relying on the innovation of others.
Examples of Next Practices
If you are not sure of the distinction between best and next practices, here are some examples in several HR areas:
Practice Area: College Recruiting
* Average practice: Visit the top schools within your state.
* Best practice: Visit the top 10 schools in the U.S.
* Next practice: Recruit remotely (without having to visit) from the best schools around the world.
Practice Area: Next Job Hiring
* Average practice: Hire individuals who have the skills that are currently needed by "this manager."
* Best practice: Hire individuals who have the skills for both this and the next-level-up job (that the individual will likely be promoted to in the next few years).
* Next practice: Hire individuals who can do both this and the next job but also have the capabilities of reskilling rapidly into skill and competency areas that have yet to be identified.
Practice Area: Global Hiring
* Average practice: Hire the best from India and China, and bring them to America.
* Best practice: Hire the best in India and China and then move operations to India and China.
* Next practice: Find the very best performers in every individual country around the world and let them work remotely in their home countries.
Practice Area: Recruiting Metrics
* Average practice: Cost per hire.
* Best practice: Measure quality of hire through performance appraisal scores.
* Next practice: Calculate the actual dollar impact on business results of each key hire.
Practice Area: Corporate Website
* Average practice: Post information on it, like it was a paper bulletin board.
* Best practice: Also include "sales" elements like streaming video and individual employee profiles.
* Next practice: Provide the capability to morph or mass-customize the information provided to visitors, so that it provides the right tailored information for this individual candidate, based on the background and interest profile he or she provided.
Practice Area: Recruiting Focus and Prioritization
* Average practice: Recruiters respond to all jobs equally.
* Best practice: Prioritize requisitions based on the potential business impact of that position.
* Next practice: In addition, assign recruiters, recruiting budget, and the appropriate sourcing approach, based on the actual success rates of recent hires in this targeted position.
Practice Area: Candidate Assessment
* Average practice: Conduct behavioral interviews with all candidates.
* Best practice: Add an online test as the first screen.
* Next practice: Replace the test with an online video simulation developed for this job, which both excites and more effectively assesses the candidate's skills, weaknesses, and capabilities.
The Process for Identifying Next Practices
Predicting which HR practices will become obsolete and what will be needed to supplant them in the future is obviously more difficult than merely calling up a great company and asking it what it's doing now. However, the impacts are significantly greater on the business, so it's definitely worth the effort.
The first step is to do some reading in the area of business change so that you can learn how to identify precursors to change points. Unfortunately, there are but a few authors who talk about what in business is known as "inflection points," where everything in a particular product line or industry changes. Start by reading Only the Paranoid Survive by Andy Grove and the current best-seller, The World is Flat. Then, start reading forecasting articles in publications like BusinessWeek, Fortune, The Economist, Business 2.0, Workforce Management, and the McKinsey Quarterly. Individuals who might help you identify upcoming inflection points include individuals in product development, R&D, and strategic planning.
After you identify these inflection points where business will change dramatically, the next step is to identify which practices in recruiting and HR will no longer support the direction of the company post-change.
It's important to remember there are almost always precursors or warning signs that alert you to upcoming inflection points. These precursors are alerts that recruiting and HR must prepare for change by beginning to develop the appropriate next practice so that HR is adapting its own next practices at the same time and speed as the rest of the business. For example, if product design implemented changes to dramatically reduce time-to-market so that products were introduced once a quarter rather than once a year, workforce allocation models would obviously need to change. Speed of hiring might need to increase to match the firm's increased speed of product development.
Other approaches you might consider include reading CEO speeches and articles written by key industry thought leaders who have a track record of forecasting inflection points. Look for individuals who think outside the box and are consistently unhappy with current approaches.
The next stage of the process involves setting aside some time to think about the future. This thinking can be stimulated with if–then and what–if exercises that focus on what might soon become obsolete. Part of the process should also be to develop rules that prohibit looking at solutions that can only help you improve by 5-10%. Next-practice thinking, in essence, demands that you reject all solutions that don't allow you to improve by a quantum amount of, say, 25%. This quantum improvement rate is the key differentiator between best practices and next practices. If you want to make a quantum jump in business or recruiting, you simply must have to have tools and strategies that allow you to make a 25-50% improvement, all within a relatively short period of time. If you are really bold, just assume that every process must improve by, say, 25% (at the same rate of change in your company's product line) each and every year.
You can also seek out any developing next practices by networking with only the top firms that have been in the forefront of developing previous next practices. Instead of asking about current best practices, ask them what practices they are considering or developing for the future. Of course, they will be reluctant to share future plans, so you'll need to have done your own thinking and propose a trade of your next practice for theirs. Incidentally, you can't do this with 99% of the firms in your industry because most firms have never developed a process to begin thinking about next practices.
