Apple says iPod nano flaw is limited
Apple on Tuesday evening acknowledged that an issue exists with the iPod nano that could cause the player's screen to fail or crack, but said it only effects a small number of units.
The iPod nano, while garnering praise from reporters and analysts, has also become the subject of criticism after some users complained that their iPod nano's LCD screen had cracked or become severely scratched for no apparent reason.
"This is a real but minor issue involving a vendor quality problem in a small number of units," Apple said in a statement to Macworld UK regarding nano screens that have failed or cracked.
However, the company said its figures show the issue has affected less than 1/10 of 1% of the total iPod nano units that it has shipped over the last two and a half weeks.
"It is not a design issue," Apple said.
Customers with faulty iPod nano screens can call Apple to arrange for a free replacement unit, the company added.
Apple also responded to complaints that the iPod nano screens can easily scratch, but said there have been very few calls about the problem.
"A few vocal customers are saying that their iPod nano is more susceptible to scratching than prior iPods. We have received very few calls from customers reporting this problem, and do not believe this is a widespread issue," Apple said.
The company added: "The iPod nano is made with the same high-quality polycarbonate plastic as the fourth-generation iPod. We suggest concerned customers use one of the iPod nano cases that are coming to market to protect the music player
The iPod nano, while garnering praise from reporters and analysts, has also become the subject of criticism after some users complained that their iPod nano's LCD screen had cracked or become severely scratched for no apparent reason.
"This is a real but minor issue involving a vendor quality problem in a small number of units," Apple said in a statement to Macworld UK regarding nano screens that have failed or cracked.
However, the company said its figures show the issue has affected less than 1/10 of 1% of the total iPod nano units that it has shipped over the last two and a half weeks.
"It is not a design issue," Apple said.
Customers with faulty iPod nano screens can call Apple to arrange for a free replacement unit, the company added.
Apple also responded to complaints that the iPod nano screens can easily scratch, but said there have been very few calls about the problem.
"A few vocal customers are saying that their iPod nano is more susceptible to scratching than prior iPods. We have received very few calls from customers reporting this problem, and do not believe this is a widespread issue," Apple said.
The company added: "The iPod nano is made with the same high-quality polycarbonate plastic as the fourth-generation iPod. We suggest concerned customers use one of the iPod nano cases that are coming to market to protect the music player
Comments
Sorry, for a split-second there I actually thought you were talking about black people and not black nanos. Thus, I couldn't resist...
Any device with a screen, that gets put in a pocket, will get scratched, be it a PDA, camera, phone oe media player. The only real solution is have something to protect the screens. There are plenty of after market solutions, including:
- skins, such as from http://www.iskin.com
- decals (transparent or decorated), such as from http://www.decalgirl.com
- and some others: http://www.ipodstreet.com/
On the other hand if a screen is getting cracked too easily then that is an issue, but should be examined on a case by case basis.
Originally posted by Guartho
That's just plain racist. I don't like your insinuation that black people complain more than other people!
Is it possible that the black nano shows scratches more clearly. i have a white iPod with tons of scratches but it's not that big a deal... but maybe the black one shows them up better (? i mean worser).
Originally posted by Lincolnrozelle
Is it possible that the black nano shows scratches more clearly. i have a white iPod with tons of scratches but it's not that big a deal... but maybe the black one shows them up better (? i mean worser).
yeah that's what i've been saying. can we compare it to the black iPod U2 ?? anyone with a black iPod u2 or black nano? feeling scratched up lately??
(I have carried it in my purse in a little back with chapstick and business cards and a cell phone.)
Originally posted by sunilraman
yeah that's what i've been saying. can we compare it to the black iPod U2 ?? anyone with a black iPod u2 or black nano? feeling scratched up lately??
I have the mono screen U2 model. I think the scratching is more apparent than it would be with white, and the screen wasn't affected much. Most of my scratching actually comes from dirt that got between the "protective" case and the iPod and sliding in and out of the case.
That iPod was replaced by Apple when the drive died, so I have a new one. At the moment, I am currently keeping the iPod in a Zip-lock bag to protect against the dirt, with holes for headphones and dock, and that in a protective belt case. So far, it's working well though I get the bag dirty and wrinkled, so I replace it about once a week.
I am looking for other options, I bought WriteRight screen protectors for my Palm, and I am thinking of puting one of the sheets on the front face of the iPod to see how well it protects. Those sheets are basically larger than they need to be, it is intended that the owner trim them to their Palm's screen size.
http://www.abesofmaine.com/viewproduct.asp?id=skdcsp
I bought a pack for my camera. Since you can cut them to the approrpiate size, you can used them for more applications than simply cameras.
Originally posted by jiggz
i would love to see stats about how many of the complaints regarding scratches are coming from black nano owners.
just to clarify... i did mean black people
(just joking i meant the glossy black ipod nanos)
and the reason i am interested is because i want to show that there is nothing flawed about the nano... it is just that the black background shows scratches more than the white background people are accustomed to.
you will only care about them for a few weeks or months
then you will realize it is impossible to keep an immaculate iPod
and the price you paid will slowly drift away from your mind
in the long term everyone will feel happier if they just use the damn things
cases aren't sexy and cases are annoying.
The Nano uses the same plastic as my iPod Photo. Which looks nearly new after a year. (Cheap screen-protector film + Podsleevz case). That's all I ask.
The complainers almost had me hesitating to recommend the nano, and believing they were somehow more scratchable than other iPods. I'm glad that's not the case. They're like my current iPod--and that means I can recommend them without hesitation.
Treat common electronics with care. If you care about scratches, then don't leave glossy plastic exposed.
A cheap cling-film screen protector could protect the whole face of the Nano without adding thickness. One pre-cut with a hole for the wheel would be nice, but I made do with covering just the screen on my Photo.
Anyway this is very different from the ipoddirtysecret.com site, where it took weeks before the two ***holes admitted on their site that there were third-parties selling and replacing batteries, and that Apple did have a replacement battery program before they even registered the name of their site. Someone graciously gave them bandwidth for their site, in exchange of the promise that they explained that there were solutions for changing the battery. The guy that gave them the bandwidth had to struggle to make them fulfill their promises, and even when they did, it was only small links at the bottom of the page.
Still today the myth about iPod batteries is still around, thanks to those two jerks. (as you can see, I love them!)
schmoe1: hey, check out this nano
schmoe2: oh, i heard the screen cracks and stuff
schmoe1: nah, i read somewhere apple is replacing it
schmoe2: man, this nano looks scratched up
applesalesschmoe1: hello, can i help you
schmoe1: hey, check out these nano cases
applesaleschmoe1: yeah, we're offering 20% of all nano cases if you buy it at the same time as the nano
schmoe2: ooh, i want the black one and this case.... i heard these nanos get scratched easily
applesaleschmoe2: well, a lot of our customers are going for this case and their happy with it
schmoe2: what about cracked screens?
applesalesschmoe1: only two incidents out of hundreds that we've sold, anyway applecare will replace it no problems
and thus is the essence of the october-december christmas madness that will fuel yet another record financial quarter for AAPL...
Maybe that was one of the affected ones, but I'm not so sure this issue is resolved.
"sir, PUT IT DOWN and STEP AWAY from the nano slowly..."