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Thread: Ipod Nano 5G with linux?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
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    12

    Ipod Nano 5G with linux?

    Hi all,

    I was recently given a new Fifth Generation iPod Nano, the one with a video camera. I can't get it to see songs that I've transferred onto it.

    It mounts at /media/IPOD. Amarok 2.0.1, gtkpod and Songbird (latest versions as of this post) can see it, correctly recognise it as an iPod and transfer music to/from it with no error message. The files definitely make it onto the iPod, as Songbird can see and play the files that Amarok put there and vice versa. Additionally, exploring the iPod with a file browser shows the renamed music files.

    Despite this, the iPod thinks it has "0 songs" on it. I created a "SysInfo" file with the firewireguid as described here, (down at the moment? google cache) but this didn't help.

    I assume that Apple have changed something about how files are put onto the new iPod nano's song database and open software hasn't caught up yet.

    1) Has anyone persuaded the new iPod Nanos to work with linux?
    2) If so, how can I do the same?
    3) If the fix needs something very difficult (e.g. finding a new key for signing the iPod's track database), what's your gut feeling for how long this tends to take after a new iPod release?

    EDIT:
    I'm using kubuntu 8.10.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    9

    Re: Ipod Nano 5G with linux?

    I am having the same problem with Ubuntu 9.04(Gnome) and the 5th Gen Nano. It says it's syncing, the music files are on the nano, but it still says zero songs.

    Using gtkpod 0.99.14 and libgpod 0.7.0.

  3. #3
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    Aug 2007
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    12

    Re: Ipod Nano 5G with linux?

    As a workaround, I've installed virtualbox, installed a spare Windows XP licence in a virtual machine then installed iTunes on it and allowed the windows virtual machine to see my iPod.

    So now I'm using the latest version of iTunes to control my iPod. I hadn't realised what a nice piece of software it is.

    This setup is working well, but I'd still be grateful for a way to use my iPod with native linux apps (Amarok, Songbird, etc).

    Can anyone make a suggestion?
    Last edited by Graphite; September 16th, 2009 at 05:27 PM.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
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    8

    Re: Ipod Nano 5G with linux?

    Have you tried rhythmbox yet? I have used this for 3rd and 4th generation nanos without any issues. To use it just import the music files to rhythmbox then you would just drag the album or artist to the ipod icon on the left panel. It basically works similar to itunes when uploading music. When finished transferring music over to your ipod, simply click the eject button that appears to the right of your ipod icon in the left panel. This should do the trick. Let me know if rhythmbox works better for you.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
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    2

    Re: Ipod Nano 5G with linux?

    I'm pretty sure there is not yet a linux application able to handle the nano 5g.
    I had to install virtual box with a Xp of the Caribbean and use iTunes.
    Nasty, but it works.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    9

    Re: Ipod Nano 5G with linux?

    I tried it with rhythmbox, banshee and gtkpod. All of them can see the same music on the ipod, but the ipod itself still says "0 songs" when disconnected.

    My 4th Gen nano works just fine, it's just the 5th gen one that doesn't.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
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    15
    Distro
    Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx

    Unhappy Re: Ipod Nano 5G with linux?

    I've also just bought an iPod Nano 5G. I haven't tried using gtkpod with it after reading this post. gtkpod wants to initialize the ipod and i'm a bit concerned this could play havoc with it as it's not a supported model. does anyone know how long it will be before the guys at gtkpod make it compatible with the 5G? i'm assuming they will...

  8. #8
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    Aug 2007
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    Re: Ipod Nano 5G with linux?

    Aeriph - I let Amarok initialise my iPod and it's fine; iTunes (running on Windows XP in a virtual machine) sees it as a perfectly healthy Windows-formatted iPod. It's working beautifully now. For all that I dislike some of Apple's aggressively closed-source and controlling policies, I have to admit that they build great products. I just wish I could get it working with a native Linux app, rather than running iTunes (huge memory hog) really slowly inside a VM.

    I believe that Amarok (and pretty much anything else that talks to iPods on linux) uses the same libraries as gtkpod, so the fact that Amarok didn't harm mine should mean that gtkpod won't harm yours. There's always the option (in iTunes, if you're wiling to use it) to reset to factory settings, anyway.

    Is this common behaviour for Apple? Do new models of iPod typically break Linux compatibility, or is this unique to this model?
    Last edited by Graphite; September 19th, 2009 at 02:55 PM.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
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    London, UK
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    179
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    Ubuntu Development Release

    Re: Ipod Nano 5G with linux?

    Have run into this too. Pretty disappointing and yet totally unsurprising move from Apple.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
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    1

    Re: Ipod Nano 5G with linux?

    I am in the same boat, running Virtualbox + Windows 7 + iTunes 9, useing an SMB share on my ubuntu box to share the music. It took 14 hours to add 80gigs to iTunes. Horrible!.

    I am going to try virtualbox with XP and the native virtual box folder sharing to see if it is any faster.

    Hopefully 5th gens work with a native client soon!.

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