[zotjen]

Edit: Note that as of 9/11, the notice has been removed and the J3 is for sale again.
 
The following notice currently appears on the Amazon product page for the 32GB J3:
 
Quote:

 

Item Under Review

While this item is available from other marketplace sellers on this page, it is not currently offered by Amazon.com because customers have told us there may be something wrong with our inventory of the item, the way we are shipping it, or the way it's described here. (Thanks for the tip!)
We're working to fix the problem as quickly as possible.

 
The most recent customer review was posted yesterday by someone who claims they received 3 different units from Amazon, all defective. This is what caused the item to be under review. They are still selling the 16GB .
 
http://www.amazon.com/COWON-Portable-Media-Player-Black/dp/B003Q6CUD0/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

 

[freeky1]

Wow, that's the first time I have ever seen that.

 

[Anaxilus]

 

[Danfried]

Based on what I've read on other forums, the problem might be with the J3 and Mac OS. In spite of the fact Cowon states the J3 is compatible, several people seem to have bricked their players just by hooking them up to Macs. Apparently the problem is the J3 can't deal with the hidden files that the Mac OS leaves behind on it, though this problem doesn't seem universal.
 
One person apparently bricked THREE J3s, before finally deciding to always connect while running Windows on his Macbook!

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Based on what I've read on other forums, the problem might be with the J3 and Mac OS. In spite of the fact Cowon states the J3 is compatible, several people seem to have bricked their players just by hooking them up to Macs. Apparently the problem is the J3 can't deal with the hidden files that the Mac OS leaves behind on it, though this problem doesn't seem universal.
 
One person apparently bricked THREE J3s, before finally deciding to always connect while running Windows on his Macbook!

That's what you get for using a non Apple device on an Apple.  I guess there's an app for that.  Its called Windows?!    

 

[tds101]

I have a 32gb J3 - I have no issues what so ever.

 

[Danfried]

Well, I have a J3 myself and haven't bricked it yet -- but then I only connect it to laptops running Windows XP and Win 7.
 
It seems amazing to me that Cowon would make a player that has problems working with Macs, but then Macs have a miniscule market share in Korea. For that matter, it amazes me that almost all Korean websites require you to use Internet Explorer and ActiveX!

 

[j57park]

Ya I dont understand how Korean companies don't pay much attention to mac compatibility. Even though iPhone and macbooks are considered almost rarity there due to their jacked up prices

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Ya I dont understand how Korean companies don't pay much attention to mac compatibility. Even though iPhone and macbooks are considered almost rarity there due to their jacked up prices

You just answered your own question.  It's the same reason "Macs don't get viruses."  LAFF!  I've even had issues w/ a company like Kensington and Logitech getting their mice recognized and working properly.  Must....buy....Apple....only....    

 

[davidcotton]

You just answered your own question.  It's the same reason "Macs don't get viruses."  LAFF!  I've even had issues w/ a company like Kensington and Logitech getting their mice recognized and working properly.  Must....buy....Apple....only....    

The irony there being that the best mouse I've used with my mac mini is, wait for it a microsoft v2 intellimouse!

Back on topic I had been half considering a cowon as a possible alternative to my touch. Guess it's either an amp or a clip+ now.

 

[Hero Kid]

Wow old member alert...

 

[basementdweller]

I am seriously considering buying a j3 and own a mac.  When I buy things, I tend to research the crap out of them.  The guy who posted from amazon had one hypothesis that perhaps there was a hardware problem with the 32gb version of the player, but I specifically remember someone who did the same thing with a 16gb version(can't remember where I read that, but I did).  In any case, from what I've seen this problem seems to be specific to the Mac and my guess is that it is a major firmware issue on Cowon's part....somebody correct me if I'm wrong about this, I'm just putting up the information I've gathered over the past couple of weeks in case someone hasn't come across this and is considering the player.
 
Now since I own a Mac this posses a problem for me.  I have all of my music backed up on an external hard drive in FAT32 so I can use it with a PC or a Mac.  I imagine I could simply use my old PC and the external to manage the player, but I'm not sure if there are any .spotlight, .trash, etc attached to the files that I would simply be transferring from the hard drive, attached to the files, onto the PC and then onto the J3.  In any case, I wouldn't use it directly from a Mac from what I've read.
 
