Nano 6g volume limit

I am so upset about this 83db limitation that Apple put on their european devices, that I will in future only buy/order in the U.S. - Hopefully others will do the same, so that Apple has to react to push sales in europe again. Maybe, when store sales drop with the next Ipad and Ipod generation, they will react.

Fact is, that the law requires the reductions from 100db (original apple ipod) to 83db only for France! .... it is Apple, who seems to make live (logistics) for them simpler and forces the 83db rule on everyone else.

@Apple: don´t get me wrong. I have 2 Ipods, 2 Ipads and one Iphone - I like apple. But I like my big hifi headphones as well - and won´t buy my Ipad 3 and Ipod Nano 7 in the EU until you remove this stupid volume limit. Shall the US Stores win the race against the EU stores. ;-)

With one EU member setting such a regulation Apple has no choice but to extend it to all other EU members. It is not Apple's decision.

I doubt, that this is really necessary: I can choose from 10+ languages, but Apple can not distinguish France from the rest of the EU? .... furthermore, even if this regulation would become EU wide the law, which obviously brings a lot of disadvantages and will hurt EU-Apple-Store sales .... why does Apple make it so hard for grown-ups to bypass the stupid limitation? ... other manufaturers put also a cap in there devices, but open a "backdoor" to change that - only Apple puts for Ipod-Nano a logic in place, which seems impossible to bypass.

P.S.: I think, that there are quite a lot of Ipod-Touch and Iphone Users, who would not have installed a jailbreak if the volume cap could have otherwise changed. I do not like all the hazzles with Jailbreaks, but if there would be one out for the Ipod Nano, I would install just for bypassing the volume cap. And for future purchases, I will certainly not buy anything in EU-Apple-Stores. We pay in Germany already about 20% more, then we would pay in US Stores - and get a device, that in comparison with US models, can not be used with good old fashioned Hifi Headphones?

The law in France is furthermore bogus .... it is like trying to enforce a speed limit by setting a max. of 83 PS for all cars, regardless of the kind of car (and its own weight) that the engine should move.

Did you read through this entire thread and note the dates? And if you do a search you will find even older ones. The cap has been around since the early iPods and if you go back far enough there was at one time a hack you could use to remove the cap. But the EU commission (not France) informed Apple that was not acceptable and they had to go to Plan B. After the introdcution of the new cap the hack no longer worked (go back up in this thread and click on the link for it).

You have the right idea for your workaround, go on holiday and purchase one from a country that does not have the EU volume cap.

Deggie - I really do not understand your comments:

1) The EU standard did not become effective before the End of 2010 - so it is effective for approx. 14 months now. What every Apple did before, was probably not necessary. - However, do not want to fight about this aspect, because ...

2) There are amendments to that regulations, which would allow to have the US Version with a 100db also within the EU - but it would require a warning message (that is were probably Apple Marketing enters the game)

.... please check this: http://www.cenelec.eu/pls/apex/f?p=WEB:NEWSBODY:3114894344529830::NO::P300_NEWS_ ID:24 (it is a link to the EU standardization agency)

3) The post has the titel "Nano 6g volume limit" .... who cares about earlier versions that were, as you mentioned, hackable. That is probably the reason, why no one got upset before. Fact is, that the 6G-EU-Version is for many customers not a good choice ... (even within that post, many posted that they are not happy with this version, one wrote even that he would like to return it.)

So, could you please explain to mee again, why apple has to stick to the 83db Cap - having "2" in mind? And why Apple could not provide a workaround? ;-)

Cheers

Michael

News release - 2011

Sound level limits for personal music players and mobile phones

CENELEC Technical Committee 108X on ‘Safety of electronic equipment within the fields of Audio/video, Information Technology and Communication Technology’ was tasked to take the execution of the mandate on board. The work was performed by a dedicated working group with representatives and experts from market surveillance authorities, consumer interest organisations, research institutes, certification bodies and manufacturers.

The exercise resulted in the issuing of 2 amendments to already existing standards for ‘Safety of audio, video and similar electronic apparatus’ (EN 60065:2002) and Safety of information technology equipment (EN 60950-1:2006), which passed a formal vote by the National Standardisation Committees at the end of 2010.

The approach adopted in the standard is based on a sound level limit of 85 dBA. This is a sound level that is considered to be safe under all reasonable foreseeable conditions of use. There is the possibility however for the user to choose to override the limit so that the sound level can be increased up to a maximum of 100 dBA. In this case the user has to be provided with warnings about the risks which are repeated following each 20 hours of listening time.

After publication of the amendments in early 2011, a transition period of 24 months will follow, during which the standard will be implemented at national level by the publication of national standards. By the end of the transition period, industry should have started to apply the standard to their products.

In the meantime, the working group is expected to continue with the next step of the mandated work, which is the development of "smart" methods of providing protection against excessive sound pressure levels from personal music players based on the measurement of sound dose.

Notice it said "2 amendments". This change reduced the previous cap, which was 100 dB to 85 dB. The cap 100 dB cap has been in place for a few years.