I do believe that Mac OS can read FAT 32 partitions, so I would think you could get the Windows version to work on both. You're right that it is a little surprising, at least at first. But once you think about it, Windows can only read FAT partitions, and HFS+ is best for Macs. Apple wants to provide the best user experience. Windows users won't buy a device that Windows can read/write, and Mac users would be dissapoainted if they found out the iPod could be better and faster. I think Apple had to make a choice between the two options, and they chose the lesser of two evils.

quote:<HR> It should be pretty easy to either just reinstall the firmware from a mac or simply format the disk in a mac format. This should make the iPod mac compatible. The hardware is apparently the same, so the only difference is really software based. <HR>

This is something that some XPlay and EphPod users found out the hard way is easier said than done. The 5GB iPod, at least, is actually divided into 4.6 GB "data" and 0.1 GB "system" partitions. A simple reformat (especially back and forth between FAT32 and HFS+) erases the partition, apparently.

I suppose that Apple's decision to use FAT32 (which MacOS can read) instead of NTFS (which MacOS can't read) on the Windows iPod doesn't rule out using it on a Mac. Requiring NTFS would have locked out users of Windows Me, but that's a small percentage anyway (Win 98 isn't supported on the Windows iPod). NTFS is also a superior file formatting system to the aging FAT32 (and to HFS+ for that matter) that would have maximized the storage space and allowed Apple to implement some advanced copy-protection schemes that FAT32 doesn't allow.

However, for that matter, Apple could have released the Windows iPod with an HFS+ partition, along with stripped down software to enable Windows to read the partition. That's exactly how XPlay works. Perhaps they were worried about the performance hit. (Transfers using XPlay and EphPod are generally a bit slower than transfers using iTunes).

I guess I'll find out when I get my new Windows iPod and compare the transfer speeds using MusicMatch with my current transfer speeds with EphPod/MacDrive.

quote:<HR> Maybe Steve thinks that the just the presence of the iPod in Apples lineup is not enough to win over some potential switchers. So you offer a Win-ready product, they get a taste for the quality of an Apple product and then switch.
Just MHO.
<HR>

But then why not officially allow the switcher to transfer the Windows iPod to his or her new Mac? Does Steve Jobs really think people will shell out $300-$500 for a Windows iPod, like it enough to switch over to Macs (and pay $1100 - $4100 plus the cost of software, and in some cases, a display), and then shell out another $300-$500 for a second iPod?

On another note, it seems that iTunes 3 renders the current versions of XPlay and EphPod unusable. Once an iPod has been synched to iTunes 3, XPlay and EphPod can no longer write to it. I get the impression Apple not only wants to undercut its existing Windows competition, it wants to eliminate it entirely. XPlay and EphPod offered cross-platform solutions, while it seems Apple is building a wall between the Windows and Mac iPods. I suspect that the Windows iPods won't use the same iTunesDB file that Mac iPods use, which would prevent Windows users from hooking up their iPods to Macs.