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Dell Offers $100 For Old iPods

Posted by pudge on from the mmmm-arketing dept.

Mz6 writes "Dell unveiled an offer that grants music player customers a $100 rebate on a 15GB Digital Jukebox when they send in an Apple iPod music player to be recycled. 'We want to help drive further awareness of the products we have available and...the plusses we have to offer,' said Dell spokesman Jess Blackburn. Thus the iPod offer 'is a way to call out what separates us from the understood leader in this particular market.' Dell is also offering free shipping, free software, and 25 free songs through MusicMatch and brings the overall cost for the DJ down to $99." Helpful tip: If you have a dead iPod, do the rebate offer, and sell the Jukebox on eBay.

104 of 453 comments (clear)

  1. hmm by Mr.+Spontaneous · · Score: 5, Funny

    Suddenly taking the burden of my friend's dead iPod off his shoulders doesn't seem so bad...

    --
    Its all fun and games until someone loses an eye... then its just fun.
    1. Re:hmm by jimbolaya · · Score: 2, Informative
      My first thought was, if it's the same price to replace the battery in an iPod, only a fool would trade an iPod for a DJ. Then, I thought, only a fool would pay $99 for a replacement battery, when you can get one for much less.

      So, Dell might have an audience after all.

      --

      There ain't no rules here; we're trying to accomplish something.

    2. Re:hmm by gr33nlantern · · Score: 2, Insightful
      So let me see.

      Assume I have a dead 1st generation iPod that is completely useless to me.
      • I turn this iPod Into Dell for a 100 dollar rebate, and spend 99 dollars on a Dell DJ.
      • I sell my Dell DJ on Ebay for 200 dollars. (I am now ahead of myself 100 dollars).
      • I muster up another 100 dollars and buy a 15gb Ipod.

      So, dell is making it possible for me to turn my dead 1st generation iPod into a brand new 3rd generation 15gb for just 200 dollars?! oh THANK you dell. ^^.

      In All seriousness, I think dell would be better off spending their money making the Dell DJ a more desirable product. This would probably proove to be more ethical, rather than offering good money for their lead competitor's product, No?
  2. Helpful Tip? by Tezkah · · Score: 5, Funny

    Helpful tip: If you have a dead iPod, do the rebate offer, and sell the Jukebox on eBay.

    Why, thats dishonest!

    PS: Anyone have a dead iPod they want to send to me?

    1. Re:Helpful Tip? by mriker · · Score: 5, Informative

      If Dell's terms say they'll accept any iPod, dead or alive, it's not the least bit dishonest.

    2. Re:Helpful Tip? by PetoskeyGuy · · Score: 2

      They say recycle. What's dishonest about it? Just make sure to take the CF card or HD out before you send it in.

    3. Re:Helpful Tip? by chromaphobic · · Score: 5, Interesting

      If you have a dead iPod, maybe you should question the quality of the device, Skipper.

      Unless the iPod's death was homicide and not suicide. :)

      Like, it got dropped or stepped on or accidentally abused in some other way.

      Personally, I have one of the original 5GB iPods laying about that I never use (long since replaced with a newer model) and probably couldn't sell for even $100 at this point, so it's almost tempting. Almost.

    4. Re:Helpful Tip? by squiggleslash · · Score: 5, Interesting

      You should be able to get something between $80 and $150 for it, depending on its condition. Probably a better bet than using it as a trade in and then trying to sell the Dell (for which you might make a profit of $100 if you're able to find someone who'd be willing to buy it full price on eBay. There are people who are that stupid, I've seen them on eBay, but they're not that numerous.)

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    5. Re:Helpful Tip? by dirty · · Score: 2, Interesting

      As far as I can see the deal mentions nothing requiring the iPod to be functional. In fact it implies it does not need to work 100%: "Is your iPod battery starting to fade? Before you pay for a replacement battery for your same old device, consider upgrading to a brand new Dell 15GB1 DJ." Honestly I doubt they care about the condition, they might try to harvest the hard drive, but the rest is probably garbage.

      --

      -matt
    6. Re:Helpful Tip? by networkBoy · · Score: 2, Informative

      not the least bit dishonest.
      If they are going to recycle them that most likely means: crush them, grind them up, sell the fractured bits to a recycler. Thus they don't care about the condition.
      -nB

      Disclaimer: I don't know the above is true about _this_ promotion, but was true about a similar one I was involved with.

      --
      whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump
  3. Why? by amigan940 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't know many people who would want to trade in their iPod for a largely inferior product...besides, low cost becomes a non-issue when you've already purchased the higher-priced product.

    --
    dd if=/dev/zero of=`df / | awk '/^\/dev/ {print $1}' | sed 's/s[0-9][a-z]//'` count=1 bs=512 && shutdown -r now
    1. Re:Why? by mhore · · Score: 2, Interesting
      I don't know many people who would want to trade in their iPod for a largely inferior product...besides, low cost becomes a non-issue when you've already purchased the higher-priced product.

      I'd never trade in my iPod. I have never owned any music player that is as good as the iPod. Sure, I paid a bloody fortune for it, but you get what you pay for. It seems that there was so much thought put into the design of it, and when I go to CompUSA or where ever and actually TRY these other products... ugh. I couldn't imagine ever owning one again!

      (Then again, I say that about my Mac too, but it's true!)

      Mike.

      --

      Mmmm......sacrelicious.

