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2G iPod A1019 Windows to Mac

I want an old FireWire iPod that works with Mac OS-9 PowerPC computers, and OS-X. I intend to purchase an A1019 iPod but several of them I see listed on eBay are Windows models. If I plug a Windows A1019 iPod into a Mac will it be recognized or will I need to reformat it with the Mac? ...and of course how exactly do I do that? ...and why is the 2G iPod almost as expensive as the 1G iPod? I wouldn't think the 2G model would be collectible but I can sorta understand why the 1G would be. Thanks for your help.

Posted on Nov 29, 2015 8:26 PM

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7 replies

Dec 6, 2015 1:50 PM in response to Scott Cook

iPods are physically the same. Even the "HP" iPod that Apple sold through HP (for a few years) are the same as the equivalent "Apple" iPod (except for the HP logo on the back). The difference is in how its hard drive is formatted. The procedure that formats the iPod's hard drive is called a Restore, and it is done using iTunes. A Restore erases the iPod, reinstalls its software, and sets it to default ("factory") settings. If you run iTunes on a Windows PC, and do a Restore, it gets formatted for Windows. If you run iTunes on a Mac, and do a Restore, it gets formatted for Mac.


The Restore button is in iTunes, on the iPod's settings screen. NOTE: Macs (running OS X) can read and write the Windows "FAT" format, so you may be able to use a Windows-formatted iPod without doing a Restore. One of my old iPods (not quite as old as 2nd gen) is formatted for Windows, and it works perfectly fine with my Mac. (The reverse is not true; an iPod formatted for Mac needs a Restore to work with a Windows PC.) In any case, iTunes will prompt you to do Restore, if needed, when you connect the iPod to your Mac.


That 2nd gen model will ONLY connect using FireWire. It uses the older FireWire 400 connection, and a regular FireWire cable. The more recent FireWire 800 port can be adapted to FireWire 400.


The likely reason for the higher cost is rarity. Apple did not produce that many 1st and 2nd gen iPods, compared to later models.


Do you have an actual need for it to work with Mac OS 9? I ask because the last version of iTunes that works with Mac OS 9 is VERY old, like version 1 or 2. You would be at a distinct functional disadvantage. For OS X, the most current version of iTunes should work with that iPod (although your Mac may not support current version of iTunes depending on model). But if you can use a more recent version of iTunes and OS X, you should consider a later iPod model with better features and higher storage capacity (and lower cost because they are more common). For example, the 4th gen iPod (first one with "click wheel"); it can connect using either FireWire or USB, with appropriate docking cable. I have one with a 64GB compact flash card (on an adapter) instead of the original 20GB hard drive.

Dec 6, 2015 1:50 PM in response to Kenichi Watanabe

Thanks, that's exactly what I needed to know. 🙂 ...I'm sure I want an iPod that works with Mac OS-9 because I only have PowerPC Macs that can boot into OS-9. I produce a nationally syndicated radio show and I use a lot of expensive OS-9 software for the show. I have no intentions of ever changing to an Intel Mac because I'd have to replace all my software, which would cost thousands of dollars and create a huge learning curve and constant software problems every time Apple does an OS update... so that's my strange reason behind an OS-9 compatible iPod. I do boot into OS-X to do most other stuff except radio show work. I also have a Windows PC but I mostly only use it to operate a very expensive printer that thermal prints CDs that I mail to the radio stations, so it might actually be a slight advantage if the iPod works with Windows, OS-9, and OS-X. Thanks again for being such a knowledgeable iPodder.

Dec 6, 2015 2:42 PM in response to Scott Cook

The fastest PowerPC Macs that boot Mac OS 9 directly can run (up to) Mac OS X Leopard (10.5.8), which would give you a MUCH more recent version of iTunes. I've been using iTunes since (before) it was version 1.0 (when there was no Mac OS X version yet and WAY before the Windows version), but I did not own an iPod until much later, so I have no experience using Mac OS 9 with an iPod. Hopefully, there are not too many complications, such as supported audio formats and media types. You may end up rebooting into Mac OS X when you want to sync the iPod, because of the limitations of the early iTunes versions that run under Mac OS 9. My Power Mac G5 (with Leopard) maxes out at iTunes 10.6.3, which has most of the features of the current iTunes version (except for things related to the new Apple Music streaming service).

so it might actually be a slight advantage if the iPod works with Windows, OS-9, and OS-X.

