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Apple to Replace Faulty Nano Screen
Sam Wil writes "Apple has acknowledged a flaw in the iPod nano screen that results in cracking, and attributes it to poor vendor quality. The defect affects less than one-tenth of 1 percent of all the nanos that have shipped so far. Apple will replace the screen of affected units for free." From the article: "However, the representative said that the screen-cracking issue is separate from reports that the slim new music player is more easily scratched than prior models. Complaints about both issues surfaced shortly after Apple introduced the flash memory-based Nano earlier this month. 'A few vocal customers are saying their Nano is more susceptible to scratching than prior iPods,' the Apple representative said. Apple said the Nano is made of the same polycarbonate plastic as the fourth-generation iPod and said it does not believe the scratching problem is widespread." You may recall we had a lively discussion about the screen-scratch flaw a short while back.
You fail to take into account that very nearly the only reason to purchase the Apple MP3 player in most cases is as a fashion accessory. When people make purchasing decisions based on perceived quality the item better look sharp for a long time, otherwise it's like having a Rolex with a hideous scratch on the crystal - and who wants to pay a premium for that?
For reasons of price, usability, and a whole host of other criteria I recommended my nephew purchase a Samsung YP-T7Z instead. He hasn't complained of any problems with it so far. It operates mainly like a thumb drive until you want to use it as an MP3 player. It's tiny (matchbox sized), has a color monitor, and thanks to it's joystick driven interface I was working the device with my ginormous hands within seconds. Perfect in every regard.
So why buy Apple unless you are after the social cachet that goes with it?