The overrated iPod

I'm beginning to wonder if iPods aren't just a little bit overrated.

About two years ago my wife bought one. It lasted just over a year and then it died. It was probably a battery failure but the screen had become faint too. Since it was outside its one-year warranty period anyway, we just gave up on it.

In April this year she bought an iPod mini. A couple of weeks ago it started acting up: even after leaving it all night to charge, it sometimes doesn't charge at all. Fortunately, it's still within it's warranty period. Unfortunately, with it being an intermittent problem it seems unlikely anyone will be able to fix it.

Battery problems with iPods are well documented. Apple even settled a class action lawsuit over the issue, which could end up costing them $15 million.

Yesterday it emerged that the recently unveiled iPod Nanos have problems too, with many users reporting broken or scratched screens. One iPod repair company has announced a temporary price increase on its iPod Nano screen replacement service due to "overwhelming demand".

The three of us who occasionally listen to opera on our iPods will have discovered another problem with them: gaps between songs. In most operas, there is no break in the music at track boundaries, which serve merely as bookmarks. However, the iPod puts one in, a slight but disruptive intrusion. Pink Floyd's The Wall suffers for the same reason.

All this is enough to make you consider switching to another portable music player - except for the fact that no other music player can play Apple's proprietary audio format. Although I'm sure that there must be conversion programs kicking around on the Internet, this is irritating. I can play my CDs on any CD player. Shouldn't I be able to play my digital music on any digital music player too?

Don't get me wrong. I still love my iPod. It just doesn't quite live up to the hype.

Comments

[david on 28.09.05 at 08:26]

You are so right. Apple have made a fortune and yet are so unhelpful to their buyers. I installed an update for my ipod downloaded from the internet and followed their instructions to a tee. However, it died and wouldn't start up and of course when I phoned they said I was outside warrantry. They expected me to pay a further 40 pounds for the advice which I could tell would take 2 mins over the phone but the operator just wasn't budging. How stingey is that particularly the problem started when I installed their software. It resolved eventually, its amazing what happens when you press the buttons in a random order but certainly would never have brought one if I knew how unhelpful they were going to be.

[Bandit on 28.09.05 at 08:54]

Yep, I bought one in May and hated it from day one. I expect the battery to die after a year and a day at which point I will just have it permanently connected to my PC as an additional backup storeage divice. Ok it cost twice as much as a normal external disk but hey!!!

Phil, my best advice to you is to either use the Itunes option to "Convert to MP3" and move them to a Minidisk Recorder, or use Realplayer to convert them for you.

For me the iPod was the biggest disappointment. The sound is just acceptible at best, itunes is a joke (realaudio is far superior), battery life? (half life?). I will not be buying another that is for sure. I will go back to minidisk. Atleast you can just use an ordinary AA cell, and the new 1gb disk holds more than enough. Also, you are not limited to having to download from PC, you can connect the minidisk to your CD player, radio, stereo, even an high output microphone.

iPod? An amazing phenominon, but now a piece of history, for me at least.

[Bdaboy on 28.09.05 at 09:09]

My wife and I have had several iPods including the Nano. Other members of my family have also been using various models for at least the last year. In all about 5 of them and no problems so far. There are many battery replacement services out there, I haven't needed any but some for $40, which will even give you twice the capacity you used to have.... The Nano we recieved a couple of days after it was announced and it is absoloutly amazing. Any product that is 50% smaller than it's nearest competitor is doing well. Wait till you see one, you won't believe the size. Anyway, here is an article with Apple's responce to the Nano complaints. Like I said I have had zero problems and am very impressed with the innovation.

[Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 28.09.05 at 09:51]

Whats the saying there is sucker born every day!! You fell for the ads and the hip image...consumers consuming.....Well new technology always takes time usually to be reliable....In this case its the BATTERIES Stupid! So much for the Hip and the Hype...The wolf does not need an I pod to dance!

[JJ on 28.09.05 at 10:16]

I just bought my first one.Now I start hearing about all the complaints!
It's been fine so far. Any advice on does and dont's?

[loki on 28.09.05 at 11:00]

"I just bought my first one.Now I start hearing about all the complaints!
It's been fine so far. Any advice on does and dont's?"

I've had an ipod mini for about 10 months with no problems whatsoever. The problems that others report appear to be not with the design, per se, but with issues surrounding the quality control of the generic components purchased by apple. The issue seems very much a case of hit and miss. One person can purchase an ipod and have no problems whatsoever, wherease the next guy buys one that has battery life issues from day one. Apple seem to be very much underplaying the ipod nano problems, as they seem to have a much higher percentage of component issues that the other ipods.

[anonimal on 28.09.05 at 11:50]

I bought a G4 iPod 10 months ago. I pulled it out
of my pocket one day about a week after I got it
and it had magically developed a cracked LCD display.
Whatever impact it had sustained was so
miniscule that I hadn't even noticed it.

No problem, I thought, I'll just call Apple. Apple's
response was immediate and unwaivering: "If it's the
display, for sure it was caused by user abuse. Your
entire iPod, including the hard-drive is no longer
on warrantee". Nice, eh?

Conclusion: I will never ever buy another Apple
product again as long as I live. It's not that
their products are bad - it's that their customer
service is terrible.

