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iPod Nano Scratches Result In Suit
Evil W1zard writes "Earlier this week a class action lawsuit against Apple was filed claiming that the iPod Nano has a widespread propensity for scratching easily. The lawsuit alleges that Apple violated state consumer protection statutes, as well as express and implied warranties and charges that Apple knew that there were design problems with the Nano." From the article: "An Apple representative declined to comment on the suit, but Apple has stated that the Nano is made of the same polycarbonate material that's found in previous iPods and maintained that the scratching problem does not appear to be widespread. The lawsuit charges, however, that the Nano contains a thinner coating of resin than on previous iPod models."
"The amount and durability of the resin applied as a protective coating during the Nano manufacturing process is clearly defective in that it is not sufficient to adequately protect the face of the Nano from extreme scratching and ultimately irreparable damage," the lawsuit says.
Notice that this statement is meant to sound like Apple just rigged Grandma's respirator to fail due to shoddy workmanship. While there is certainly damage to the Nano, and the coating process is "clearly defective", I don't buy for a minute the last statment that the players are irrparably damaged. There are plenty ways that Apple can make good without paying a fucking nickle to these assholes.
Mind you, I am no Apple fanboy and am not against filing law suits when people are being scammed, but this suit is just one more reason to ship lawyers to the Moon to minimize contamination of the rest of the world's population.
"Rocky Rococo, at your cervix!"
I didnt know you could just sue people for releasing a crappy product.
I guess Microsoft and ATI both owe me a few bucks.
the Nano contains a thinner coating of resin than on previous iPod models
Yes, well, the nano ITSELF is thinner than previous iPod models...
Send email from the afterlife! Write your e-will at Dead Man's Switch.
call for mega lawsuits!
... Have anything better to worry about? I mean, we jump when our MP3 players scratch, but major issues like voting, the environment, and the homeless are all just glossed over as something too complicated to worry about, or not worth the effort. I am not trying to flame anyone in particular, since if, indeed Apple produced a shoddy practice they should be held accountable. SOmetimes, I just feel as if people don't realize there is more to life then a little piece of plastic and silicon.
But I'm new here...
As an owner of an ipod nano I can attest to it being easily scratched. I had it not only 1 week and it seemed like its been thrown around for months, since then Ive been trying to buy a case for it but the local apple store is always sold out. Yes it scartches easily, but it still plays music, which is the reason I bought it, to listen to mp3s. Its not worth the time effort and money to get into a lawsuit with apple over!
GL HF!
They just put a regular iPod in a cloner and reduced the scale. If you put a Nano in your cloner and increase the scale back to normal, the resin layer will compensate.
No sig for you!!
Did anyone else have to read this headline four or five times?
I finally got it, though. Someone had their iPod in their suit, which managed to scratch their results.
What if I do the same thing, and I do get different results?
Materials aside, these scratching problems seem symptomatic of a big step backwards in design. The iPod mini that the nano replaced was built from tough, brushed aluminum that stayed beautiful even after months in a pocket with change and car keys.
(I [heart] my iPod mini.)
Mind you the article says that they're suing Apple because the scratches can get so severe it prevents one from seeing the screen. If that is the case in ALL of these "scratch" cases, sure, Apple should replace it. Notice how Apple is replacing the Nanos with cracked screens.
However, I seriously doubt that with REGULAR USE (meaning under normal conditions) wear and tear is such that majority of these Nanos actually can't see the screen.
TANSTAAFL
The lawsuit seemed somewhat legitimate until I read this little gem at ipodnn.com http://www.ipodnn.com/news/05/10/21/ipod.nano.laws uit/
Apple said anyone who felt the issue was big enough would repair or replace the Nano at no charge ...
what else do these jerkoffs want?
Yell & scream & rant & rave... it's no use... you need a shaaaave ~ Bugs Bunny
All the people I know ( about 10) that have the nano, including myself, have scratches all over including the metal plate on the back. I used mine for about 3 days and it has been sitting on my desk ever since. It seems to get scratches if you breathe on it funny or if dust should settle on it. Also, go to your local Apple store and see how many they have in pristine condition. Nano...good concept, less than stellar execution...
The gates in my computer are AND, OR and NOT; they are not Bill.
I got a ridiculous amount of hits to my blog posting from a couple of weeks ago where I cleaned the scratches off my nano with Brasso. Actually, I got the idea from the original slashdot thread on the nano scratching issues.
My take: the nano doesn't scratch more than a normal iPod, but it's so small that you're tempted to pocket it, causing more scratches than you would get in the un-pocketable full-size iPods. I see that with the new iPods w/video Apple is now including a *really* basic (fabric?) case. Maybe that was a response to all the talk about the nano. I do think that the nano needs some sort of screen protector or case in order to stay scratch free. I made mine from some old PDA screen protectors.
