The new ipod nano 6th generation defies the laws of physics

[paul*robertson]

.........and any other law i was taught at school.

Bought one today, loaded some music, and plugged it into my hi-fi.

Large amp
Large speakers
Minute source

How do they cram all those notes and lyrics in. I took out an extended warrenty, but good luck to the guy who ever has to repair it. Maybe he has his own Hubble telecope to solder all those 1's and 0's back into place.

Wow !!!!

[ausmike]

.............has to repair it. Maybe he has his own Hubble telecope to solder all those 1's and 0's back into place.
Wow !!!!

Hiya Paul ..... Welcome to the NEW WORLD ! I have had one of those toys now for atleast 6 years maybe more ,,, but then I was very very impressed at APPLE HARDWARE when I first saw the APPLE IIc .... and its still going in my 'garage'....and the latest IPAD i got is shear JOY to use ,,,,pity it dont make any cell-phone calls or I would classify it as a PREFECT TOY YOU CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT !

I guess am lucky enough to be first on the list from APPLE for beta testing of most of their 'toys' so its a shear joy to pull them apart (feature and functionaly wise)

Enjoy your new toy ! and nope , most are NOT REPAIRABLE - use and throw away as replacment one is cheaper than to repair!

Cheers

[lead_org]

the expected lifecycle of Apple's products are too short, especially their iPod range... this is creating too much e-Waste/Junk.

[RealBlackStuff]

Shouldn't that be iWaste and iJunk?

[lead_org]

Shouldn't that be iWaste and iJunk?

exactly.... haha that is a good one.

[paul*robertson]

the expected lifecycle of Apple's products are too short, especially their iPod range... this is creating too much e-Waste/Junk.

And that go's against my instincts.

[mediasponge]

I'm especially underwhelmed with the plastic parts Apple uses. You can scratch them with your fingernail. When new, they do look nice and glossy ... for about 5 minutes. There are plenty of other grades of plastic they could have used that would be more durable. The chrome metal back on some models also scratches if you look at it wrong.

If you do a search on Fleabay for iPod parts you will find 1,000,000 hits, so there is plenty of opportunity for repair instead of landfill. I've repaired a few iPod Video models for gifts. I have one with as many hacks as are usually discussed on these forums regarding Thinkpads!

[lead_org]

on the newer models, the repair process is more painstaking, but it is doable with the right tool. But most of the products are built with a short planned redundancy in mind. You won't see many people still using their 5 years old ipod on the street, as this is seen uncool and unhip. So basically these devices would only need to last 2 product cycles (approx 2 years), until the owner gets attracted to the newer version of these devices.

[ausmike]

.....still got my Original Ipod Classic (bought first week of release),,, works and nothing wrong since '97....however its not used everyday , but it still holds a decent charge and works just as nicely as the first day I got it .....still have my daughter use it once a while , wth her Iphone1 (legally unlocked version)

but then I seen more 'junk' from useless throw away 'e products' ,,,,,since mmmmmm 1980!

Cheers everyone

[Norway Pad]

You won't see many people still using their 5 years old ipod on the street, as this is seen uncool and unhip. So basically these devices would only need to last 2 product cycles (approx 2 years), until the owner gets attracted to the newer version of these devices.

Yes, you got it: Hip and cool. And that's what strikes me when I go into the very clean, almost hospital like Apple Store to look at iStuff. It reminds me more about a fashion store than a computer store. Being cool and hip has become very important factors here. If you ask anyone working there technical questions, the kind of conversation that gives you confidence that you are buying things from someone who knows what they are doing, they will probably don't be able to give you good answers. But they will make sure to tell you how stylish, light and cool the Air is.

Maybe I am being unfair towards Apple, but that's my view. I was initially very enthusiastic about the iPad, but after borrowing and using one for a weekend, I got bored. A friend summed the iPad up in a very good way, a way that probably goes for much of Apples iStuff: "This is a device for consuming content and not for creating content"

[lead_org]

i got a iPad, i use it as an ebook reader.... i use to collect ipods like crazy, but then i realised that i just couldn't keep up with Apple.

I am not sure to categorize Apple store as a durable goods retailer or a nondurable goods retailer.

[Outatime1989]

To the right person, any iPod is repairable, Especially the pre-flash ones. I have fixed several iPod minis myself and would like to learn to repair videos too. When the flash based ones were introduced, everything was soldered to the mainboard, making battery replacements even more difficult to the average person. that and some models are very difficult to get apart without breaking them. Most people just opt to replace them at this point since a new one comes out every year anyway

[mediasponge]

If you're interested in iPod Video repair resources, there are listings and video teardown/repair guides at Rapid Repair. I think their parts are a bit overpriced, at least compared to the Fleabay sellers. Prices go up and down, you have to keep an eye on them. In decreasing order of expense, the repair parts available are: Logic board, HDD, LCD, battery, front, back, HDD cable, audio jack and clickwheel. Rapid Repair also has a neat clear face (called iVue) for Video and other models, but they are non-trivial to install. RR also has its own forum, which can provide more info. Note that the logic boards can run $40-$50 at best, so that's the worst item as far as expense. Larger hard drives are even more, but a 30Gb HDD can typically be had for under $40.

Other links:
iFixit
everymac iPod model list
Hacks:
RockBox alternative iPod OS
ipodwizard firmware tool I used this one to make an iPod video look like a MAC OS desktop. I also have the Ivue on mine and a 32Gb CF card instead of a HDD. There are firmware hacks to make an iPod Video look like an iPod Touch, but don't expect it to respond that way. You can even make one look like Windows Vista! The horror ... The horror

[ausmike]

.........sinde I know 'major' repairs of older models/ones are NOT COST EFFDECTIVE these days> for me ... make it cheap(er) - Ultra Relaible - NEWer PRODUCTS every 2 -3 yrs , I be buying newer models/items everytime!! Yip I be hip ,,,,, but then noone can argue they wouldnt want a new 'toy' .... even a kid knows the Joy of Toy !

[onigiri]

the expected lifecycle of Apple's products are too short, especially their iPod range... this is creating too much e-Waste/Junk.

It's probably done on purpose as a marketing strategy. If a newer model comes out, and yours just died, it's the perfect time to buy the new one! Sadly, I suspect that's the reason for the degradation of products these days.

[j-dawg]

Planned obsolescence.

[Temetka]

I love my 8GB iPod Touch. It's the very first gen of that model and it has been a pure joy to use over all these years. It's been to many states, Mexico, and has even been on the ocean. The d*mn thing is nigh indestructable and made of win. It's handy, it's dandy, and it is all mine.

[killer]

What material is win? Do you mean tin?

[ThinkRob]

.....still got my Original Ipod Classic (bought first week of release),,, works and nothing wrong since '97

Come again? Wasn't the original iPod released in the fall of 2001?

At any rate, I do like the hardware design of Apple's music players. Sadly, their poor firmware (incapable of playing a number of free and open formats) coupled with the non-standard (and often unreliable) connectivity software has caused me to purchase other brands. The more I think about it, it's actually just the latter of the two complaints that's keeping me away from them; I can easily transcode any songs I load, but until their devices either support the industry standard of MTP or offer an option to operate in mass-storage mode, I have no way to use them!