How fragile are iPods?
I recently bought a 20GB iPod about 3 days ago from CompUSA. Yesterday, I was hooking it up to my cassette adaptor in my car, and the iPod slid between the seats and fell from a height of no more than 6 inches. After that, all that could be heard from it while playing was an endless stream of static with a slight booming sound every so often.
So on the same day, I drove up to CompUSA and had it exhanged for another.
Got home, took it out, and was about to hook it up to my computer to transfer music, when my cat jumped up on the desk and knocked it off, sending it crashing down to floor. It wasn't a particularly hard drop, but I noticed that the iPod had now frozen on the Apple logo screen, and I did a reset. Started up okay, but it was now making some slight grinding noises whenever the HD became active and you could actually feel it vibrate a little bit in your hand (the other one didn't do that at all). I hooked it up to my computer to test it out anyway... but now iTunes would completely freeze whenever I would try to transfer music, and I couldn't even force quit the program. Pulled the power cord out of the back of my computer... tried the same scenario again, and the same result was achieved. The clicker also makes an odd high-pitched beep sometimes, and whenever I shake the iPod gently but firmly, I can hear a faint rattling.
So I'm going to drive up to CompUSA today and ask for my money back this time. I would think that Apple would make these things more durable. If they're honestly that fragile, then they're impractical to own in my view, especially when it comes with a $400 pricetag. I can only conjecture that perhaps my CompUSA might have recieved a defective batch... so I might order one off the Apple website and see how that works out.
Has anyone else had similar experiences?
So on the same day, I drove up to CompUSA and had it exhanged for another.
Got home, took it out, and was about to hook it up to my computer to transfer music, when my cat jumped up on the desk and knocked it off, sending it crashing down to floor. It wasn't a particularly hard drop, but I noticed that the iPod had now frozen on the Apple logo screen, and I did a reset. Started up okay, but it was now making some slight grinding noises whenever the HD became active and you could actually feel it vibrate a little bit in your hand (the other one didn't do that at all). I hooked it up to my computer to test it out anyway... but now iTunes would completely freeze whenever I would try to transfer music, and I couldn't even force quit the program. Pulled the power cord out of the back of my computer... tried the same scenario again, and the same result was achieved. The clicker also makes an odd high-pitched beep sometimes, and whenever I shake the iPod gently but firmly, I can hear a faint rattling.
So I'm going to drive up to CompUSA today and ask for my money back this time. I would think that Apple would make these things more durable. If they're honestly that fragile, then they're impractical to own in my view, especially when it comes with a $400 pricetag. I can only conjecture that perhaps my CompUSA might have recieved a defective batch... so I might order one off the Apple website and see how that works out.
Has anyone else had similar experiences?
Comments
Originally posted by Utmost
I recently bought a 20GB iPod about 3 days ago from CompUSA. Yesterday, I was hooking it up to my cassette adaptor in my car, and the iPod slid between the seats and fell from a height of no more than 6 inches. After that, all that could be heard from it while playing was an endless stream of static with a slight booming sound every so often.
So on the same day, I drove up to CompUSA and had it exhanged for another.
Got home, took it out, and was about to hook it up to my computer to transfer music, when my cat jumped up on the desk and knocked it off, sending it crashing down to floor. It wasn't a particularly hard drop, but I noticed that the iPod had now frozen on the Apple logo screen, and I did a reset. Started up okay, but it was now making some slight grinding noises whenever the HD became active and you could actually feel it vibrate a little bit in your hand (the other one didn't do that at all). I hooked it up to my computer to test it out anyway... but now iTunes would completely freeze whenever I would try to transfer music, and I couldn't even force quit the program. Pulled the power cord out of the back of my computer... tried the same scenario again, and the same result was achieved. The clicker also makes an odd high-pitched beep sometimes, and whenever I shake the iPod gently but firmly, I can hear a faint rattling.
So I'm going to drive up to CompUSA today and ask for my money back this time. I would think that Apple would make these things more durable. If they're honestly that fragile, then they're impractical to own in my view, especially when it comes with a $400 pricetag. I can only conjecture that perhaps my CompUSA might have recieved a defective batch... so I might order one off the Apple website and see how that works out.
Has anyone else had similar experiences?
Your iPod is basically a small hard drive with a lot of little moving parts. If you drop it high enough with enough force, it will break; that's why many people get a good case to help protect it. If you use a PDA-the same thing; if you drop it, it will break. EVERY HD-based product has this 'fragility.' I would just get a nice case and go from there.
An iPod will not break dropping it (9.8m/s) from 6 inches. But it will break from high enough if it hits hard enough. I definitely don't think that you can consider something being too fragile if it breaks from a fall off a table (depending on the floor type probably.) I would expect a PDA, laptop, heck even a kitten to be hurt from falling from that distance.
Advice: If you drop an electronic from a decent height try to at least slow it down with your foot so it his the ground with less force. Of course if you "slow it down" and end up kicking it across the room you are worse off
Originally posted by ast3r3x
...try to at least slow it down with your foot so it his the ground with less force. Of course if you "slow it down" and end up kicking it across the room you are worse off
i believe that would be referred to as a "punt" in certain circles.
Originally posted by Utmost
I recently bought a 20GB iPod about 3 days ago from CompUSA. Yesterday, I was hooking it up to my cassette adaptor in my car, and the iPod slid between the seats and fell from a height of no more than 6 inches. After that, all that could be heard from it while playing was an endless stream of static with a slight booming sound every so often.
just curious, did you actually try listening to it throught he headphones after that incident, or still the casette adapter? it may very well have been the adapter, and you returned a perfectly functional ipod.
maybe not, but i thought it necesssary to at least ask.
Is your iPod a brand new one? Mine is 2nd gen 5Gb...
Geuss they don't make 'em how they used to....
I've droped 2 days in a row now from about 1m (both times) onto hard floor and it is still working fine.
I now keep it in the sleeve...
Originally posted by LiquidR
... I feel confident that I could bludgeon someone to death with it while listening to music without any problems during or after.
New weapon on the ban list for airports