    2. Re:Why? by zangdesign · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I disagree - I have a 5Gb iPod with a dead battery (replacement costs around $98). While I prefer the Apple interface, there are no other special features about the iPod that aren't duplicated in the Dell player. I don't buy music online (RIAA won't get my money, period) so I'm not losing anything there.

      This sounds like a win-win situation for me.

      --
      To celebrate the occasion of my 1000th post, I will post no more forever on Slashdot. Goodbye.
    3. Re:Why? by Twirlip+of+the+Mists · · Score: 2, Insightful

      While I prefer the Apple interface, there are no other special features about the iPod that aren't duplicated in the Dell player.

      AAC support (including but not limited to FairPlay), contacts and calendars, text notes, on-the-go playlists, auto-sync your whole library or one or more playlists, an alarm clock, FireWire, a 25-minute skip buffer, that cool solitaire game, and a partridge in a pear tree.

      (The Dell site didn't say anything obvious about a skip buffer. If it's got one, scratch that one off the list. Neither the Dell nor the iPod include a bird or a tree. That was just for fun.)

      --

      I write in my journal
    4. Re:Why? by Daleks · · Score: 3, Interesting

      $98? Try $30. Dell is just trying to make Apple look bad by using this program to advertise iPod problems, which have been grossly overstated. My 1G 10GB iPod still gives me 6+ hours per charge. I know at least 10 other people with older iPods and none of them have had battery problems.

    5. Re:Why? by djtripp · · Score: 4, Interesting

      That is for the Apple replacement. If you are mechanically inclined, or have a freind who is, if can cost you as little as $30. And then if you(or your friend) fries the bugger replaceing it, well the Dell deal is pretty good looking deal. Mac compatability could be an issue, but I'm sure there is some way of hooking it up though USB to the Mac. (This post was by no means an attack on your ability to open an iPod, nor your freinds abaility.)

      --
      "This is you left and that's your left. This is your right and that's your right. You're gonna die!
    6. Re:Why? by Some+Dumbass... · · Score: 4, Informative

      I don't know many people who would want to trade in their iPod for a largely inferior product

      Anyone who's been bitten by the battery bug. :)

      Seriously, I own a Dell DJ. The iPod is smaller and has more features. Some of the extra features don't matter to me (AAC support, breakout game) and some do (works as a standard USB mass storage device). The UI of the two players is pretty similar, and touchpad vs. scroll wheel is a matter of taste (I prefer the scroll wheel myself).

      But then there's the battery life. The DJ really does have twice the battery life, and the battery should last longer as well. That might just be enough to convert some people. My boss' iPod is down to about a 3-hour battery life after a year, and I know he's thinking of trading in for something else.

      On a semi-related note, if you want to find out about non-iPod players, go to the manufacturer's web board. You'll learn a lot. In the case of the DJ, which as an owner of one I know something about, there are some plusses and minuses which are not in the early reviews. For example, you can now transfer both music and data off the DJ to your computer, and yes there is now an inline remote with an LCD. On the other hand, there have been some hard-drive problems (a "click-of-death"?) with the DJ which were bad enough that Dell went and got a new supplier for those drives. Good stuff to know if you're planning to buy, right? Remember, almost every review out there is out of date. Most players have more bugfixes or enhancements than those old reviews will mention.

    7. Re:Why? by dougmc · · Score: 2, Insightful
      a 25-minute skip buffer
      Hard drives do not `skip'. So there's no need for a skip buffer.

      However, it's possible that a jolt or something could stop the hard drive from delivering data for a second or two -- in that case, a few seconds of buffer space would be a good thing. (However, any jolt that's this strong risks damaging the hard drive itself, stopping it from delivering data forever.) But 25 minutes would be silly -- one minute would be far more than enough.

      The reason that you'd want 25 minutes of buffering would be power conservation. 25 minutes of 128 kB mp3s is only about 25 MB, so it's not that much memory. What happens is your hard drive spins up, the player buffers the next 25 MB of music to play into RAM, and then the hard drive spins down, and stays spun down until 20 or so minutes elapse, or until you manually pick a song that's not in it's buffer already. When either one happens, it spins up, fills it's buffer again, and goes back to sleep.

      An added bonus of this is that a hard drive that is not spinning is much less likely to be damaged by a shock than one that is spinning.

    8. Re:Why? by halbritt · · Score: 2

      I replaced the battery in my dead iPod for $20. You could do the same.

    9. Re:Why? by Blondie-Wan · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Features I don't need: - AAC - no DRM for me, thank you

      AAC doesn't have anything to do with DRM. Music downloaded from the iTunes Music Store does have DRM, but you can also rip your own AACs, just as you can your own MP3s or whatever, and they won't have DRM on them.

    10. Re:Why? by arminw · · Score: 2, Insightful

      What about the iPod owner who downloaded a lot of music from the iTunes store and would like to continue doing this? Will the Dell unit play that music? Will the user first have to burn all the stuff from iTunes to CDs and then re-import them to the Dell player? I suspect that not too many iPod owners who already have iTunes music will go to all that trouble for a clearly inferior device such as the Dell DJ.

      --
      All theory is gray
  4. Hmm... by arieswind · · Score: 4, Insightful

    'We want to help drive further awareness of the products we have available and...the plusses we have to offer,' Or maybe, they just want to get more ipods off the market, and more of their digital jukeboxes in consumers hands

  5. But can the Dell unit seamlessly plug into a BMW? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    But can the Dell unit seamlessly plug into a BMW? That is the question!

