I (Heart) My iPod -- or, Um, Maybe Not

Well, this just sucks. I love my ipod. Guess I will have to make sure I keep it at least 18 inches away from my pacer.
Sigh............
:-)

What's important? Your heart(life) or your IPod? It's your choice of course but I made mind already......No IPod (or cell phone) near my heart.

Another unintended consequence of technology...when are we gonna get it?

i'm gonna go get one right now . . .

i agree with mojo though - cell phones are designed to send signal many meters, not inches away.

it's a cool little study.

Wow, good thing MS doesn't make the iPod, or any other popular music player. Especially one that emits some kind of signal for several feet!
Wait a minute....oh yeah, the Zune is not popular so we don't need to mention it in this PC magazine.

This is bogus reporting - thousands upon thousands of devices potentially can influence a pacemaker - read the facts (here's one manufacture's page http://userpages.aug.com/ddodd/CCS/SCS/emi.html ) - and to produce a report without checking other similar devices smacks of bias.

That kid should be reprimanded for such an idiotic study. And the people that supported him should also be reprimanded. People with pacemakers are WARNED to stay away from electrical devices. Why are they singling out the iPod? It seems to me that there might be more to this story than just a simple medical study. The people reporting this story act as if this is some new huge revolation. This is OLD NEWS and EVERYONE KNOWS IT. The fact that FURTHER studies might occur is totally insane. That kid needs to get a life and realize stating the obvious is not smart at all.

"One of the most common visual shortcuts that cartoonists use to say "unmotivated, know-nothing teenager" is to show him or her listening to an iPod; Thaker, who presented his findings at the Heart Rhythm Society annual meeting in Denver, is a 17-year-old high school student."

I can't tell if this is another dig at the iPod (don't buy one 'cause it makes you look like a slacker) or dig at 17-year olds but all in all, this pointless anti-Apple/anti-iPod piece demonstrates why I don't subscribe to PC World; poorly researched, Microsoft-biased tabloid tech reporting.

This piece would have had some meaning if it went on to discuss the potential for a large variety of personal, portable tech to affect health technology in an aging population. Instead, it merely attempts to create an anti-iPod piece of sensationalism with an extra dig at iPod's being used to portray "unmotivated, no-nothing teenagers." It's an insult to the elderly and young tech users.

This is bogus reporting. Unbelievable that the writers even read this study, which pointed out that interference was PREDICTED to occur in 1.2 percent of the test subjects. PREDICTED not verified. Turn in your press credentials at the door, please.

"The study was held at the Thoracic and Cardiovascular Institute at Michigan State University. The results were presented at the Heart Rhythm Society annual meeting in Denver."

Hmmm. So, this 17-year-old instigates a good study and a bunch of people here immediately seize upon it as though it's some sort of conspiracy against Apple.

I think some people lead a sheltered and uninformed existence if that's all they can see anythime someone mentions Apple or one of its products in terms not equivalent to some religious epiphany.

The fact that iPods are so ubiquitous these days (like microwave ovens) is proof by itself that people need to have a better understanding of their potentially harmful effects.

I suppose if the Zune was studied specifically, a lot of you would be saying crap like, "Typical Microsoft garbage -- they should be ashamed." Yes indeed, if you're claiming this study was intended to make Apple look bad, then I say you're full of crap.

I read this article and some of the comments and apparently many people need to be educated in what the real issue to begin with is. Start here by reading up on what electromagnetic shielding is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_shielding If a device has a proper shield, it will not emit electromagnetism outside of itself. Anyone in the electronics or electrical fields surely knows about shielding. It is why your circuit breaker panel has a large enclosure around it made of a conductive material. Its size and gauge are enough to reduce the flow of electromagnetism. An iPod has a very thin & most likely non-conductive shell and therefore would expose its electromagnetic fields outside itself. If you look at the pictures here: http://egyptianvicker.googlepages.com/Zune10.jpg of the Zune opened up, you will notice that the electronics have a conductive (I assume) cover and a plasticized metal back shell. Maybe PC World can check with MS on this.

I can't say I was expecting this kind of response. Let me just address these two things:

Am I picking on the iPod? Not at all. The study was conducted only using iPods, and the authors of the study admit that they didn't use other media players. Considering the popularity of the iPod, that's not altogether surprising. However, I also said that "more testing would be needed for more definitive answers (testing other music players, determine the range of interference, and so on)." I don't think this report is definitive, and I don't think the authors do either; it's a starting point.

Am I picking on 17-year-olds? Quite the opposite. Many people think the under-18 set are idiots, as evidenced by the visual shortcut I mentioned -- one I've never liked. Thaker had a valid question and took the initiative to follow through on it. I can't think of many over-18s who would do that, and I think Thaker's actions deflate the stereotype.