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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.
Interesting...Apple is willing to address the cracked Nano screens, but not the scratched ones.
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.
Hmm...all Apple needs to do to verify the scope of this problem is open up a web browser. To say there's been a lot in the media about the iPod Nano and its butter-soft screen would be a masterpiece of understatement. Googling 'ipod nano screen scratch' yields 521,000 results.
If you are unfortunate enough to own a Nano, here's some helpful links:
Hope this helps.
____
~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey
Apple said the Nano is made of the same polycarbonate plastic as the fourth-generation iPod...
...which also scratches fairly easily! Even with light use, some sort of case is a good idea. I got one of those rubber skins for my 4G and it works great.
The screen does scratch very easily. A friend got one and a few hours later, the screen had fine scratches all over it. His 3G iPod had no scratches on it, so he seems to be very careful. There's something different about the Nano than other iPods that must contribute to this.
I'll bet Apple will very quietly introduce some changes to contruction but won't admit to it. The scratches will not be heard from again.
You were mistaken. Which is odd, since memory shouldn't be a problem for you
The thing is, the nano is thin like a cell phone. I've already snapped two non-clamshell model cell phones in half by sitting on them - taking the screens out with them and losing all my data. Fortunately the cell phone was free and I cared more for the data than the phone itself. I don't think you can say the same thing for the nano.
Thin electronic items just snap. Period. That's why the clam-shell cell phone design became more popular IMHO. It was thicker and didn't snap in half unless you really made an effort.
READY.
PRINT ""+-0
I know this article is about the defective/cracked screens, but I've also read where ppl are upset that the screen is scratched easily. Hello, it's plastic, not glass, it's going to get scratched up, just like your car is going to get door dinged in the parking lot; that's life. My 20G iPod is always on, and yeah, it's 'trashed' according to some, but hey, I think it's worn nicely, it was never my goal to keep it in 'mint condition'; it's not a 1965 Mustang or anything. As for the cases, they're just silly IMO; you take a beautifully designed piece of technology, and then wrap it in some guady piece of rubber. Uggg...to each his own, but ppl that *need* to put cases on their iPods are the same ppl that put bras on the front of their cars. Listen to the music, that's what it's there for...
fak3r.com
It used to be that any thing you bought from Apple was almost bullet proof. (ca 1995) I still have computers from that time that are running just fine. Since then they have gone to less expensive and hence cheaper parts, and this is no longer true. My five newer computers from Apple have ALL had problems. Apple fixed those problems but i'd rather have the old bullet proof ones. Still 0.1% is not a lot of defects but it will be expensive to Apple to repair.
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Could it just be scale? A few small scratches on a small screen is the equivelent of larger scratches on a bigger screen.
Such gadgets are that are clearly intended for everyday use should be designed with at least reasonable quality expectations in mind. For a product that is undeniably going to be rolling around in people's pockets, you would expect that a company would make sure that their product would not be easily abused.
From what I have read, the Nano is quite sturdy as far as the amount of physical abuse it can take, but the scratching is still a problem. It is not unreasonable for people to expect such products to be at least reasonably scratch-resistant. PDA's, cell phones, and other similar devices don't really tend to have the scratching problems that Nano adopters have expressed frustration over. The fact that there *are* so many people that have voiced on the issue (even though Apple doesn't really admit it) should give an indication to non-owners that maybe there really is a problem. There does appear to be a lot of non-owners that have come down on those that have complained about the issue, but from my analysis over the past few days, other Nano owners tend to sympathize with those people even if they haven't been bothered by it.
I definitely expect Apple to address the scratching issue internally, even if they don't publically recall the Nanos that have been easily scratched (though it does sound like most retailers are giving refunds without much hassle).
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Athletic Scholarships to universities make as much sense as academic scholarships to sports teams.
Apple Product Life Cycle
Rarely occuring flaw causes uproar(scratches/cracks whatever): check
Link to previous slashdot post lead to comment section where first comment was "wait for next revision": check
-Reed
My 60GB iPod photo screen is terribly scratch-prone. I carried it home in the fleece-lined pocket of my coat, and it got a huge round scratch from the earbud - with the fuzzy cover over the earbud!
Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.
What do you mean? They're doing great! They've really mastered the art of making easily cracked plastic goods! ;)
..... regardless of how many iPods are affected. The mere mention of this issue caused it's stock value to nosedive 4.4% yesterday. (Surf to HERE for more on this)
Part of the problem is that Apple has become a MP3 player company, and not a computer company. According to most people in the know, they don't turn a profit from their music store and the so-called halo effect of the iPod is of limited value to them. And then there's the Merrill Lynch downgrade to neutral from buy that they got this morning (Click HERE for more) because "although Apple's recent performance has been extraordinary, there are question marks over the effect of the imminent transition to Intel-based hardware."
Not good if you're an Apple investor.
This is my opinion. To make sure you don't steal it, it's covered by the DMCA.
Googling 'ipod nano screen scratch' yields 521,000 results.
Geez, have they sold that many of them already? That's amazing if they have.
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
Problem with the plastic cases is that I bought my ipod because of its small form factor, then I get to make it bulkier just to keep it looking nice, but you have to remove the cover anyway just to dock the damn thing.
I agree,
... if you SIT ON THEM! So stop carrying it in your back pocket!
Thin electronic items just snap
I don't have a nano, but every other iPod I've had (first and third generation and shuffle) is very scratch-prone. I doubt Nanos are any different. People are just noticing it because this one fits in your pocket, IMO. If they say it's the same plastic, it either is, or it isn't. Are you saying it isn't?
I love my Nano. I have a black 4GB Nano, customized. The screen is fine. I have abused it just as much as any other reasonable person. I can assure you that the Nano is no more scratchable than any other 4G iPod. The Mini, which I also own, was impervious to costmetic destruction, though.
... get a life.
It boils down to this: minor scratches and imperfections are likely with any daily-use product. That's why there's an industry for iPod protectors. HOWEVER, I'd rather have a slighly scuffed Nano with it's nice sheen and sleek profile than to have a Nano with a huge clunky protector that makes it look like crap.
So if you want a Nano, perhaps you should consider that your expectations have been set too high if you think a scuff or scratch is unacceptible. You'r probably the kind of person who gets minor dents and dings on your car fixed the day they happen. Or better yet, are you the lamer that has a car bra? Let it go. Damage happens. The Nano is not at fault-- look in the mirror.
I'm not discrediting the people who had actual CRACKED screens-- that's B.S. It should be fixed. Scratches
"Politicians find new names for institutions which under old names have become odious to the people."
So you're saying that the lesson is "Consumer electronics made of nice-textured semi-soft plastics can scratch easily"?
I mean, I hate cosmetic scratches as much as the next guy, but every farking portable electronic device I own has scratches on it. My GBA has scratches, and it carry it around in a case. My iPod mini has scratches, and I keep it in a pocket, alone. My old CD player is covered in pits and scratches from living in my backpack with BOOKS (no metal, no binders, books).
Jeez, someone call the wah-mbulance. I can understand being angry about faulty batteries, but wear and tear? *rolls eyes*
All iPods are equally scratchable.
How badly they get scratched depends on how well you take care of it.
If they're ending up terribly, horribly scratched, then you aren't taking care of it. My 3G is roughed up, but isn't horribly scratched cause I keep it in the case it came with whenever I use it.
These are not only good for PDAs, but they make them for digital camera screens, too. Its clear, its plastic, it'll take the dings, and its cheap.
Isn't it obvious?
In the future, I would want to not be isolated from my friends in the Space Station.
The Mini had an aluminium casing. All other iPods have some form of plastic.
iPod 3G - Scratched to hell
Nokia Phone - Scratched to hell, but ugly so scratches don't notice
Key Fob - Scratched to hell
Gameboy - Scratched to hell
My leather wallet is scratched. My keys have scratches.