[ace on 28.09.05 at 12:03]

"The three of us who occasionally listen to opera on our iPods will have discovered another problem with them: gaps between songs."

I think THIS is your problem right here Phil. I-Pods are likely designed to malfunction as soon as Opera is detected. I mean, if "I" was an I-Pod I'd lose it and blow up.

;-)

[loki on 28.09.05 at 12:08]

"I-Pods are likely designed to malfunction as soon as Opera is detected."

A common misconception, but not true. The malfunctions are strictly limited to Maria Callas recordings. Apple has installed an auto-malfunction (c) feature, to prevent mental trauma on the part of any unwary listeners.

[blovator on 28.09.05 at 12:39]

Apple's support is a bit terrible. But I remain an apple fan because they don't break and rarely need to get service. When they do break I go to smalldog.com, a really great apple retail and service place. Personal service and good prices.

I don't use ipod.

[ours on 28.09.05 at 13:35]

this was on yahoo news today:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050928/ap_on_hi_te/apple_ipod

[scots on 28.09.05 at 14:01]

there are multiple ways to remove the gaps between songs and play them in one continuous loop. check out www.ipodlounge.com for faq's that will make your ipod experience all the better.

from my own experience my battery died after on year but for the pricely sum of $30 dollars i was able to get a replacement and install it myself. I was amazed at how easy this was, again availabel through ipod louge.

hope this helps

[Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 28.09.05 at 18:14]

Dont worry I'm going to give you a ringing slap side the head next time I see YOU. BBC .com apple fesses up to problems with the Nano Pod.

[Shawn on 28.09.05 at 20:08]

I have similar problems with my Ipod. I bought and replaced the battery and it works fantastic now! Another thing with the pauses....the itunes allows you to remove the 2 second gap between songs. I personally use something other than ITunes because I dislike it so much.

[SmokingGun on 28.09.05 at 20:46]

iPods have their place. I just gave one to my girlfriend and I finally have peace and quiet. Well sort of. She likes to sing along out loud. Oh well.

Tip: I just purchased Eric Clapton's new song "Love don't love nobody" off iTunes. Good old R&B with a little Hall & Oats and the BeeGees blended in.

[hobbes on 28.09.05 at 21:22]

i love iTunes. If that means I also need an iPod to go portable, it's worth it..

[Kate on 29.09.05 at 08:32]

I am an addict. Unfortunately my 60Gb iPod lasted less than a year before its hard drive died. I have stolen my husbands but his 40Gb just doesn't do it for me! (Nor does the music that he chooses to store in his!)

I have had the same problems with opera and The Wall and have solved this by re-importing the tracks into iTunes but linking the tracks. This is under the Advanced tab in iTunes (join CD tracks).

Unfortunately the iPod addiction is just the start. Audible.com does a fine line in audio books, then there are the accessories - Hell I want a new car just so my iPod has a better place to sit!!!

[Baz on 29.09.05 at 16:55]

Thanks you guys and gals you have just lost me my wife’s anniversary present – an iPod Nano. ( I was hoping to make Phillip jealous with the newest technology). Now I am going to have to make do with a new tie instead!!!

Can someone please rescue me and suggest an alternative music player that is reliable.

Dad

[Two Cents on 29.09.05 at 17:03]

Baz,

Although I've never used one, I have only heard good things about the "Dell DJ 30"

[peter j on 29.09.05 at 21:21]

All of this is pretty well documented on the web. Just look on google under any combo or 'ipod/problems/ baterry/ class action!!!'

Ipod probs well known to lawyers in the USA and class actions filed . We are registered for our ......wait for it.......... $50 refund....... for Apple knowingly continuing to advertise and sell ipods after they became aware that the batteries being fitted were faulty. Apparently employees at Apple
u know the answer ........and we have done this......... next time u ( or the kids ! )want a newer bigger gig ipod , wait til u r in UK or USA and buy from a big chain (circuit city, dixons etc) and they will sell u a 3 or 5 yr warranty / insurance. This may appear expensive at approx 20% of the ipod price but they are selling these warranties with new for old replacement if '''lost, stolen, or faulty '!! when i bought our ipod photo from dixons gatwick, i said i would have the 3 yr warranty and the salesman said ' dont blame yer mate....you are guaranteed to be bringing it back within a year anyway......they all do!!!.

ps......... to those of u who havent opened one up yet to replace the useless battery with one of the generic ones on sale on the web, take the opportunity to open up the back and just have a laugh at the build quality!!!!!! talk about blue peter cereal packet and sticky back plastic!!!!!!!

[Slowhand on 29.09.05 at 21:25]

The Dells are good, but are not exportable to Bermuda at the moment.

[Uncle Elvis on 29.09.05 at 21:32]

Although, the Wooden iPod is pretty gorgeous!

[read on 30.09.05 at 00:50]

I have an iPod, I just want to know how to get rid of the pauses between track?

read

[Wickering Banker : - ) ----: on 30.09.05 at 09:00]

I find it quite remarkable that the minidisc never made it in the US because of its supposedly limited sound quality and its high cost. The ipod costs more and sounds like crap.

I'll stick with my MD.