Back in January 2008 Apple released a software upgrade for the iPod Touch and the iPhone. As a result, whenever you plugged your iPod into your computer and wanted to sync it, iTunes would first show a page with the option to download and install the new package. I would have done so right away if Apple gave it away for free – for the iPod Touch they charge you $20 while it’s free for the iPhone. Hence, I only installed the 1.1.4 firmware upgrade but without unlocking the new apps that come with it. The “commercial” page advertising to new apps, however, got on my nerves, so I clicked some “don’t bother me with that stuff anymore” button.

To get to the point, yesterday I changed my mind. I wanted that software upgrade. So, I went to apple.com and clicked on the “Have an iPod touch without the new software?” link in the iPod section. It took me to the above mentioned page in iTunes (the iTunes store to be precise). However, there was no “buy now” button anywhere to be found, only an “OK” button at the bottom of the screen that just took me back to the iTunes store home page when clicked on.

I tried resetting the iPod, searched the Internet long and hard for solutions to that problem, and – among lots of others – came along a thread at tuaw.com and softpedia.com that looked promising. However, nothing seemed to cure my problem until I stumbled upon a thread over at ilounge.com. A user posted the direct link to the desired page in the iTunes store: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=271872604&s=143441. I clicked the link, paid $20 in the iTunes store, and happily watched as the new apps got unlocked. Worked like a charm!

WARNING: just because this worked in my case doesn’t mean that it’ll work out for you! I’ve come along lots of threads where people complained that Apple double- and triple-charged them for the upgrade without installing the apps. Try at your own risk!