If you put something in you pocket it will scratch. Now break? Thats a different story. If the screen on my phone, iPod or Gameboy had broken through what I would concider fair use - putting it in my pocket, I'd be kicking up a fuss.
Apple are doing the right thing by replacing the parts that have broken. If you don't want something to scratch, don't put it in your pocket, or let it touch anything else.
Scared of flying, pointy things snce 1979!
Any plastic item needs care. I bought a 35 thousand dollar Honda S2000 back in the days when the rear window was plastic. That thing got scratched every single time you lowered or raised the convertible top. If you think Nano owners are bent out of shape, you should have seen the Honda message boards. After a while, people figured out that if you cared for the plastic window with Plexus or a similar product, and treated it with appropriate caution, it was fine. It really seems to me that every iPod release is accompanied by a chorus of complainers--first the battery life (a problem I never had with any of my four iPods), then clicking noises between tracks (a software issue addressed by Apple), then HD noise on the output (easily fixed--get a non-HD device!), and now the screen is scratching up. Excuse me if I don't have much sympathy. My half-decade of iPod ownership tells me that this is a bunch of sour grapes and buyer's remorse.
They were referring to the scratching issue, not the cracking issue. The article was pretty clear about that. You know...the article? The one that you rea...oh, right.
OOPS - Link included below:
This guy has a pictoral on how he fixed up his nano screen with Brasso. Pretty amazing stuff, if it's legit.
- - - - - - - - -
Want a nano? Find 5 others that want a nano too, and you're all set.
I'm not picking on you, yours was just the first post that I saw talking about the goodness of fleece-lined pockets.
Fleece, cotton, or almost any other natural fiber is just great at picking up all sorts of tiny, rough, abrasive objects. It feels nice and soft to your hands because those tiny objects are too small for your hands to feel, but at some point, enough of them accumulate and that soft, fleece-lined pocket starts acting like a sandpaper-lined pocket.
Fuzzy covered earbud? It just ground the abrasive gunk into your iPod.
-h-
I totally disagree.
Since this bitch session about the Nano is just a typical part of the Apple product life cycle (i.e., happens every time a new model is released), the smart investor increased his position at the end of the day yesterday and watches the profits roll in over the next few weeks as this blows over. I threw an extra 5K on before the bell, and I'm already up 2% on the morning trading.
On this topic, watch what happens during the buildup to Intel Macs next year. The stock will build as news outlets figure out the implications of OS X on Intel. Then some flaw will be found in the first gen Intel Macs. Then it will blow over. You have to know when to buy Apple to make money as an Apple investor. Personally, I'm up over 30% average across all my shares, and more than 150% on certain individual purchases. Those are real estate numbers, my friend. Bring on the complainers!
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If Jesus wants me it knows where to find me.
I actually think its a conspiracy to reintroduce the smoking jacket. You iPod would be in grand shape if it was housed in a lovely Velvet jacket
The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
Athletic Scholarships to universities make as much sense as academic scholarships to sports teams.
I am very suspicious that the broken screens and the scratched screens are due to the same problem. And as such are merely polar ends of the real issue.
Could it be, that the manufacturer's "hardener" levels were off. Certain polycarbonate batches receiving too much "hardeners" (resulting in cracked screens) and other batches receiving too little "hardener" resulting is extremely easy scratched screens.
I find it interesting from a chemical engineering stand point that both problems could be directly related to a fluctuation of hardener levels but not a single article or post I've read has mentioned the possibility of such?
- The Saj
I paid 200 dollars for my nano. Maybe to you that isn't a lot of money, but to me it is. I wanted the nano because of its size, so I could stick it in my pocket and not think about it, just enjoy my music. Buying a case for it would not only make it bulkier, but take away from the beauty of its appearance. I now spend more time thinking about if my nano is getting scratched from the way that I am carrying it, rather than listening to and enjoyinh my music, like I should be.
I think the problem is that the shiny plastic aesthetic of the nano is the very thing which appeals to people who are really bothered about scratches. I'm far more likely to buy a device with an aluminium case, or which looks more functional than funky.