- "When you want something with all your heart, the entire universe conspires to give it to you" -Paulo Coelho
I'd be more concerned with the fact that the battery is soldered onto the unit! Of course, before the rechargable battery's worn out, you'll buy the IPod Pico ... and a magnifying glass.
[Insert pithy quote here]
People really could stand to take better care of their stuff. I've had a 4G iPod for more than a year now, and there are hardly any scratches on it at all. It's simply a matter of being responsible and not tossing your precious electronic devices into a pile of nails and scorpions. In my opinion, this lawsuit is ridiculous and should be thrown out.
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity but they've always worked for me" - HST
Well, I don't know about CHEAP watches. Good watches have sapphire crystals, which aren't very easy to scratch.
Fundamentally it's a matter of hardness; anything will scratch if it encounters something harder. Hard materials like diamond and sapphire are pretty much inherently expensive. Thus, any material that would be practical for an iPod will scratch.
I have seen the future, and it is inconvenient.
They failed to warn you about the face getting scratched.
This just means that the 50-page book of safety instructions that noone reads will now have a 51st page stating that you should not place the unit next to or touching anything that can scratch it, deface it, mar the surface, or look at it crosseyed.
Intron: the portion of DNA which expresses nothing useful.
You have to pay a lot more to get mineral crystals in watches. However, cheap watches tend to be protected by raised buttons or recessed faces. They often have plastic gaskety things around the faces that are a mm or so thick. This protects them from being scratched when they're tossed on your bureau.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
I got my nano a few weeks ago, and managed to avoid all problems with screen scratches by using a screen protector bought for my palm pilot. I had to trim the protector to fit on the nano, but it's barely noticeable that it's on there and I have not had a single scratch on the screen.
True, I shouldn't have to do that; maybe Apple should have used a better material for the screen. In the end I see this as another frivolous lawsuit that's destroying this country.
do the scratches prevent operation of unit or cut it's life short?
NODRTA.
OMFG! Where do I begin?
1. Every iPod I own has gotten scratches.
2. If you don't like scratches, get a case.
3. If you already have scratches, try Brasso or iCleaner. I've tried both and they work well.
Bottom line, scratches are the responsiblity of the owner. GM won't replace your car if YOU scratch it, so why should Apple pay up if your iPod gets scratched. Meaning that if you own an iPod Nano, it's YOUR fault that you have scratches. Please deal with it in a way that does not involve the justice system as it is NOT their problem.
This is my opinion. To make sure you don't steal it, it's covered by the DMCA.
Most people can be upset about the price of oil, the degradation of the environment, the war, natural disasters, AND shitty product design.
However, if you're the same troll we used to call "barcode" at Planet Crap (is that site still around?), then you wouldn't understand anyway.
Cheers.
Clearly, Apple should have provided guidelines to help keep everyone's iPod Nanos from getting scratched. I guess it falls to me to provide this valuable public service:
3 . / show/70's_badluck.wav.
1. Do not keep iPod Nano in the same pocket as your keys.
2. Do not run over iPod Nano with your car: http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/nano.ars/
3. Do not use iPod Nano to scratch off your lottery tickets. Invest in a quarter, instead.
4. Do not keep iPod Nano in the same pocket as your keys, dumbass: http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/tombstone/839
5. Do not gnaw nervously on iPod Nano.
and finally...
6. Maybe think about investing in a $20 ultra-thin case for iPod Nano: http://www.speckproducts.com/nano-skintight.html.
FWIW, in my experience, there are two kinds of people in this world. Those who know how to take care of personal electronics and those who casually throw their new toys in with their spare change. I've had the same iPod for almost 2.5 years now. Still runs fine, still without scratches, and I've taken it jogging, biking, to work, to the bathroom, across state lines, etc. I guess some people just can't have nice things.
Car Dents Result in Suit
People who drive their new cars on the road have begun filing class action lawsuits against major automotive companies such as Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota and Honda claiming that their vehicles are getting damaged when getting into accidents. Ford has responded by saying, "Well, maybe if these idiots knew how to drive without hitting things..."
no, not really. i still use my ears...
always mosh clockwise
Complaining about a few scratches?!? How about running over it twice with a car and still playing music on it?
People are being too obsessive about the "status" the iPod gives the owner, and not realizing that it's a damn solid product.
IWARS.
People, in general, disappoint me. Politicians even more so.
PDA users have had this problem for a long time, which is why there are brisk sales for PDA screen protectors.
No.. PDA screen protectors are used because you *write* on the screen.. with a stick of plastic. A little bit of sand gets under your stylus and you'll mash it into the screen.
My cellphone lives just fine in my pocket, and doesn't have any visible scratches even though it's 2 years old. My PDA is a few years old, and the only visible scratches are some stylus marks on the screen.
The Nano is poorly made.. that's all there is to it. I've seen display-model Nintendo DSs in better shape than the Nanos in the apple store.
