Those who own iPods depend on the software to synch music stored on their computers with their MP3 players. Apple is suggesting that, although iTunes 7.0.2 might work with Windows Vista on many typical PCs, customers should wait to upgrade Windows until after the next release of iTunes. The company said the upgrade would be available in the next few weeks.

According to Tim Deal, a senior analyst with Pike & Fischer, Apple has a strong incentive to respond to the issue quickly: the possibility of losing revenue. "Apple has been relatively quick to respond to compatibility issues in the past," he noted. "The quicker the better because if users get frustrated they could switch to another digital music player."

String of Issues

The issues began last Tuesday when Microsoft released the first new version of Windows in five years. In fact, Windows compatibility issues emerged almost immediately with certain video games, and older hardware and software, as many analysts had predicted.

Now, Apple is reporting issues with running music or videos purchased on iTunes. Apple has released a repair tool designed to help iTunes customers run the digital media they purchased, but there are several problems that might still plague users until the next iTunes version is released.

For example, Apple reports slower than normal loading of album cover animations. What's more, iPod models with the "Enable Disk Use" option turned off might be unable to update or restore iPod software and make changes to iPod settings.

Those iPod models configured to "Auto Sync" with the "Enable Disk Use" option turned off might require the user to disconnect the player and reconnect it to synchronize. Finally, disconnecting an iPod through the Windows System Tray using the "Safely Remove Hardware" feature might corrupt the iPod. Apple suggested choosing "Eject iPod" from the Controls menu within iTunes to make sure the player is safely disconnected.

If You Upgrade

Apple offered some advice it hopes will improve the experience for customers who do decide to upgrade from Windwos XP to Windows Vista before the company issues a new release of iTunes. The seven-step process includes de-authorizing all iTunes Store accounts, enabling disk use on the iPod, uninstalling iTunes, performing a clean install of Vista, and reinstalling iTunes.

For Microsoft's part, company officials said iTunes users don't need to wait for the iPod-maker to issue a new version before upgrading. "We're committed to ensuring that all partners, including Apple, get all of the resources they need to ensure that their applications work with Windows Vista," Microsoft said in a statement. "Customers shouldn't feel that they need to wait to adopt Vista for these reasons."

Apple could not immediately be reached to comment for this report