Hmm...all Apple needs to do to verify the scope of this problem is open up a web browser. To say there's been a lot in the media about the iPod Nano and its butter-soft screen would be a masterpiece of understatement. Googling 'ipod nano screen scratch' yields 521,000 results.
Personally, i'm greatly offended with the amount of attention this is getting in light of so much more serious problems.
Almost nobody in this country seems to care about the rampant and unchecked violence of werewolves against the U.S. population.
The problem should be clear and obvious to the government and the population. One has merely to do a Google search on "werewolf attack 2004 u.s." to find that there were almost half a million werewolf attacks last year in this country.
That's just ridiculous.
Darth --
Nil Mortifi, Sine Lucre
>Googling 'ipod nano screen scratch' yields 521,000 results.
You're joking, right? Of course it does- it displays almost every webpage that has 'ipod', 'nano', 'screen' and 'scratch' in it. Is that supposed to mean anything? Googling "ipod nano screen scratch" yields nine hits, and guess what, this doesn't mean anything either.
J.
You think that's bad? Forget scratches, 'ipod nano kills' yields 120,000 results! :)
They didn't get anything wrong. What the article submitter didn't quote was the part where the Apple guy says the Nano is not only made of the same material as the higher-end iPods, but that they've received no complaints about those iPods.
Some of the other posters who don't believe Apple and post a bunch of links to websites are making a logical fallacy. Just because there are websites doesn't make the problem widespread. It's not. It's been blown out of proportion by a contingent of people who just don't like iPods for various reasons, including competitors who have been astroturfing websites in a desperate attempt to discredit the Nano.
In a couple of weeks, nobody will even remember any of this "controversy," because it's overblown and phony. The Nanos are selling like hotcakes.
"Sufferin' succotash."
I've got an iPod Shuffle. No scratches on my screen!
Apple Made Them
Of course, we all know that Apple are fairly close to perfect, so this is obviously big new. Not quite as big as the news that Google did something wrong, but pretty big, nonetheless. Of course, if it had been Microsoft then it wouldn't have been news, but it would still have been posted on Slashdot so people could have a chance to say how much better Linux is, and how Apple would never have made the same mistake.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
Look, like has been mentioned by many in That Other Thread, most people buying the Nano have plenty of prior experience with plastic pocket gadgets, and the kind of wear and tear they can reasonably expect. I doubt most of these people would all of a sudden complain about the same sort of scratches on their Nano that they already have on their cell phone etc. I have a Sony Ericsson T610 phone, which has black shiny plastic around the screen almost identical to the Nano. I always keep it in my pocket without a case, rubbing against the keys and change. The silver painted parts are seriously scratched and and worn, with the white plastic underneath showing through in many places. The T-Mobile logo is completely worn off, not a trace of it is left. And yet the screen and black plastic parts have no scratches to speak of. Sure, there are some surface abrasions that make it a bit matte rather than shiny in a few areas (especially around edges and corners), but there are no prominent scratches or gouges. The screen itself has virtually no visible damage. A lot more annoying is pocket lint that makes its way through openings (around keys, through the battery compartment etc.) behind the screen. I've seen several of the posted pictures of considerably scratched Nanos. Assuming the scratches really happened through trivial use and not due to malicious actions to denigrate Apple, I must conclude that the Nano does indeed scratch a lot easier than other devices.
I completely removed all scratches from my black nano using Brasso. (Which I got the idea for from the previous Slashdot thread on this.)
:) I think that's the main issue with the nano, you (mostly) can't get cases right now either through Apple or third-parties. I imagine by the end of the month this won't be the case and this issue will blow over just in time for the Christmas buying season.
Full story here. Check out the before and after pictures, I was really surprised by the great results.
And yes, my nano is now sitting in a baggie, waiting for my case to arrive.
- "When you want something with all your heart, the entire universe conspires to give it to you" -Paulo Coelho
Googling for 'baby zombie rampage' yields 98,900 results! Run for your lives!