    First post on /. woo hoo... even tho I am a coward. ;)

  6. Not so great..... by Osgyth · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's a $100 REBATE. Means you still have to buy Dell's crap.....

    1. Re:Not so great..... by FlipmodePlaya · · Score: 4, Insightful

      From my limited knowledge, the DDJ isn't at all bad. It's made by Creative, I believe, and I hear good things about their Zen line of players. The price is pretty good (there are cheaper), and the remote is a nice touch.

      Note that I'm far from a Dell fan.

  7. What BS by GillBates0 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    We want to help drive further awareness of the products we have available and...the plusses we have to offer,' said Dell spokesman Jess Blackburn. Thus the iPod offer 'is a way to call out what separates us from the understood leader in this particular market.

    Typical marketspeak. It just has to contain a lot of "good words" like plusses, drive, offer...it doesn't have to mean anything.

    It just makes them look desperate more than anything else. Come out with a superior product, and people will automatically aware of the "plusses" they have to offer.

    --
    An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
    1. Re:What BS by gregfortune · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Come out with a superior product, and people will automatically aware of the "plusses" they have to offer.

      Historically, this has not been true... VHS/Betamax is a classic example, but any product can fall victim to superior marketing by the competition. Dell is just taking a shot at the marketing angle. MS has done pretty well with similar tactics and the iPod is well entrenched from a marketing viewpoint. Heck, Linux has faced some tough roads due to the marketing of an inferior product.

      If a product is well advertised, performs *well enough*, and is priced well, it tends to attract the bulk of the market. Perhaps you saw through the marketing or perhaps you are just playing the anti-Dell sentiments ./ seems to harbor In any case, that doesn't mean the rest of the target market will come to the same conclusion.

      Regardless of the quality of their device, Dell *must* market it to even have a chance against the iPod. And if they are able to market it well, it's entirely possible that they might displace the iPod. Remember, most people aren't automatically aware of anything...

    2. Re:What BS by stuph · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Heck, Linux has faced some tough roads due to the marketing of an inferior product.

      Thank god the obligatory Linux zealot comment was thrown in here.. Linux has faced some tough roads due to many factors, most of them unrelated to Microsoft's marketing abilities. The biggest ones include a lack of an easy-to-follow setup procedure, a lack of a way to easily install programs without compiling them yourself, a desktop interface system that is little more than windows around command lines, etc.. I'm not saying that many of these problems aren't being worked on, but those are much larger barriers to popular usage than Microsoft's marketing...

      --
      --Less Thinkin', More Drinkin'...
  8. Helpful hint #2 by uid100 · · Score: 5, Informative

    what do old/broken iPod's sell for on eBay - more than $100 ?!??

    --
    ...yup...
    1. Re:Helpful hint #2 by uid100 · · Score: 2, Informative

      That link brings up a number of broken 15gb iPod's for $125 "Buy Now" ... your point ?

      --
      ...yup...
  9. Or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Spend 0.99, get a 1 in 100,000 chance of getting a new iPod

  10. Keep the iPod by Jim+Hall · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Helpful tip: If you have a dead iPod, do the rebate offer, and sell the Jukebox on eBay.

    While some may criticize this "editorial" on the Slashdot front page, I completely agree with it. For me, the iPod is a completely natural, easy to use, very functional portable music player. I carry it with me everywhere I go - on the bus to work, on trips, even when hanging out at the lake (just not in the water.)

    Keep your iPod - dump the DJ.

  11. Here's a better deal... by 31415926535897 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If you have an iPod and you want to get rid of it, I'll give you $100 cash. Then you're not tied into the Dell brand.

  12. And if it isn't broken... by x136 · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Helpful tip: If you have a dead iPod, do the rebate offer, and sell the Jukebox on eBay.
    If it isn't broken, forget it. The 15GB iPod is worth at least US$200 on eBay (it sells new for $299), while Dell is only going to give you $100 for it. You could sell the iPod on eBay and get the Dell DJ for free if you were so inclined.
    --
    SIGFEH
    1. Re:And if it isn't broken... by Bingo+Foo · · Score: 5, Funny

      But when you sell it on ebay, how can you be sure that the buyer will recycle it? I don't think my conscience could take that kind of uncertainty, so I'm going with Dell's offer.

      --
      taken! (by Davidleeroth) Thanks Bingo Foo!
  13. Re:thats a bit low by goldspider · · Score: 4, Insightful
    You can't just toss something like that out without explaining WHY you think it's "unethical".

    I for one don't see a problem with it. It's not as if Dell is holding guns to people's heads demanding they hand over their iPods.

    --
    "Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
  14. Business Plan by Apocalypse111 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Step 1: Buy dead iPods from eBay
    Step 2: Buy crappy Dell player from Dell w/ rebate
    Step 3: Sell crappy Dell player on eBay for more than purchase price of dead iPod + crappy Dell player
    Step 4: Profit!!!

    Lather, rinse, repeat

    --
    There is no mod option "-1: Disagree" for a reason. "Overrated" is not an acceptable substitute. Post something instead.
  15. What should Apple's next move be? by spoonani · · Score: 2, Interesting

    When someone usually tries to play off of Apple's magnificent PR machine (i.e. using the "iPod killer" terminology) Jobs either shuggs it off, makes fun of them in the next keynote, or declares an innovation war. Any kowtowing to this ridiculous offer of lesser quality would be ill-advised on apple's part, yet there might be a way to make this a really cool PR event. Possibly a trade in an iPod and get nothing event? (Hey, since we all know nothing is better than a dell!)