The final step, if your budget allows, is to consult with out-of-the-box thought leaders to help validate your thinking. Efforts should be made to network with individuals who have demonstrated their ability to accurately predict inflection points and the related next practices in recruiting and HR. Thought leaders like Kevin Wheeler, Michael McNeal, Michael Homula, Dan Hilbert, and even myself come to mind. Sometimes, these individuals can shock your team into thinking ahead.
Conclusion
If you want to become a leader in developing next practices, the first thing you need is courage. Think of all the sea captains who told Columbus he was nuts about his next practice! It takes tremendous courage to constantly argue that your firm's best practices could ever become obsolete. Another wise move is to commit yourself to becoming an expert in business change, so that you can begin to identify the precursors to business change. Finally, develop a mindset that assumes that every major practice is holding back your firm and the recruiting function. However, if you are satisfied with a 3% rate of change, don't bother with next-practice thinking. It's only for those that want to be first every time and to win big! Any questions?
About Author
Dr. John Sullivan (JohnS@sfsu.edu) is a well-known thought leader in HR. He is a frequent speaker and advisor to Fortune 500 and Silicon Valley firms. Formerly the chief talent officer for Agilent Technologies (the 43,000-employee HP spin-off), he is now a professor of management at San Francisco State University. He was called the "Michael Jordan of Hiring" by Fast Company magazine. More recruiting articles by Dr. Sullivan can be found in the ER Daily archives. Information about his numerous other articles, books and manuals about recruiting and HR can be found at www.drjohnsullivan.com. Dr. Sullivan is also the editor of VP of HR, an e-newsletter providing "out of the box" solutions for senior HR managers. Free subscriptions can be obtained on his website.
Many in HR proclaim a desire to be more strategic, yet most doom themselves by not acting any differently than everyone else. A clear indication of this can be seen in the speed by which documented best practices are mimicked and improved. Benchmarking has become a common practice in the profession of recruiting, which most organizations use to identify what must be done to emulate those who do something better. Unfortunately, most stop there with emulation, and that may doom them to mediocrity forever.
The business world once moved at a significantly slower pace, a pace that made benchmarking and emulating best practices prudent activities. However, things no longer move so slowly! By the time firms benchmark a best practice today, the situation that warranted the development or implementation of the best practice might have changed or may no longer be present. Instead of systematizing an effort to consistently follow the leader and mimic the soon-to-be-obsolete practices of others, I recommend adopting a proactive approach, one in which you develop your own "next generation" of best practices. I call these "next practices."
Next Practice Development Is More Common in Other Business Functions
Next practice development isn't about making something more efficient; instead, it is about a fundamental transformation of the core business activity. For example, Apple has long been a participant in the computer industry, in which the core best practices are predominately focused on refinement of manufacturing technologies that enable computers to do more. While Apple could have easily jumped on the performance bandwagon, it instead opted to develop next practices in the areas of product packaging and service.
With the introduction of the iMac, Apple demonstrated that computers don't have to be beige and gray boxes. With the introduction of the iPod and iMusic service, Apple demonstrated that product companies can develop sustainable long-term relationships with consumers. It abandoned efforts to compete on the nature of performance, long a computer-industry challenge, and reinvented the game with best practices that were unique to its business.
Next Practices Help You Create the Future
Best practices only allow you to do what you are currently doing a little better, while next practices increase your organization's capability to do things that it could never have done before. By jumping a level up to next practices, you're taking a giant step in that you are actually creating your future recruiting capabilities, rather than relying on the innovation of others.
Examples of Next Practices
If you are not sure of the distinction between best and next practices, here are some examples in several HR areas:
Practice Area: College Recruiting
* Average practice: Visit the top schools within your state.
* Best practice: Visit the top 10 schools in the U.S.
* Next practice: Recruit remotely (without having to visit) from the best schools around the world.
Practice Area: Next Job Hiring
* Average practice: Hire individuals who have the skills that are currently needed by "this manager."
* Best practice: Hire individuals who have the skills for both this and the next-level-up job (that the individual will likely be promoted to in the next few years).
* Next practice: Hire individuals who can do both this and the next job but also have the capabilities of reskilling rapidly into skill and competency areas that have yet to be identified.
Practice Area: Global Hiring
* Average practice: Hire the best from India and China, and bring them to America.
* Best practice: Hire the best in India and China and then move operations to India and China.
* Next practice: Find the very best performers in every individual country around the world and let them work remotely in their home countries.
Practice Area: Recruiting Metrics
* Average practice: Cost per hire.
* Best practice: Measure quality of hire through performance appraisal scores.
* Next practice: Calculate the actual dollar impact on business results of each key hire.
Practice Area: Corporate Website
* Average practice: Post information on it, like it was a paper bulletin board.
* Best practice: Also include "sales" elements like streaming video and individual employee profiles.
* Next practice: Provide the capability to morph or mass-customize the information provided to visitors, so that it provides the right tailored information for this individual candidate, based on the background and interest profile he or she provided.
