Have you got a duff iPod?

[editor]

....I'm just questioning people who blindly assume that since a company is "successfull" that they must be ee-vil. And since when was being successful "bad"...?

You seem to be against the idea of people pointing out bad business practices purely on the grounds that the item in question is made by Apple.

Don't you want iPods to last longer? Don't you think that people have the right to be annoyed when they're told that they may as well throw away their old iPod because the cost of repair is so high?
And don't you think that an article pointing out a consumer's rights in the matter is a good thing?

 

[sonik]

Mine has been fine since day one. The volume is a bit of an issue (to low) but i've uncapped it and it's fine until you update the software and then you have to uncap again other than that it's great.

 

[jæd]

You seem to be against the idea of people pointing out bad business practices purely on the grounds that the item in question is made by Apple.

Ho-hum... I'm not against pointing out bad practices. I'm against dodgy sampling techiques and sensationalistic reporting...

Thought I mentioned this earlier...!

 

[editor]

Ho-hum... I'm not against pointing out bad practices. I'm against dodgy sampling techiques and sensationalistic reporting...

So when a newspaper finds itself receiving a lot of complaints about a certain product, you don't think that they should run a feature advising readers of their consumer rights?

And how is this "sensationalistic reporting"?!

Apple has sold more than 2m iPods in the UK and it would be unfair to expect all of them to work without any problems. But judging from the postbag at Guardian Money, while it's easy to fall in love with the design and ease of use of iPods, they can at times be highly temperamental.

 

[tarannau]

To be honest, I've got no real wish to defend any large Corp, but it does appear that folks are expecting a little much of Apple here.

I don't like the idea of an ipod having a limited lifespan, nor costing so much to repair, but the reality is that it's hard to see what they could do differently. The components in the ipod are fragile and prone to break, wherever Apple can source them from, and repairing small and highly compact electronics goods is always expensive. You try repairing an out of warranty PDA for example. Apple already offer a reasonable Supercare (extended warranty) policy and an excellent returns systems should you have a fault.

The idea of HD mp3 players is fraught with compromises, whatever way you look at it. Apple's only become a big consumer electronics player very recently - expecting them to boast a new standard for customer warranties and returns seems unrealistic imo. I doubt any of the big electronics manufacturers would act differently.

 

[jæd]

So when a newspaper finds itself receiving a lot of complaints about a certain product, you don't think that they should run a feature advising readers of their consumer rights?

Only if the number of complaints is a significant fraction of the total number of units sold... We know that two million iPods have been sold. We can then work out how many letters the Guardian should receive in complaint. (Ie, its basic stats). That would be a very, very large mail bag...!

Oh, and would iPods still be selling like hot things if there were such serious problems...? Or is every iPod bought by a raving mac-hugger, doped into submission...?

 

[kakuma]

iriver is better