  16. who is paying for this? by The+Lynxpro · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Is Dell really paying for the rebate or are they receiving monies from Microsoft? Call me a tin-foil hat wearer, but for some strange reason I have to question Microsoft's $7 billion expenditure on R&D. Me thinks some of that money goes toward their allies to weaken their "enemies." I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft is funneling cash to Dell to pay for these rebates to lure customers away from the iPod and the iTunes Store and toward a Microsoft controlled relabeling of online distribution of Microsoft WMA files. Its like the U.S. (or the former U.S.S.R.) with its client states, only in this scenario, it is a client corporation.

    --
    "Right now, somewhere in this world, Scott Baio is plowing a woman he doesn't love," - Peter Griffin, *Family Guy*
    1. Re:who is paying for this? by bersl2 · · Score: 5, Funny

      I present you with the Tinfoil Crown.

      All hail the King!

  17. who is this really for? by kaan · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "Dell is also offering free shipping, free software, and 25 free songs through MusicMatch and brings the overall cost for the DJ down to $99."

    As an iPod owner (and a former owner of several other mp3 players), I think this plan is not going to accomplish much for Dell.

    Think about it, nobody has ever said you should by an iPod for it's low cost. On the contrary, it's just about the most expensive player on the market. So who buys one? People who want to be trendy (Apple is way trendier than Dell), and people who want the best mp3 player out there (not trying to start a flame war here, but the iPod interface is head and shoulders above the rest). So by offering free shipping, free songs, etc., I don't see how Dell will be able to woo very many people away from an iPod (even if it's a dead iPod).

    For the people who want the least expensive player out there, or who don't really mind the lesser interfaces of the other players, I don't see that crowd having bought an iPod in the first place, so they won't be affected by this offer either.

    This leaves me wondering, who this offer is really targeted at? It sounds more like a PR stunt designed to steal some of Apple's thunder for owning the digital music player market.

    1. Re:who is this really for? by glenrm · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It is also PR designed to use $99 and Dell Player in the same sentence. But it makes good sense for Dell to have a product in this category, if somebody is ordering a Dell, I could see this as an easy checkbox to add to the order.

      --
      Onward to the Aether Sphere!
  18. Dell just wants cheap iPods by The+Lost+Supertone · · Score: 2, Funny

    My theory, Dell execs didn't want to pay for iPods, so they're just gona trade their worthless Juke whatever's for people's iPods... how underhanded!

  19. Dell admitting they aren't as good by chia_monkey · · Score: 4, Insightful

    'We want to help drive further awareness of the products we have available and...the plusses we have to offer,' said Dell spokesman Jess Blackburn. Thus the iPod offer 'is a way to call out what separates us from the understood leader in this particular market.'

    That's kinda funny. First they are nice and vague saying "the plusses we have to offer", but then they go on saying "what separates us from the understood leader". So...to paraphrase..."trade in your superior product for our inferior one. thank you"

    --

    "He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts...for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang
  20. Betting time! by rjung2k · · Score: 5, Funny

    Anyone want to wager Dell won't get more than a thousand submissions for this offer?

    How about a hundred?

    Three?

    Bueller?

    --

    --R.J.
    Electric-Escape.net

  21. Unlikely to get many takers by burgburgburg · · Score: 2, Interesting

    As was mentioned in this news.com article, Dell is unlikely to get many takers. With a variety of iPods from the mini to the 40GB, with music purchased from iTMS and with all of their songs in iTunes, not many people would probably be willing to put in the effort to transition to the DJ15. Not to mention the size and esthetic differences between the offerings.

  22. What happens to iPods when they die? by teamhasnoi · · Score: 4, Interesting
    What's the most common faults of iPod death? Battery? Hard Drive failure? Dropping? Connecting up to a Windows machine?

    I'm kinda curious - I'm guessing that Dell is destroying these to take them off the market.

    side note: I used to work at a big music store (headquartered in MN) that would destroy thousands of perfectly good pianos and organs to take them off the market, so they could sell more electronic and upright pianos. Can't find a 25 dollar 'you move it' piano in Minneapolis? Thats why..

    1. Re:What happens to iPods when they die? by discstickers · · Score: 2, Informative

      Mine died because I dropped it while it was turning on. It was a year and a half old, but the batterty was still doing pretty good.

      --
      I have a shitty sig!
    2. Re:What happens to iPods when they die? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful
      side note: I used to work at a big music store (headquartered in MN) that would destroy thousands of perfectly good pianos and organs to take them off the market, so they could sell more electronic and upright pianos.

      Please tell us who this "Big Music Store" is, so I never do business with the sacrilegious assholes.

      Destroying a baby-grand to sell another electronic piano? *shudder*

    3. Re:What happens to iPods when they die? by ViolentGreen · · Score: 2, Informative

      Mine died because I dropped it while it was turning on. It was a year and a half old, but the batterty was still doing pretty good.

      I thought I had killed mine by dropping several times. I was able to reset it each time though. If you still have it, did you try to reset it?

      --
      Not everything is analogous to cars. Car analogies rarely work.
    4. Re:What happens to iPods when they die? by teamhasnoi · · Score: 2, Informative
      They take them in on trade in, or when they need slight repair. Trade in is a few hundred bucks off a new piano. Repairs can be inflated to make a new instrument look like a better deal.

      The pianos and organs go in a warehouse and wait their turn for destruction. They are destroyed so there are less pianos and organs available in the local market that are between 1-1000 dollars.