Practice Area: Recruiting Focus and Prioritization
* Average practice: Recruiters respond to all jobs equally.
* Best practice: Prioritize requisitions based on the potential business impact of that position.
* Next practice: In addition, assign recruiters, recruiting budget, and the appropriate sourcing approach, based on the actual success rates of recent hires in this targeted position.
Practice Area: Candidate Assessment
* Average practice: Conduct behavioral interviews with all candidates.
* Best practice: Add an online test as the first screen.
* Next practice: Replace the test with an online video simulation developed for this job, which both excites and more effectively assesses the candidate's skills, weaknesses, and capabilities.
The Process for Identifying Next Practices
Predicting which HR practices will become obsolete and what will be needed to supplant them in the future is obviously more difficult than merely calling up a great company and asking it what it's doing now. However, the impacts are significantly greater on the business, so it's definitely worth the effort.
The first step is to do some reading in the area of business change so that you can learn how to identify precursors to change points. Unfortunately, there are but a few authors who talk about what in business is known as "inflection points," where everything in a particular product line or industry changes. Start by reading Only the Paranoid Survive by Andy Grove and the current best-seller, The World is Flat. Then, start reading forecasting articles in publications like BusinessWeek, Fortune, The Economist, Business 2.0, Workforce Management, and the McKinsey Quarterly. Individuals who might help you identify upcoming inflection points include individuals in product development, R&D, and strategic planning.
After you identify these inflection points where business will change dramatically, the next step is to identify which practices in recruiting and HR will no longer support the direction of the company post-change.
It's important to remember there are almost always precursors or warning signs that alert you to upcoming inflection points. These precursors are alerts that recruiting and HR must prepare for change by beginning to develop the appropriate next practice so that HR is adapting its own next practices at the same time and speed as the rest of the business. For example, if product design implemented changes to dramatically reduce time-to-market so that products were introduced once a quarter rather than once a year, workforce allocation models would obviously need to change. Speed of hiring might need to increase to match the firm's increased speed of product development.
Other approaches you might consider include reading CEO speeches and articles written by key industry thought leaders who have a track record of forecasting inflection points. Look for individuals who think outside the box and are consistently unhappy with current approaches.
The next stage of the process involves setting aside some time to think about the future. This thinking can be stimulated with if–then and what–if exercises that focus on what might soon become obsolete. Part of the process should also be to develop rules that prohibit looking at solutions that can only help you improve by 5-10%. Next-practice thinking, in essence, demands that you reject all solutions that don't allow you to improve by a quantum amount of, say, 25%. This quantum improvement rate is the key differentiator between best practices and next practices. If you want to make a quantum jump in business or recruiting, you simply must have to have tools and strategies that allow you to make a 25-50% improvement, all within a relatively short period of time. If you are really bold, just assume that every process must improve by, say, 25% (at the same rate of change in your company's product line) each and every year.
You can also seek out any developing next practices by networking with only the top firms that have been in the forefront of developing previous next practices. Instead of asking about current best practices, ask them what practices they are considering or developing for the future. Of course, they will be reluctant to share future plans, so you'll need to have done your own thinking and propose a trade of your next practice for theirs. Incidentally, you can't do this with 99% of the firms in your industry because most firms have never developed a process to begin thinking about next practices.
The final step, if your budget allows, is to consult with out-of-the-box thought leaders to help validate your thinking. Efforts should be made to network with individuals who have demonstrated their ability to accurately predict inflection points and the related next practices in recruiting and HR. Thought leaders like Kevin Wheeler, Michael McNeal, Michael Homula, Dan Hilbert, and even myself come to mind. Sometimes, these individuals can shock your team into thinking ahead.
Conclusion
If you want to become a leader in developing next practices, the first thing you need is courage. Think of all the sea captains who told Columbus he was nuts about his next practice! It takes tremendous courage to constantly argue that your firm's best practices could ever become obsolete. Another wise move is to commit yourself to becoming an expert in business change, so that you can begin to identify the precursors to business change. Finally, develop a mindset that assumes that every major practice is holding back your firm and the recruiting function. However, if you are satisfied with a 3% rate of change, don't bother with next-practice thinking. It's only for those that want to be first every time and to win big! Any questions?
About Author
Dr. John Sullivan (JohnS@sfsu.edu) is a well-known thought leader in HR. He is a frequent speaker and advisor to Fortune 500 and Silicon Valley firms. Formerly the chief talent officer for Agilent Technologies (the 43,000-employee HP spin-off), he is now a professor of management at San Francisco State University. He was called the "Michael Jordan of Hiring" by Fast Company magazine. More recruiting articles by Dr. Sullivan can be found in the ER Daily archives. Information about his numerous other articles, books and manuals about recruiting and HR can be found at www.drjohnsullivan.com. Dr. Sullivan is also the editor of VP of HR, an e-newsletter providing "out of the box" solutions for senior HR managers. Free subscriptions can be obtained on his website.
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