I just came to the forums for a similar issue. I have a 120 GB iPod that I’ve owned for years. It currently has a lot of my music on it, but I haven’t synced it with my computer in years. I’m trying to connect it to my M2 Mac mini. When I plug it into the computer, it does not show up in the finder. I have it plugged directly into one of the mini’s USB ports (so NOT through a hub). The same cord allows the iPod to show up on my car’s audio screen to play music, so I would assume that the cord is a data/sync cord in working condition.
Is there some sort of helper app that is needed for modern silicon mac’s to recognize iPods?