I bought an iPod nano since they first started shipping and I don't have one scratch on it. It's black too, so scratches would be more visible.
I don't keep it in the same pocket as I do with keys, or other objects. I also run an hour daily, and the nano's in my hand/pocket during this time.
I don't know how people treat their nano - I'm somewhat alarmed at all this. It's an electronic product: treat it as such.
There are two kinds of cases for iPods out there.
Those that scratch easily, but prevent the iPod from getting scratched, and those that don't scratch easily.
The first make little sense to me. You are going to be carrying around a scratched gadget either way, and this way, you will just have to keep paying to replace the protection itself if you want to get rid of the scratches.
The second would be great, but I just don't get why if someone can make a scratch resistant case or cover, can't Apple make the iPod out of the same stuff. I'd gladly pay the extra $20 for the iPod in the first place if it means I don't need it to either be bulkier with a case or look like I covered it in tape.
And again... My iRiver player and my iPod mini are practically scratch-free after years of carrying them in my pockets with change and keys.
Apple has attracted a group of people that place an inordinate value on aesthetics. This isn't the first grumbling we've heard from the faithfull. Remember the Apple Cube and people complaining about "cracks" (small imperfections in the plastic) in the case? Now it's that the nano can get scratches in the screen. This is the price that Apple pays by attracting people that only seem to care about aesthetics. When something goes wrong with the aesthetics the faithfull scream their heads off.
AccountKiller
When they said the nano was redesigned from scratch, I guess they weren't kidding.
Weeks of coding saves hours of planning.
7. Do not taunt "Happy Fun Ball".
There's an article here on how to remove all scratches using some Brasso. Sheesh. Also just google for IPOD and BRASSO. And next time people treat it as though it were a tiny delicate piece of hightech equipment - oh wait, it is! I know, I know, people expect these to be like walkmen that can take anything you throw at them, but that is not expressed or implied by apple. C'mon people, the tech revolution has only been in full swing for a bit over a decade, everything isn't super-idiot-proof yet. Remember when we used to treat technology with a fair amount of respect and defference? It still demands at least a little bit. Treat it as though you spent $250 on it, cuz you did. And no, spending that much on something doesn't mean it should be indestructible, it just means it was expensive.
-- I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist. It's not my fault that life sucks so much. --
considering that it's not being scratched by the freakin' air, you have to do "something" to it to scratch it. Pay attention, find out what that it, stop doing that. problem solved.
I'm no apple fanboy, but not a big fan of idiots either.
I think you stumbled on the answer to this whole Nano-scratch debacle!
See, people who purchase Nanos are rich, thereby increasing the odds that they will have diamonds annd sapphires bouncing around in their pockets with their mp3 players!
You know what?
Re-reading my own comment, I see that it could be construed as recommending that humans have sex with many bonobos, which is not what I was trying to say. Oh, well.
Shop as usual. And avoid panic buying.
So sue them.
After all, I am strangely colored.
This is a small device that's intended to be pocketed, and it should have been designed to withstand the expected insult. Add to this the fact that the way the iPod *looks* is a huge part of why people want to buy it, and I think this might be a legitimate case.
If falling autumn leaves were enough to scratch the hell out of your new car, you'd probably be upset with the car manufacturer, and even more upset with people who tell you that you should have wrapped the whole thing in plastic.
First off, suggesting "liquid crystal" makes a watch face unscratchable... liquid crystal is the LC in LCD, it's not the face of the watch, it's the display, and there is nothing hard about it. It's behind glass. Pinch an LCD hard enough and that liquid crystal will spooge out and no longer work.
Even worse is the reply that "sapphire crystals are better for hardening the display" earned a "5 insightful" mod. WTF?
That's the crystal fragment in the watch's oscillator, used to keep time. If your watch face was made out of a semi precious gem, it would probably be rather expensive.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_oscillators.
What's up with doing free association of ideas and then sharing your brain dump like it's a collection of facts? Sheesh.
Hardness is also not "inherently expensive."
In any case, I'd rather have an iPod with a relatively soft plastic outside that scratches, but can be polished, rather than a glass (or wtf, gem) iPod that cracked or shattered.
You didn't even bother to research whether sapphire is used for watch faces or not, because even a cursory Google search would have found out that it is. Why don't you try http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapphire, under "synthetic sapphire for non-gemstone applications"?
And yes, you'll only find this on watches starting around $800 minimum; that's why it's not practical on an iPod! Which was the point of my post, at least.
As for your contention that hard materials are not expensive, can you please present an appropriate counter-example?
I have seen the future, and it is inconvenient.
Synthetic sapphire is way cheaper than that. I bought one about an inch across for under $10. Real synthetic sapphire too, leaves a horrific gouge in quartz if the two come into contact.
Hardware, software, and blinking lights!