Emulating an iPod

16 Jan 2005

I might be revealing my ignorance here, but just as disk-based iPod were, also, generic USB or FireWire storage devices, I understand the new iPod shuffle is also a generic USB flash memory thumb drive.

So, that must mean that, in addition to the usual circuitry to make the drive appear as a storage device, there's some litle bit of identifying code to make the drive appear as an iPod to iTunes?

If that's the case, can someone hack either iTunes or the generic windows USB mass storage driver (for which source is available) so that any MP3 player that can appear as a USB thumb drive can also appear as an iPod to iTunes? I think there's a substantial market, at something like $20 a pop, to selling "connect your flash memory MP3 player to iTunes".

I'd lazyweb the request, but surely someone's already done this and I just don't know about it and can't find it.

Posted on Sunday, January 16, 2005 at 10:47 PM

1 TrackBack

Anil Dash, a member in good standing of six apart, creators of Moveable Type and Typepad, want to Emulate an iPod: If that's the case, can someone hack either iTunes or the generic windows USB mass storage driver (for which Read More »
I'm sorry, Anil, I can't do that. | January 18, 2005 8:27 PM

5 Comments

You can already connect a non-iPod MP3 player to iTunes. Apple makes no effort to lock out competitors, as far as I know.

Author Profile Page dansays | January 17, 2005 5:42 AM | Reply

dansays - you mean besides the DRM that they refuse to license to any other music player, right?

Author Profile Page George Hotelling | January 17, 2005 6:54 AM | Reply

Try running iPod Software restore on a blank flash drive. If that doesn't work, you can try and do a Disk Copy between a blank iPod Shuffle and a flash drive.

Author Profile Page David Jacobs | January 18, 2005 8:21 AM | Reply

I'm not sure that's useful for actual MP3 players. Wouldn't the device itself have to be able to make use of the iPod database? It's been reverse engineered for third party iPod software like Anapod Explorer, but I haven't heard of any support in other devices for it.

Author Profile Page markpasc | January 19, 2005 11:29 AM | Reply

iTunes has always supported my old Nomad II MG flash mp3s player over USB.

Author Profile Page Clint Ecker | January 19, 2005 11:54 AM | Reply

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