The screens that are cracking in this case are the LCD module inside the iPod nano, not the polycarbonate plastic sheet over it. I know this because it is when the glass (yes, glass) inside the LCD breaks is when you hear people describe that simultaneous with the display cracking also the pixels stopped responding on one side of the crack (or both). Also, people are saying the LCD cracked on them, with "no external damage". This they are referring to a crack inside the unit, not on the polycarbonate cover.
Honestly, it's by far the most common problem I've had with LCDs. I've broken LCDs in both pagers and cellphones in this same fashion (LCD glass broken, not outside plastic). And I'm sure most people have has similar experiences.
So, you're way off. They cannot be the same issue.
As to perhaps the scratches problem itself is due to hardener, I agree it is possible. But having scratched a few iPods in my day also (including a nano), I have to believe Apple's story here. It's no different than the others except perhaps that since the screen is so small and the pixel density so high, scratches matter more than they have in the past.
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
First of all, I'm both an investor and a customer. I can't imagine being one and not the other. Secondly, Apple hasn't done anything but respond to customer issues--it's not as if they stop paying attention to problem hardware as soon as their share price recovers. (Anyone remember the PowerBook AC replacement program?) Third, at some point you have to look at the pattern of consumers griping every time a new Apple product is released and ask yourself: is Apple failing its consumers, or is a small minority of consumers just a bunch of whiners? Considering that Apple has always managed to recover from these temporary "debacles" in short measure, I suspect that the consumers are being unreasonable. I mean, come on, they're bitching about scratches! Finally, as I point out in another posting here, this happens to all sorts of manufacturers all the time. The hype around Apple releases just seems to amplify the backlash too.
So is your cellphone scratch-free? Is your Gameboy scratch-free? How about your keychains, etc etc? Scratches happen, granted you can use "scratch-proof" plastics but even those scratch and they are rather expensive. Don't believe me? Go to the optomotrist and ask to have your lenses made of scratch-proof plastic, it's at least $30 most everyplace. Sure $30 doesn't seem like much, until you start trying to hit a certain price point with your product and a certain profit margin to stay profitable.
Slashdot had a story on the materials cost for the nano and put it somewhere around $98 including assembly cost, let's say scratch-proof plastic costs a manufacturer roughly 33% of what you pay at the eye doctor, so it's $10 per screen. You've just increased the material cost of your product by 10%, that's huge! Even 5% would be a lot margin-wise. As someone else said, a good rule of thumb is every $1 extra in materials cost translates to $4 more in final product price.
iPods can take a great deal of abuse, but demanding that they not even scratch is rather rediculous. All portable devices scratch when you put them in a pocket or bag unprotected, that's why most cell phones with LCDs and the GBA-SP are clamshell style, they fold over to protect the delicate screen. Just try leaving your phone flipped open or your GBA-SP open and in a backpack, I guarantee you'll see the same amount of scratching. And aren't these portable devices expected to go everywhere with you? Phones especially are designed to take damage, I've dropped mine at a jog more times than I care to think about and it's scratched to hell but still works.
And before anyone goes off on my armchair QBing here, I own an ipod mini, and my friend purchased a nano last week. I've seen and used ipods, they're just like any other screen, take care with it and it'll be fine, treat it like the whole thing is made of stainless steel and don't be surprised when normal wear occurs.
The other point that people seem to be glossing over and that I tried to highlight in my OP was that Apple is claiming the nano screens (outer plastic) are the same material as all other ipods. So that means one of two things, either Apple is lying (not smart, and why would they, they only stand to lose in that case) or people are doing more damage and/or have higher expectations than before. Perhaps it's just people's perception, no one much noticed or cared about a few scratches when it was just B/W text song titles being displayed, but now that they have a tiny color screen every obscured pixel is a personal affront!
Again, if in fact the materials are the same then the only way they can scratch more (than previous ipod models) is through different use!
-- I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist. It's not my fault that life sucks so much. --