iPod nano - Use. Enjoy. Replace?
10th October 2005
It’s been a few weeks since the complaints surfaced about how easily the iPod nano scratches. Since then, numerous fixes have been suggested, but they all boil down to three basic alternatives:
- Protect it
- Polish it
- Ask Apple to replace it (which they will in some cases)
It’s true that the surface of the iPod mini, the model which Apple discontinued when they introduced the nano, is much more scratch resistant. It’s also better at hiding any scratches it sustains because its surface is textured and less reflective. But the nano is made from the same materials as the iPod Photo, but if there have been any complaints about scratches on that model, they haven’t been reported anywhere obvious. Or maybe no-one worries about scratches on them.
People certainly seem to worry a lot less about scratches on mobile phone screens. Lots of people protect their phones with cases, but it does detract from the look of the phone. I think the same is true of the amusingly named (if you’re nerdy) nano Tubes - they spoil the nano’s appearance. Its exterior has been meticulously designed, the appearance and detailing contribute greatly to its ‘must have’ factor. Protective cases feel like an afterthought. They also make your “impossibly small” nano not-quite-so-impossibly small. It’s a shame to cover it up.
So I’d do the same with an iPod nano as with a mobile phone - use it without putting it in a protective cover so I can appreciate the design, the tactile feel and its tiny size. No matter how careful you are with anything, it will accumulate blemishes. Everything ages in some way. With care, I don’t think an iPod nano should look scruffy during its useful life.
Which raises the question: “How long is the useful life of an iPod?” The life of previous models is limited by the battery and the hard drive. When either of these fails, it usually makes more economic sense to buy the latest version instead of paying for a repair. So subconsciously an iPod must be considered disposable, or at least “consumable”.
There’s no hard drive in an iPod nano, so one of the reasons which brings about the end of its life has gone. Perhaps with their choice of material, Apple have inadvertantly (or not…) introduced a new reason. Maybe when your nano is scratched more than you’ll tolerate, you’ll be ready to replace it with the latest iPod. The rate at which they’re being updated, there should be plenty of choices.
December 23rd, 2005 at 12:16 pm
The ipod is representive of the low standards of morality present in modern consumer society.
The production of all such equipment requires the use on non-renewable material resourses and results in the unavoidable production of toxic waste. Furthermore, shipping the finished products from the factories to the end users requires the use of fossil fuel, a diminishing resourse whose use results in further polution.
The Ipod nano is made in China. Recent industrial accidents in that country that have resulted in the polution of water supplies and the death and suffering of citizens should remind us all that the production of consumption goods is not without human cost, regardless of how far out of sight the factories may be.
While it is difficult to avoid many of the dangers inherent in the mass production of anything at present, manufacturers should attempt to mitigate the effects by ensuring that their products are durable, repairable and not made deliberately obselete after a short period. Such respect for people and resources is in all our best interests.
Tim.