There was a big hulabaloo and a lawsuit about the Ipod Nano scratching too easily. How did things turn out? Was it a small number of defective units, or did they improve it at some point or what?
I want to know if I can take the “skin” off mine and carry it my pocket like I carry my cellphone, which has no visible scratches. The skin feels real cheap.
My 5G iPod scratches really easily.
So does my 60GB. I won’t take it out of it’s little rubber skin.
My Nano is scratched up pretty good, but it doesn’t bother me. It’s the white model, so you really can’t see the scratches except on the screen. And it’s not like I’m using the screen to watch video or anything. I guess if you spend a lot of time looking at the screen (playing games or whatever), it would be a nuisance. But I only look at the screen when I’m selecting songs, and it really doesn’t bother me at all.
I’ve got the black nano and never heard of this before. I carry mine in the same pocket as my loose change so if it was going to get scratched-up, I would think it should have done so by now. It’s got a few scuff marks on the back (silver) side but the black face still looks pretty nice. I’ve only had it for about 4 months - maybe not long enough yet?
IIRC correctly, Apple’s official line was that some of the Nanos were manufactured with a defect that made them exceptionally prone to scratches. There was a replacement offered for some of them, but I don’t know what the threshold for replacement was.
I haven’t heard any more uproar about it, so I’m assuming that the problem pretty much went away.
That’s what they said about some screens cracking. I don’t know if it was the same with scratches.
Heh, FTR, I was referring to my 60GB 5th Generation (5G=fifth generation=video) iPod. Just to clear up any confusion.
Source: Apple Insider - 03 Feb 2006
Ahhh… Mine’s a 5G, too.
That did kinda confuse me. (“Hey! When’d they come out with a 5GB iPod?”)
Seriously, though, I got one nasty scratch about five minutes after I took it out of the box. I went right back to the store and bought a case for it. It’s weird because I leave my Blackberry out of its case all the time and the screen hasn’t been scratched yet.
Anybody try the toothpaste trick on their iPod yet? I’m afraid to try, especially since I watch “Lost” and “Battlestar Galactica” on the train on it all the time.
Officially, some of the early nanos shipped with bum screens prone to cracking, and Apple’s policy is to replace these. Also officially, Apple maintains that the nano is otherwise no more or less scratch-prone than any other iPod model, and that any assertion to the contrary is simple hysteria. Unofficially, I’ve heard that some Apple Store personnel will exchange a badly scratched nano for you if you go in and raise a big stink.
My nano went out of the box and straight into a Contour iSee. It only comes out when the inside of the case needs to be de-pocket-linted. I like keeping it purty.
Meant to include this in my reply. I’ve heard many success stories of people using Brasso to de-scratch their nanos; takes a surprising amount of work, but apparently it’s worth it.
My nano went out of the box and straight to the graveyard with a busted screen within 24 hours. All I did to it was to keep it in my backpack. This was just recently, and I’m still waiting to hear if they’ll replace it. If they do, great. If not, well, they’re sure not getting any more of my money for a new one. What the heck do I want with a gadget that is apparently made of eggshell? My stuff has to be able to take some abuse. Or at least some regular use.
To be honest, I’m not too impressed with the track record of the nano at all. Bad scratching, busted screens galore… I really prefer my personal electronics to not have to be kept inside the house on a silk cushion in order not to break. Now, the mini was great in that respect, it was buildt like a brick shithouse. Too bad the battery went and died on me after a year.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I still love the iPod and want to have its babies. It’s that sexy. I just wish it wasn’t crap.
Ars Technica’s report on the nano stress test - it only stopped playing music after being driven over by a car twice.
Yeah, I’ve read that one. But still, there are too many tales for my liking about units that are giving up the ghost after being breathed heavily on or talked to a bit harshly. And my own experience adds plenty to my impression that all is probably not a-okay in Nano-land. :dubious:
I hope you got it replaced.
I suppose another anecdote won’t hurt. As mentioned in the extended warranty thread, I am the new owner of an Ipod Nano. After about a week of usage, the face and screen are fine, no scratches at all with the exception of the button in the middle of the scroll wheel, which IS heavily scratched. The metallic backside, however, is already scratched beyond recognition. I am not making any particular effort to put it on either side, so I’d say the back is more easily scratched than the front.
I’ve had my Nano for a few months, I got the black one. I did get a case for it maybe two months after I got it, because I needed to be able to clip it somewhere on my person for working out, but before that, I carried it in my pocket, it floated around in my cluttered car cubbies, I dropped it several times, and I haven’t noticed any significant scratching.