      When someone decides to have their kid take piano lessons, or a church/senior center/hockey rink needs an organ there aren't any cheapies out there on the used market. They are then forced to go and buy a new piano or organ at this place (it's pretty much *the* place to go if you need a piano in the Twin Cities) and pay full retail for it. It may cost them a few hundred to buy a piano, but they make it up when someone needs one.

      The sad thing is that they won't even let employees buy these instruments. I saw several Hammonds, and a Steinway Grand with a beat-up finish (probably a schools) get mangled and destroyed. I actually heard of a Mellotron being saved, but that may just be a rumor.

      A lot of band instruments go in there too - after having holes drilled in them, and flattened. Guitars too.

      The dumpster is locked so you can't even cherry pick for parts.

      Dirty secrets of the music instrument sales biz... :( Wait 'till I go into the band instrument for student ripoff game, or the music store consignment gouge, or best yet - the hand built guitar that costs more when it's messed up...

  23. there's an easier way by mattofmacs · · Score: 3, Funny

    whoever runs the reverse engineering dept at dell is gona feel so stupid when he finds out you can buy them brand new at apple.com even if you do work for a rival company.

  24. Only dead iPods will apply..... by erick99 · · Score: 4, Informative
    I just took a quick look at eBay to confirm what I already knew: any working iPod can be sold for well over $99.

    Cheers!

    Erick

    --
    http://www.busyweather.com/
    1. Re:Only dead iPods will apply..... by Gulik · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I just took a quick look at eBay to confirm what I already knew: any working iPod can be sold for well over $99.

      I suspect that Dell was really hoping that nobody would notice this. That way, they could sell the iPods that people sent in for (estimates suggest) $200, while only giving said people a $100 rebate. Though one hopes there's a special circle of Hell reserved for people who fleece the stupid in this manner. Preferably, the same circle where the stupid people go.

    2. Re:Only dead iPods will apply..... by pherris · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Agreed, ebay showed only one dead ipod for sale, with 13 bids at $75.00.

      This dell/ipod makes no sense. I mean really, is there one person here that would trade a working ipod for a $100 coupon towards anything dell makes? Even if Apple didn't have such a loyal following, on engineering alone the ipod wins. Add in the fact that music from the iTunes music store IFAIK won't download to anything but an iPod and this is a pretty stupid offer. It's like asking a Mac user to switch from OS X to Windows XP. What in the world made the people at Dell think this would ever work?

      I sure the folks in Cupertino are having a big laugh over it.

      --
      "And a voice was screaming: 'Holy Jesus! What are these goddamn animals?'" - HST
    3. Re:Only dead iPods will apply..... by narcc · · Score: 2, Informative

      Though one hopes there's a special circle of Hell reserved for people who fleece the stupid in this manner.

      The 8th circle. Malebolge, iirc. It's divided into 10 ditches, one for each of the 10 different kinds of fraud Dante could think of (with a different suffering for each, no less)

      --
      Required reading for internet skeptics
  25. 8-10 weeks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    "rebate checks are ordinarily processed within 8-10 weeks" according to the register
    "The offer ends on 11 August. Buy then and you might get your cash in the first week of October."

  26. Size - ebay - trade-in by XavierItzmann · · Score: 4, Informative

    In cubic cm:

    iPod mini: 59
    iPod: 100
    Dell DJ: 156

    The DJ is 164% larger than the Mini and 56% larger than the 3rd generation iPod.

    If your iPod still works, keep it or sell it on eBay. Then dump the DJ on ebay
    If it is broken, Dell is the way to go.

    --
    The next pasture is always greener
  27. Sleazy Dell strikes again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I absolutely hate rebate programs like this. Dell has no use for a bunch of broken down iPods which is all they will get with this promotion. All they are doing is proving that they are ripping off an extra $100 from all their customers who don't have a dead iPod.

    This is just like the "trade in any film camera, get $x off a digital camera" where x is a function of the price of the new camera and has nothing to do with the dead film one (disposables don't count).

  28. Dell can have my iPod by ballpoint · · Score: 4, Funny

    when they come to pry it out of my cold, dead hands, and win the fight with my raging teenage daughter.

    --
    Flourescent (adj): smelling like ground wheat.
    1. Re:Dell can have my iPod by ballpoint · · Score: 4, Informative

      Oh yes, even with the soon-to-be-removed braces. She's a bitch, though. I'd recommend waiting a few years to let her calm down a little bit.

      --
      Flourescent (adj): smelling like ground wheat.
    2. Re:Dell can have my iPod by syrinx · · Score: 5, Funny

      it cracks me up that this is modded 'informative'..

      --
      Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.
  29. Re:Brilliant by arieswind · · Score: 2

    Apple has a near monopoly on the mp3 player business because they have the best product, not because of any shady business practices

    I've seen other mp3 players out there, but none really stand up to the ipod..

  30. Re:thats a bit low by Oliver+Wendell+Jones · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Why? I work for a company that manufacturers portable medical diagnostic equipment.

    Pretty much every company in this field offers a mail-in rebate (often times as much as the original purchase price) for our devices if you send in any competitors device.

    We regularly box up the devices that are sent to us and ship them back to their original manufacturer so that they know to take those devices out of their support database and to kind of "rub it in their faces" that we've had X number of their customers switch to our product (they do the same to us).

