Troubleshooting the iPod (#2): FireWire connector problems; Is the backlight supposed to be blue?

From Friday, May 16th

FireWire connector problems Several readers are expressing discontent with the new proprietary data/power port on the new iPod models. As Gary Robinson writes:

"The new connector to the iPod itself is presenting problems. To make the several connections I need, including the car charger, I need a Firewire to Firewire cable connector. My local Apple store has had similar requests. So far I cannot find such a connector. I am not inclined to buy a fire wire hub for each computer and a new car charger."

We are interested in hearing any innovative solutions for easily using the new port, or upcoming enhancements from third party manufacturers: late-breakers@macfixit.com.

Is the backlight supposed to be blue? As first noted yesterday, Apple is receiving a number of complaints from users who believed that the backlight on their new iPod would be blue. Some report a faded blue color, while others report a gray tint - the same as used by Apple's previous iteration of iPods.

According to Apple's technical specification page states that the new iPods use a 2-inch (diagonal) grayscale LCD with LED backlight. No mention is made of what color the backlight should be. The grayscale LCD only indicates that the iPod does not display colored text and images.

However, confusing the situation further, Apple displays an iPod with a blue backlight on the AutoSync portion of the iPod Web site at: http://www.apple.com/ipod/autosync.html. The new iPods can also be seen strutting a blue screen in other promotional materials.

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