Posted on 05/28/2006 7:03:44 PM PDT by SamAdams76
OWNERS of iPods that die after a year are being told that Apple will not fix them.
According to the Guardian, Apple is telling punters who machines suffer from breakdowns after a year iPods are supposed to die after that time.
As the paper points out if you spent as much as iPod users do on their players on a fridge or a telly, you would expect it still to be working a year afterwards.
However, Apple seems to think the Sale of Goods Act, which indicates that such gizmos should really last five years, only applies to other manufacturers.
Each new iPod comes with one-year hardware service coverage. Customers can extend coverage for up to two years for £39. If the warranty has expired, Apple offers a repair service which includes a battery replacement at £49.
The Guardian has been advising its readers with iPod problems to quote the Sales of Goods Act at Apple and sometimes this has worked.
More often, the paper says, it hasn't.
Then, I guess, that you ever needed a pacemaker, and Apple made one, you'd have no problem with having one installed (and installed, and installed, and.....).
I have a 2-1/2 year old 40 gig Zen Extra. No way I would pay for an iPod when Creative Media is better and was way ahead of Apple on storage capacity.
Ditto. In fact, for about 10 years start in 1990, I was on 24/7 Call, I actively shunned cell phones. I wanted to be left alone, heh. I did finally get a cell phone in 2002, 2 weeks after my truck died in a somewhat remote area. I still have the same phone today. I use about 10 minutes a month and the battery charge lasts a week.
When I worked in Manhatten, I always had a radio and headphones. My reasons are probably similar to those who are Ipod welded now. You spend so much time in transit and you need an ignore excuse. 1 hour bus ride, 20 minute walk from 8th ave to 3rd ave and I wanted to be entertained as well as be able to act as if I didn't hear the stupid ass who stood on 40th at Bryant park on crutches yelling at people "can't you please Help me, anyone, PLEASE!". I bet he's still there, 6 years later.
There is no easy way to move somebody else's songs from your iPod to your computer. It can be done but it's not easy and it's illegal. But then again, somebody determined to steal music has much easier ways of doing so.
Good one!
You must be an Apple shareholder. That's an outrageous expectation on Apple's part. I'm just thankful I didn't get sucked into that blackhole.
I don't have an Ipod, but my brother's is one of the first lines put out there and it still works. It's over 2 years old.
If you purchase them at Best Buy or Circuit City, you can buy an extended warranty for them. I bought a 3-year warranty on mine for about $60. It's not a direct replacement agreement - if the iPod fails I have to bring it to the store to be shipped to a repair center. If they can't fix it then I get a new one. Haven't had to use it yet.
Really? I've got a Pentium that's still running fine. It's got to be about ten years old. Of course, at this point all it's good for is running Linux without a GUI, but it does run. I've got a PIII that's also running Linux, and that's no spring chicken. The P4 system has started acting strangely and probably ain't gonna make it, though, so maybe you have a point with those -- my fault for buying a cheap system from a cheap company though. The other two were Micron and Dell respectively. Bah, time for a Conroe in a few months anyway.
But in terms of longevity, my Atari 800 beats em all. Still running, the last time I checked a couple of years ago.
Spoken like an Apple shareholder, not an ordinary iPod user. If I've spent 300 bucks on a piece of hardware I sure do expect it to last more than a year. When I want to buy a new iPod it should be because the new features make it irresistible. Not because my existing one "broke" from ordinary, non-abusive use. The idea that it should be expected to stop functioning within a year purely from ordinary use is rubbish.
You have got to be freakin kidding.......If the sorry sob is only worth a year, I will trade ours for something that you can depend on, Sony...........
>I'm an old fashioned CD kinda guy, who still misses 8-tracks.
More power to you!
My wife has had hers for 3 years and it still works great.
Indeed it is! Planned obselencance is a horrible idea. You may want to check out EFF.org.
I have TV's that are 10-15 years old.
I have a refrigerator that's at least 30 or 40 years old, it's an old GM Frigidaire.
Several hundred dollars for a piece of electronic gear? That gear should last longer than the warranty.
I agree totally. And if they were built with quality in mind, they would.
The theory that it is designed to FAIL at that point so they have to replace it is outrageous.
Planned obselencance ... I don't understand why the consumer market has put up with it myself.
This article is FUD. The iPod's standard warranty is a year; that doesn't mean they're "expected" to die after a year. (Otherwise Apple would be losing a bundle on AppleCare for iPods).
These responses to SamAdams are hilarious. First, a lot of people have a hard time recognizing sarcasm. Second, I can't believe how many are buying into the myth of the iPod "planned obsolescence". I've had a 3G iPod for 3 years now, and it's going strong. My wife's iPod mini is two years old, and it's still running like a champ. The only reason I'm thinking about a new one is to experiment with the video capabilities.
They will likely last several years, especially the nano which has no moving parts.
I will trade ours for something that you can depend on, Sony...........
Free rootkit with every purchase!
I till take that offer, our ipod fifth generation not 6 months old is currently with applecare for hopefully product replacement.
Planned obsolescence is a stupid business model.
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