    Since most companies in this field release a new device every 8 - 16 months, and there are numerous companies in the field, many consumers have got in the habit of buying a kit from company A, using it until all the test strips are gone, then buying a kit from company B and sending in the device from company A for the rebate, which is later used to buy the latest device from company C, and so on.

    At one time, the department I was in was doing competetive analysis and had to buy about 30 meters from one of our biggest competitors. At the time they were offering a $50 mail in rebate. We dug up 30 of our meters that were defective (knowing full well we'd get them back in a few months) and used them to submit the rebates, all of which was used for one kick-ass dinner party a few months later.

    Since then, many companies (including us) have changed the rules about mail-in rebates, limiting them to one per household per year, etc. to try and establish a bit more brand loyalty.

    --
    A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing -- Emo Phillips
  31. hmm.. new iPod? by piecewise · · Score: 2, Funny

    if you have a dead iPod, do the rebate offer, and sell the Jukebox on eBay.

    ..... in order to afford a new iPod?

    I like the way you work, Dell.

    --
    The next comment I write will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and see it early!
  32. Brilliant plan by Octagon+Most · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is a brilliant plan for Dell employees to get iPods. Give that promotion manager a raise!

  33. Trade in your Porsche for a Focus by cprincipe · · Score: 2, Funny

    Because that's what the Dell bounty offer amounts to.

    --

    bun-fhuinneog agam!

  34. Re:Brilliant by rjung2k · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The result is win-win for the consumer because, assuming the Dell players are nice in their own merit...

    Big assumption there. If the Dell DJ was any good, they wouldn't need a stunt like this to gain market share.

    I'm sure Steve Jobs is laughing his head off over this.

    --

    --R.J.
    Electric-Escape.net

  35. I have a dead iPod, but still not a good deal by SiMac · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I have a 20GB iPod that is dead, because my friend pushed me into the pool while he was drunk/high and I had not emptied my pockets. This still isn't a good deal.

    I could buy a Dell DJ for $200, get the $100 rebate, and sell the DJ on eBay for about $170, so I'd net $70.

    Once I subtract that from the cost of my new 20GB iPod, the iPod would be $300 (I get an education discount).

    I could also just send the iPod to Apple and get everything fixed for $250 flat fee.

    Now, which one do you think I'm going to pick?

  36. Rebate by g0bshiTe · · Score: 4, Funny
    Dell offers $100 rebate for iPods working or not


    Man I just threw away mine too.

    Joke all you want, it's all fun and games till someone looses an iPod.
    --
    I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
  37. Dell offering $100 rebate if you turn in your BMW by FerretFrottage · · Score: 3, Funny

    ....which you can apply to the Dell Ford Explorer

    --
    "Look Lois, the two symbols of the Republican Party: an elephant, and a fat white guy who is threatened by change."
  38. I'd do it except for one thing.... by MTNhike · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The darn dell digital juteboxes as butt ugly!

    If they could design it so it looks at least halfway decent, then it'd be a possiblity. It looks so darn cheap with the buttons and all. Am I the only one who thinks this way?!?!?

  39. Re:thats a bit low by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The Dell employees just wanted an easy way to get cheap iPods. Can you really blame them for that? :)

  40. Re:Brilliant by Rura+Penthe · · Score: 2, Informative

    Virtual monopoly? Wow, I think you need to go look at the sales numbers and rethink that. Owning less than 60% of the market does not a monopoly make.

  41. Re:Rebates ... Dell by MarkGriz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Like all rebates, they hope you forget to mail it in, or they give you some BS story about how you forgot to submit the proper proof of purchase.

    --
    Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder.
  42. Note that the Dell won't play your music... by John+Harrison · · Score: 4, Informative

    if you purchased it at the iTunes music store.

    --
    Lasers Controlled Games!
  43. Re:Brilliant by teamhasnoi · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Virtual Monopoly?

    I fail to see how Apple has a monopoly in the mp3 player market - there are hundreds of other players out there, and any one of those manufacturers is free to go make their own deal with the RIAA.

    This is shown by Napster, Rhapsody, buymusic.com, etc. The reason it might *look* like a monopoly is that these other mp3 players and services suck *and* blow.

    I don't see Apple leveraging their marketshare to keep others from joining the fun - I believe Steve has said the equivalent of 'Bring it on'. This is not a case of MS keeping other OSes off of the desktop (BeOS and Toshiba), by threatening the OEMS with removal of price breaks....

  44. Re:You forgot the rest of your sentence by bpowell423 · · Score: 4, Funny

    You don't seriously think 10% of the population own a BMW, do you? :)

  45. Flames? Here's some by Gothmolly · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'll bite:
    not trying to start a flame war here, but the iPod interface is head and shoulders above the rest
    No, you FEEL that the iPod interface is head and shoulders above the rest. I've read in places that the Rio Karma UI is better, or equivalent, to the iPod.

    --
    I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
  46. Re:Rebates ... Dell by sokoban · · Score: 4, Informative

    The reason for mail in rebates is that they bank on people not sending them in. Say, if about 60% of the rebates are redeemed, then they are only losing out the equivalent of $60 off the retail price per unit. I'd say a lot of us have had rebates that we forget about or just say f-it because of the stuff required. I remember I had one that you had to send your old phone to some charity, get a voucher from them, and send it in with a lot of personal info along with a purchase receipt, the UPC on the box, and your last bill.

    --
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  47. OMGWTFBBQ!!1!1!! by Zany+Paraclete · · Score: 5, Funny

    You mean the goal of their marketing is to SELL their PRODUCTS?! What kind of SATANIC FREAKS would do a thing like THAT?! I always thought marketing was supposed to be a purely selfless PUBLIC SERVICE!

