I can format iPods for either Mac or PC. My main computer is a Mac but when I’m working on iPods I do that with a PC generally as it can still run iTunes without a bunch of hurdles to jump through.
One thing to note, is that Macs can use PC formatted iPods just like a normal Mac formatted iPod for one and it can add music to and administer it and all that. But a PC cannot read a Mac formatted iPod at all if you plug it in it’ll say that it’s Macintosh formatted and you need to restore it be able to use it. Because of that I consider the PC format iPod to be the de facto universal format.
If you ever see yourself connecting your iPod to a windows computer to add music then you want to keep it PC formatted. And if you think you’ll ever use anything like rock box, that requires a PC format as well. And there’s a project called the clickwheel games preservation project that has collected all of the various iPod games they made so you can add them to your iPod if you want and that requires a PC format as well.
But if you don’t see yourself ever doing that and just plan on adding music to it from your Mac and never anything else then that format is fine. It’s just that the pc format you can use with so many other devices that I usually format it that way, because it doesn’t really have any performance impact or anything like that.
Currently I do not have that mod available, but I plan on offering it as soon as I can. It is my number one request, I just havne’t had the time to work on my implementation of it. I’d prefer not having any added buttons, holes, and so on and want the integration to be seamless and invisible, which requires some extra wiring and makes the entire thing more complex. Currently I have it at the ‘rat’s nest’ level of completion which is too risky to send out since simply opening the ipod could disocnnect a wire that would take hours to find.
Yes, on a case by case basis. Send me a message if you have an iPod you want to trade in. I am mainly interested in 1st, 2nd, 5.5, and 7th gen big iPods and 2nd generation Minis for trade ins but I will give an offer for any iPod except for iPod Touches 6th gen and earlier
Yes, I do mail-ins. I will give you a discount off the equivalent modded iPod I offer if you supply the base iPod. You can handle mailing it to me (insuring the shipment recommended) or I can send you a kit to package your iPod in along with a insured (for @200) shipping label so all you’d have to do is pack it up and bring it to the post office.
My insurer requires that you get it scanned and get a receipt when you take it to the post office in order for them to honor any claims.
In the context of modded iPods, the main difference is that 6th and 6.5th generation iPods are limited to a maximum storage size of 128GB when flash modded. Yes, even the 160GB Thick Classic (6th Gen) can only be flash modded to at most 128GB. This is due to the block addressing scheme Apple used for thosw two generations which has a maximum number of blocks available. While that can be altered a bit with block sizes, for an iPod that doesn’t do anything so you are effectively limited 128GB. You can bypass this with Rockbox, but if you ever load the original iPod OS with a flash mod of more than 128GB, the ipod will mess up the partitions and you’ll end up needing to restore/reformat and resync all your music.
If your collection is under 128GB in size and you don’t anticipate going past that limit anytime soon, a 6th % 6.5th gen iPod is a great choice. Due to their limitations, they are less desirable than a 7th Gen and as such are some of the least expensive iPods to buy on the used market.