Hi
I’ve been using an 8GB Ipod nano (6th Gen) with Rhythmbox on Ubuntu 14.04 without any problems…
But I tried to sync it today and seem to have mess it up. I got an error message saying ‘device not initialized’. I thought the best thing to do was restore it via Itunes (as I’m sure when I first started using Rhythmbox I just plugged it in and it worked). This seemed to sort it out, the ipod then showed up in Rhythmbox and appeared to sync. But when I disconnect it there is no music on the device, although I think files have transferred because something is showing as ‘other’.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Neil
This is precisely why I tell people not to use iPods with Linux … it’s highly likely that now you won’t be able to add anything via iTunes either and the iPod will need restoring or resetting to factory defaults.
it seems the Apple keep changing the database format, and it takes a while for Linux to catch up … and this happens every time Apple change the format.
Complain to Apple and ask for a Linux version of iTunes … I doubt if it’ll get you anywhere but you never know, your complaint just may be the one that pushes them over the edge 
Problem is though, there isn’t really an alternative. You can stick a 64GB microSD in some phones, but it’s a far cry in terms of capacity from the 160GB iPod classic.
Early iPods are OK … Apple have stopped updating them, so they always have the older supported database.
the only other option is once an iPod (6 or above) is working (ie. when libimobiledevice4 or whatever library has caught up with the new database), NEVER connect it to iTunes and let it update itself
Just spoken to a colleague who is running a 128GB SD card in her LG G4, so that’s pretty much there when combined with the internal storage. Pretty awesome that Apple’s “stranglehold” is still be eroded
Oh, dear…
I only got this Ipod as a recall exchange for a really old one I had knocking about in a draw.
I just use it in the car; I’ll have to try it on a windows machine to see if I can get something on it… if I can be bothered faffing about with iTunes. I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t find iTunes infuriating, I don’t know how they get away with such a shoddy product.
Thanks anyway.