[graphics84]

I was on Apple's web site and using the iPod as a portable hard drive is barely mentioned if mentioned at all.

any insights?

I'm considering getting a new iPod but I can't decide between the 20 and 40 gig... I have a portable 20 gig drive I cary around for firewire transfers and would like to use the iPod for that too... would it be a good replacement?

If not then I may just buy the 20 gig and keep firewire transfers to my old 20 gig portable...

[::maroma::]

I don't know why Apple doesn't talk more about the portable hard drive capabilities of the iPod. It's a good question.

I use mine to transfer files back and forth to work. I deal in large file sizes, so taking a project home used to take a couple of CDs or more. My iPod has been indespensible for the hard drive function alone.

[MickS]

I use my iPod to backup my Powerbook on the road. It works well. Unforuntately my iPod does not have enough space to hold my MP3 collection so there is a constant battle between leaving space for the backups and loading on more music. Hmmm... perhaps a new 40GB iPod for Christmas

[S|ntax]

i think it has to do with the fact that the hard drive in the ipod can not stand constant use. it only spins up when it needs to load the ram in the ipod, if it were to spin for a longer amount of time it would easily overheat in the small closed up casing of the ipod.

[maxintosh]

Originally posted by S|ntax:
i think it has to do with the fact that the hard drive in the ipod can not stand constant use. it only spins up when it needs to load the ram in the ipod, if it were to spin for a longer amount of time it would easily overheat in the small closed up casing of the ipod.

I haven't found that to be true in the least, the iPod does fine with heavy hard drive access. One of the reasons the back casing is metal is for heat dissapation.

If you're not going to use the iPod for music, it's probably a bit on the pricey side for just a portable hard drive.

[EvanV]

Can you transfer files from Mac to Windows and vice versa?

[Angus_D]

Originally posted by EvanV:
Can you transfer files from Mac to Windows and vice versa?

If the device is formatted as windows FAT32, it should be accessible from the Mac, but the reverse won't be true unless you install some third party utilities on the PC side.

[absmiths]

I think it comes down to two things: The vast majority of people don't need a portable hard drive - what would they do with it; and I think Apple wants to keep the product identity clear - it is an awesome MP3 player.

Anyone advanced enough to utilize and manage portable storage can easily find out about the iPod features in that area (I knew about it more than a year before I bought one).

[FXWizard]

It's probably because of the reports of someone walking into a store, connecting his iPod to the store's demo Mac and downloading Office (or something like that; it was a while ago).

[zigzag]

I've used mine a couple of times as a FW hard drive and it worked well. I think I would rather have one 40 GB dual-purpose iPod than a 20GB iPod and a separate drive, if only to save space and weight.

My main complaint is that they haven't devised an effective card-reading device for the iPod, to store digital photos on the road. The new Belkin device appears to be a dog, although it's unclear whether that's Belkin's fault or if it's a limitation of the iPod.

[SOLIDAge]

it is also handy to use it as a backup drive.

Backup 2.0 now recognizes it as a backup source and you can backup directly to it...rockin indeed.! come sin handy for clean panther installs ;-)

[brinj]

1. always get the biggest you can afford. There's no such thing as too much storage space.

2. a lot of techs use the ipod as a bootable drive so they can make "house calls". But it takes space and doesn't leave much room for music if you have only 10 or 20 gigs.

3. Apple has interesting things up it's sleeve for the ipod - the processor and capacity are too robust for "just a music player"