Really this all sucks and I hope they resolve the problem.  From what I gather the Cowon's and Sony's are about the best option for solid state DAPs in regards to SQ...and I haven't bought anything from sony in 4 years and never will again(I bought their uber expensive VAIO for the tune of two grand only to have the motherboard fry three days after the warranty expired and two days before classes started).

 

[absoluNewbie]

im considering a J3 as well, have they fixed the screen coming off problem yet?

 

[j57park]

I am in the exact same situation as you. I researched/read forum on cowon and os x problems. I thought as long as I properly ejected the device after use, it'd be perfectly fine but due to all the .trash files os x creates, there's no telling when it can really screw up. I was listening to my D2+ for couple minutes, turned it off and couple hours later when I tried turning it on, it wouldn't. I tried reset on the player itself, connecting but it wouldn't even show up as USB on my macbook. So I just returned it.
 
Now, I'm thinking if I should just go for the ipod classic. For easy user experience and the ability to use playlist (I use playlist extensively), I am willing to sacrifice some sound quality.
 
But I hope cowon release some firmware update with better os x compatibility because I'd love to own cowon again.
 
Quote:

I am seriously considering buying a j3 and own a mac.  When I buy things, I tend to research the crap out of them.  The guy who posted from amazon had one hypothesis that perhaps there was a hardware problem with the 32gb version of the player, but I specifically remember someone who did the same thing with a 16gb version(can't remember where I read that, but I did).  In any case, from what I've seen this problem seems to be specific to the Mac and my guess is that it is a major firmware issue on Cowon's part....somebody correct me if I'm wrong about this, I'm just putting up the information I've gathered over the past couple of weeks in case someone hasn't come across this and is considering the player.
 
Now since I own a Mac this posses a problem for me.  I have all of my music backed up on an external hard drive in FAT32 so I can use it with a PC or a Mac.  I imagine I could simply use my old PC and the external to manage the player, but I'm not sure if there are any .spotlight, .trash, etc attached to the files that I would simply be transferring from the hard drive, attached to the files, onto the PC and then onto the J3.  In any case, I wouldn't use it directly from a Mac from what I've read.
 
Really this all sucks and I hope they resolve the problem.  From what I gather the Cowon's and Sony's are about the best option for solid state DAPs in regards to SQ...and I haven't bought anything from sony in 4 years and never will again(I bought their uber expensive VAIO for the tune of two grand only to have the motherboard fry three days after the warranty expired and two days before classes started).

 

[basementdweller]

Quote:

I am in the exact same situation as you. I researched/read forum on cowon and os x problems. I thought as long as I properly ejected the device after use, it'd be perfectly fine but due to all the .trash files os x creates, there's no telling when it can really screw up. I was listening to my D2+ for couple minutes, turned it off and couple hours later when I tried turning it on, it wouldn't. I tried reset on the player itself, connecting but it wouldn't even show up as USB on my macbook. So I just returned it.
 
Now, I'm thinking if I should just go for the ipod classic. For easy user experience and the ability to use playlist (I use playlist extensively), I am willing to sacrifice some sound quality.
 
But I hope cowon release some firmware update with better os x compatibility because I'd love to own cowon again.
 

 

It really is a shame as I am on the cusp of being scared away.  Almost all of the new players have all of these amazing features and I can honestly say that I have no use for any of them.  Every time I've bought an mp3 player that does more than play music I end up using the other features for a couple of days, at most, until the novelty wears off, so; I end up feeling like I wasted a bunch of money on features I didn't need.  With the Cowon, I was really after the fabled sound quality, high capacity and battery life which justify the price, as those are the only things I look for, but it is all for nothing if the player bricks.  It would also be really nice to not be tied to proprietary software.
 
I find myself in the exact same position as you...eying an ipod classic but I just have to wonder what sacrificing "some" sound quality really means; impossible to know unless someone has both players and that isn't all that likely as the Cowon crowd tend to avoid Apple and Apple people have never heard of Cowon.
 
Another option to consider is going with something cheap to get by with in the hopes that Cowon offers a firmware fix, but it would really be disappointing to hold out for that and have it not happen