    --


    I've never yet met anybody who'll admit to posting on Slashdot. So who are all these people?!
  48. Re:thats a bit low by goljerp · · Score: 3, Informative

    The thing that I find unethical about this offer is that they neglect to say that their machine can't play songs purchased from the iTunes music store. At least warn people first!

  49. Bah! "Free" by sup4hleet · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "Dell is also offering free shipping, free software, and 25 free songs through MusicMatch"

    It's not free, it's included in the price. Just like buy one get one free is really just a half off sale with a catch (you can't just buy one half off). Advertisers push that "free" crap to make you thin you're getting something for nothing even though they still make a profit. Hey, Free Beer! (you just have to drink it out of a $10 cup).

  50. maybe the original 5GB iPod... by argent · · Score: 5, Funny

    If it was broken...

    And on fire...

  51. Re:Brilliant by jm92956n · · Score: 2, Informative

    My sentiments exactly; a coworker of mine purchased a 20 GB Dell DJ that I played around with. In typical Dell fashion, it works exactly as I thought it would. The interface is, for the most part, a duplicate of the iPod's, but the awkward rocker is nowhere near as easy to use as the iPod's touch-based scroll mechanism. It's especially painful when navigating through a large selection of music. In addition, the device is too wide to fit into some pockets. I've not had the opportunity to use the included software, but I hear it's not as well designed as iTunes.

    Yes, it plays music. So does the iPod. Only the latter does it far better.

    --
    An effective signature identifies a particular user amongst a base of thousands.
  52. Re:Flames? Here's some by outZider · · Score: 2, Insightful

    In the end, how you feel is all that matters. The UI is better for /me/, so /I/ buy the iPod.

    --
    - oZ
    // i am here.
  53. Where's Ellen Feiss when you need her? by Petronius · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...I mailed my old iPod, my friend told me "dude, you're getting a Dell", I received it with the $100, turned it on, loaded some mp3s and it was like BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP. My music was gone!
    So with the $100, I bought a pink iPod mini. Life is good again. My name is Ellen Feiss. I'm a switcher.

    --
    there's no place like ~
  54. Re:thats a bit low by ajservo · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I work in digital video, and companies out there do competitive upgrades all the time.

    Avid for your old discreet machine/Apple workstation

    Matrox wanted people's old editing cards for a nice $300 (30% off) discount on their new one.

    This is a common practice. Although, I don't see this being a blockbuster promotion.

    I, for one, will keep my ipod. I don't have any way to play my AAC files on a Dell DJ.

    Plus the DJ's interface looks nasty compared to my pod.

  55. Re:Brilliant by tmbg37 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    That's not necessarily true. The Apple iPod has many advantages over any competing brand, such as its popularity and association with mp3 players, iTunes lock-in, being the first to market, etc. I can easily see the Dell DJ being a better product and not gaining market share.

    --
    This comment was thought up very late at night and does not necessarily reflect my views at a more reasonable hour.
  56. can Apple send in dead iPods? by microcars · · Score: 2, Funny
    wouldn't that be ironic if Apple had a pallet of dead/destroyed/unrepairable iPods and they sent them all in to Dell?

    I wonder how much money Dell loses when it sells a DJ Jukebox for $100?

    I know if *I* was running Apple, I'd certainly try to take advantage of this fabulous offer!

    --
    I like microcars
    1. Re:can Apple send in dead iPods? by dasmegabyte · · Score: 4, Funny

      This would be such a classic Steve Jobs thing, too. Have all AAPL employees send in a busted iPod. Cash in all the rebates. And crush all of the Jukeboxes into a big cube. Send the cube back to Dell for "recycling."

      --
      Hey freaks: now you're ju
  57. You forgot a zero in there by raga · · Score: 4, Informative
    1st gen iPods go for around $200.

    cheers- raga

  58. A Little DELL History (Re:thats a bit low) by seawall · · Score: 5, Informative
    DELL started in Michael Dell's dorm room. He'd buy "graymarket" IBM PC's (dealers got steep discounts for large orders, so they would order more than they could sell) and then he'd resell them below Suggested Retail Price.

    If anybody would understand about trade-in, reselling and buying a new iPod, wouldn't it be Michael Dell?

  59. Re:thats a bit low by illumin8 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why? I work for a company that manufacturers portable medical diagnostic equipment.

    Pretty much every company in this field offers a mail-in rebate (often times as much as the original purchase price) for our devices if you send in any competitors device.

    We regularly box up the devices that are sent to us and ship them back to their original manufacturer so that they know to take those devices out of their support database and to kind of "rub it in their faces" that we've had X number of their customers switch to our product (they do the same to us).

    I can say for a fact that this does not happen in the computer industry. Companies like IBM, HP, and Sun realize that if they leave trade-in equipment in circulation, it will just end up on eBay somewhere, where it will be competing against their own salespeople for new revenue. For this reason, any competitive trade ins are always destroyed. There's no point in sending it back to the original manufacturer who will only remanufacture it and resell it. Why would we give money to our competitors.

    I suggest your company should strongly consider doing the same. Don't you know that your competitors probably have the ability to refurbish or remanufacture their own equipment and sell it to people again?

    --
    "When the president does it, that means it's not illegal." - Richard M. Nixon
  60. Fence your stolen iPods by JLavezzo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Since there were reports a couple weeks ago that theves are targeting iPods, sounds like Dell wants to make it easy to fence them!