NOTE: For the Windows PC, it needs to have a FireWire port that provides bus power to work with the 1st and 2nd gen iPod. There is no way to convert USB to FireWire, and some FireWire ports on the PC side do not provide power (or enough power), which iPods need to operate while connected and charge battery.

Dec 6, 2015 6:23 PM in response to Kenichi Watanabe

I only need this iPod to play my own radio show into a little FM stereo transmitter. I work for the National Park Service at my "real" job and some of the national parks I end up in are so remote that there aren't any radio stations in range, so I bring my own. The little transmitter has a surprisingly long range in places like Big Bend national park, where I was last winter, mainly because it's hundreds of miles from any competing transmitters. I just broadcast it for myself but I overheard some people in Big Bend last winter talking about the radio station that suddenly appeared, which made me kinda grin but I didn't tell them it was just me. I'm currently using my Tascam DR-40 recorder with a 32GB card in it as a large and expensive iPod, so I thought maybe I'd replace it with a "real" iPod, mainly because I need my Tascam to record voiceovers, since that's what I bought it for and all... so that's a long answer to why I don't need all the latest fancy iTunes stuff. I just need an iPod that plays .mp3 files and works with Mac OS-9. All the other stuff is just extra if it can do it. My Tascam DR-40 recorder is much more limited as an iPod than even the old 2G iPod, but it works with Mac OS-9 and plays .mp3 files. A 2G iPod would be a step up in functionality, as an iPod that is. The Tascam DR-40 makes a nice recorder though. We've been on the air over 5 years so I already have more than 10GB of radio shows. That's why I need a 2G iPod with a 20GB hard drive. It'll be about another 5 years before I have enough radio shows to exceed the 20GB hard drive and by that time the old hard drive will probably be worn out and need to be replaced with a newer / larger one. We're on at least 30 "real" radio stations by the way. This little transmitter with the iPod is just for me to listen to around the park, so I don't want to waste a lot of money on something silly like this, and that's another reason to avoid the collectible 1G iPod, which looks almost exactly like the 2G iPod to the untrained eye... Okay, sorry to write an essay on why I want this exact iPod model and why I don't need the newer features.

Dec 6, 2015 8:44 PM in response to Kenichi Watanabe

Yeah, we're "old school" because we're DJs in the traditional sense. We listen to hundreds of singles and then spin the very best that aren't already on the radio. That's what DJs used to do years ago, find the best new music and spin it on the radio for you. Now they just spin the same music as every other station... over and over, year after year ...(sigh) ...but we wait at least a whole year before we repeat a single, if we ever repeat it. We've got hundreds of bands and over a thousand singles. It's a fast paced, all music format. We spin Christian rock. A couple of my co-workers have tuned in to the show from my little transmitter lately and they usually can't believe it's Christian rock, because some of our bands rock pretty hard! haha ...The show is available free in the iTunes store if you search the podcasts for "Reluctant Radio" and then you have to subscribe to get the new episodes. I've never been able to figure out why iTunes only shows really old episodes until you click the "subscribe" button, then all the rest of the new episodes appear. We're a radio show and not really a true podcast so I haven't spent much time trying to keep up with iTunes. It used to work perfectly when I originally set up the .rss feed for the podcast but over the years Apple has changed stuff and now things are broken that used to work. We've probably got a million radio listeners on our 30 stations. I doubt we have a thousand listeners on iTunes... but at least two radio networks download the show from iTunes and then broadcast it on their radio stations and even their internet streams, so it's very important in that sense... I forgot what my point was... uhhh, oh yeah, that we're an old school radio show 😀

2G iPod A1019 Windows to Mac

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