How fragile are iPods?

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
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?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    cj3209cj3209 Posts: 158member
    Quote:

    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.
  • Reply 2 of 16
    ok, i actually just started a thread about my ipod rattling.. its normal. and also, i think your ipod was fine the first time (after the car incident). many car connection devices, even cassette adapters, have a lot of static.. i'm to the point where i want to wire my ipod directly into the stereo without adapters (it would take work, i know)... anyways, i think you should try returning it one more time, cause it sounds like this last bit really messed it up... you may also want to consider a sleeve for it.. one company makes a solid aluminum enclosure, which sounds like the product for you, with the cat around and all. best of luck!
  • Reply 3 of 16
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    Solution == Be more careful.



    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
  • Reply 4 of 16
    rokrok Posts: 3,519member
    Quote:

    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.
  • Reply 5 of 16
    rokrok Posts: 3,519member
    Quote:

    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.
  • Reply 6 of 16
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    Hm, I've dropped my iPod more times than I care to admit, from heights between 40cm and 1.5m, and it's just hunky-dory. I'm amazed at how durable the drive is, though it has reset a couple of times after the drops (no biggie really). The grinding and rattling sounds are pretty normal. The grinding sound and slight vibration is just the hard drive spinning up. You'll hear it and feel it every few songs if you listen carefully because it caches songs in 32MB gulps from the hard drive, or if you skip around songs with impunity. You probably haven't noticed it before since the music has probably drowned out the sound. The rattle is just parts with some slight movement, nothing to fear. I can't tell you exactly what's moving when you shake it, but it sounds like another small item (probably the hard drive) in there just wiggling around a bit. I couldn't tell you about the freezing iTunes thing. Try restoring the iPod?
  • Reply 7 of 16
    Yes, my immediate thought when I heard the static was that it must be the cassette adaptor... but upon listening to it through headphones, it turned out to be the iPod itself.
  • Reply 8 of 16
    mattyjmattyj Posts: 898member
    I'm 6'5" and I have held the iPod in my hands, and it has dropped, on carpet, and I have had no problems. It has dropped off chairs, onto tiled floors, it still works...



    Is your iPod a brand new one? Mine is 2nd gen 5Gb...

    Geuss they don't make 'em how they used to....
  • Reply 9 of 16
    flounderflounder Posts: 2,674member
    I've dropped my 15 Gb a few times, still running like a champ. Mine has always been in its sleeve though. I think that makes a big difference.
  • Reply 10 of 16
    cosmocosmo Posts: 662member
    Up until yesterday I had never dropped my 15 gig iPod (i've had it for about 2 months now).

    I've droped 2 days in a row now from about 1m (both times) onto hard floor and it is still working fine.
  • Reply 11 of 16
    pbg4 dudepbg4 dude Posts: 1,611member
    I dropped mine from about 5 feet onto brick and it's still going. The metal corner got dented a tad though. I've only dropped it twice in the year or so that I've owned it (20GB when 20GB was top o' the line) but this incident was the worst.
  • Reply 12 of 16
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    I listen to it while I'm driving and enough times I stop quick enough it flies off the seat on to the ground. I'm a pretty decent driver, but I (if I'm by myself) I will slow down quickly as not to slow down traffic. Like if you are turning or something I'll keep up normal speed and decelerate quickly so that the cars behind me don't have to slow down very much. I wish others were as considerate as me
  • Reply 13 of 16
    My 3G iPod slid out from my bag, which was sitting on a desk, onto a concrete floor, causing it to bounce a few times. Later that day, it slid out of my bag again and fell onto a sidewalk. No problems at all.



    I now keep it in the sleeve...
  • Reply 14 of 16
    Accidently dropped my 2gen 10gig onto asphault without any sorta cover. Aprox. 3 - 4 ft. It works just fine, no problems at all. The corner is dented just a bit, but you wouldn't notice at first glance. I feel confident that I could bludgeon someone to death with it while listening to music without any problems during or after.
  • Reply 15 of 16
    The metal backing scratches VERY easily, I had it on the table, and accidently tapped it so that it spun on it's back. Now I have abrasions on it... DOH! stupid iSkin still hasn't gotten in yet. I think I'm gonna get a bottle of Brasso to get rid of it.
  • Reply 16 of 16
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    Quote:

    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
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