  61. Re: I can give it a shot... by Blondie-Wan · · Score: 4, Informative
    Ok, I'll take a stab at it (do bear in mind this is coming from a Raving Apple Zealot, but I'll try to be fair):

    1) The DDJ (arguably) isn't as well-designed as the iPod - it's uglier, and not as nice to use (this is highly subjective, obviously, but it's a widely-held view).

    2) The DDJ doesn't play music from the iTMS (both because it doesn't support the file type, AAC - see below, and because it doesn't support Apple's DRM). It presumably does support DRM'ed WMA files from a number of other music download services, but the iTMS is arguably the best of the DRM'd download outfits, and the one people are most likely to already have music from anyway, given its 70% market share.

    3) The DDJ doesn't support as many file types (MP3, WMA, and WAV for the DDJ, vs MP3, WAV, AAC, AIFF, Audible, and Apple Lossless for the iPod).

    4) The DDJ is larger and heavier than any iPod (even the 15 GB DDJ is larger and heavier than the 40 GB iPod).

    5) The most capacious DDJ holds 20 GB; the most capacious iPod holds twice that.

    That said, the DDJ does have some indisputable advantages over the iPod (the aforementioned price and battery life), and for a Windows user who hasn't already started getting music from the iTMS, it's worth considering. I'd still rather have an iPod, though, because it's nicer to use and I'd rather have iTMS compatibility than compatibility with the various vendors of songs in WMA format. As things are right now, I not only already have a bunch of music from the iTMS, I'm also on the Mac, so the DDJ is right out for me. YMMV, as always.

  62. Offer has problems with it. by catwh0re · · Score: 2, Insightful
    It doesn't work with the easiest online music store, that has the best restrictions (or lack thereof), that are the same for every single song & album, that I purchase. I like to be in reasonable control and "own" my music.

    I'd rather die before using the visual abortion that is windows media player. (pre iTunes, i muchly perferred winamp, as it wasn't a under optimised clutterific splendor of crap that WMP has built itself to be.)

    Also i'd like a product that actually has a continuing development cycle, that has shown that customer feedback, technological advances and hardware flaw identification make design changes in new revisions. Not just a competitors fickle attempt at duplicating a market.

    Dell's philosophy to market research is seeing what other people are doing that makes money and photocopying it. So as proven by history, they'll have whatever new toys other companies have.. just 2 years later, and in some cheap metallic or blue plastic

    The final problem is that I'd have to actually use a Dell DJ, ever used one? It's a nuclear winter of discontentment.

    Finally since I've had my iPod for several years now fault free I don't see any reason to give it up. (10GB model..) I was even using it on my old PC with XPod software for windows. I've personally had no battery issues with mine. Out of 3 Million iPods sold, a very small % happen to have the dreaded battery issue, hardly a reason to jump ship to a product still in it's first (and probably last) cycle.

  63. Re: I can give it a shot... by TimTheFoolMan · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hey... with all that unbiased analysis, you're giving Raving Apple Zealots a bad name.

    Tim

  64. Re:Brilliant by gordgekko · · Score: 2, Insightful

    > being the first to market,

    I love the Jobs Reality Distortion Field...now he can go back in time to create the first hard drive MP3 player. Forget about the others that came before!

    --
    You want to know who isn't running Firefox 2.x? They spell it "definately" and "rediculous".
  65. Re:thats a bit low by Oliver+Wendell+Jones · · Score: 4, Informative

    Ah, but you missed the key word "Medical" which means that once it's used, it's considered to be biohzardous/contaminated and can not be re-manufactured or re-used.

    Aside from the obvious "rub it in their faces", it is actually useful to know which devices are out of circulation so that in the event of (heaven forbid) a medical device recall, you won't waste millions of dollars trying to track down devices that people have already traded in.

    --
    A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing -- Emo Phillips
  66. This is good and all, but... by LinuxTek · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I will still hold my money for when an MP3 player comes out that supports Linux as a desktop OS. Meaning, that it has a native application for linux.

    I could care less for an MP3 player that I need to recompile my kernel, fetch some obscure CLI app, and basically treat it as a USB drive.

    --
    Signatures are supposed to be funny?
  67. iPod's faults by The+Axe · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I know many people complain about this, but my 20GB 3rd gen iPod only gives me practically 6 or 7 hours of battery life (bought it in December of '03...use it quite a lot), which is extremely inconvenient, especially considering how much other players manage. Also, it doesn't have an FM tuner or the ability to play back OGG. Don't get me wrong, I love my iPod, but if the 4th gen iPods can give me significantly more battery life, an FM tuner, and (optionally) more file formats, I would drop up to $500 on the highest end model, because 20GB is no longer enough for me.

    Otherwise, I might go for an iRiver.

    On another note, would having my name engraved on the back of my iPod affect its resale value? I couldn't think of a cool Latin phrase or something geeky enough, so I just put my name down in case it gets stolen at school or something.

  68. Dell setting themselves up for a nightmare by gwoodrow · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I'd hate to work at Dell's customer service/call center when thousands of angry people start contacting them because they have thousands of songs they bought on iTunes that just don't seem to work on Dell's jukebox.

  69. Dell shipping free software? by immel · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Dell is also offering free shipping, free software..." Do my eyes decieve me? Is Dell going to start shipping software under the banner of the GPL? Or are their DJs now going to run linux?

    --

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