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iPod 5th Gen scratching.


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Posted by london-uk
Just for anyone buying a 5th gen iPod, please be aware of the scratching issue. I've had a W800i for approx 4 months, I have treated it reasonably carefully, i.e. kept it in a pocket with nothing else, and not exposed it to anything abrasive. Anyway, it does not have a single scratch on it ( it looks like new ). So I've had my iPod 5th gen for a couple of days, and it's scratched to hell. It appears to be coated in a material slightly (but only slightly) harder than butter. It is ridiculous! For the past ten years I have been able to keep approx 25-30 mobiles, PDAs and similar devices scratch-free. Using the same care, my iPod now looks like crap. When the ipod nano was launched and people were complaining that they scratched, I thought they simply didn't know how to take care of a mobile device. With the new iPod I can now see that they had a point. It is baffling to me that Apple have launched their new product with such an inferiour coating. I am always careful with my mobile devices, as I hate scratches. My first 5th gen scratch happenned 5 mins after I got it. It comes supplied with a cheapish looking case which I thought I'd try on the new iPod, anyway when it came off I had my first vertical scratch. In conclusion, Apple have produced a superiour music player, and an excellent screen and video player. As per usual, the design is superb. The quality of materials used, is however disgusting. The durability is the worst I have ever experienced.

This is not merely a rant. The quality is SHIT, end of story.


Posted by kk.226
*cough* iShield! *cough*

But i can see where your coming from... the chrome especially takes the pi*s. Even taking it in/out of it's "protective" cases/covers it get scratched (?!?!). A skin is the only way to go to stop the problem.

Posted by Luke-the-magic-man
looks like this is your first ipod...


I don't see why every one is only just compalining, every single ipod form the 3rd gen and up scratched easily, the best thing to do is get huge bottle of displex lol

Posted by Melik
screw iPod...

Cowon iAudio X5 for life

Posted by maddav
The 3rd Gen scratched, yes. But the new ones (5G & Nano) use a different plastic for the outer casing, I think they switched from acrylic to polycarb. or something like that.

You should enquire about a possible refund/replacement, as it seems that Apple is taking measures to prevent a news scandal like with the Nano, look here for info:

Generous Replacements for 5G iPods?

Honestly though, I doubt you'll get any kind of refund/replacement.

Posted by london-uk
@kk.226, have you had any experience with protective coverings for your ipod? I have read over at ilounge.com that invisibleshield should be guite good, however they all seem to be based in the US. Do you have any reccomendations on products you have used in/from the UK?

@ lukebonathan, thanks for your input: "... looks like this is your first ipod... ", no actually I have had several Apple products including iPods, however this is the first Apple product which has not met my standard of quality.

@maddav Thanks for your input. I appreciate your scepticism, however I called Apple to tell them what my problem was. After about 20 seconds the tech guy told me that I was one in a long line of people who had complained about the new iPod being susceptible to scratches. He said that he would immediately ship a replacement to me at no cost, and even apologised for any inconvenience it may have caused me. Apple seem to have learned from the Nano mistake. their customer service seems to be up to par...

Posted by kk.226
@ London-uk

Sure mate, I've had about 7/8 iPods, and all used different kinds of cases/skins. The best by far was the iShield. It doesn't hide the beauty of the iPod, and protects it from scratches the best out of the lot. I used that on the 5th one, and carried on from then on. It's DEFINATLEY worth the money, i know it's a US based company, but i found them for sale on eBay UK, so bought it off there

_________________
For Sale//
Fully Boxed Unlocked P910i
Brand new Boxed Xbox with 6 games.
200gb HHD

[ This Message was edited by: kk.226 on 2005-11-01 02:04 ]

Posted by max99
i think you should all check the link in my signature or go to www.i-standout.com

Posted by kk.226
"iPod Video Skins


There are no products in this category."

Lol

Posted by max99
lol soon there will

Posted by neonismo
I've had my 6gb Mini for nearly a year. Not a scratch. The anodised aluminium is hard to beat.

Posted by Gigs
There's already lawsuits forming about the nano scratching issue.

Posted by london-uk
@ neonismo, I also had an ipod mini. At first I treated it really carefully, so as to avoid scratches, but gradually learnt how durable it was. Toward the end of when I used it, I'd just chuck it in my bag with no case, and generally pay no attention to how it was treated - it still looks perfect! Now that was a quality product.

@ Gigs. Thanks for raising this. (for the people not familiar with the case, here's some info). The class action lawsuit filed against Apple (by Jason Tomczak, in California) is actually quite interesting. It was filed by Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, claiming (in relation to the scratching issue) that Apple had :"...failed to remedy the problem in any meaningful way...". (CNN) In essence his complaint alleges: "The display on the device tends to scratch easily. Jason Tomczak, the lead plaintiff in the nano case, is alleging that Apple knew about defects to the screen yet didn't recall the affected units, passing on the "expense, hassle, and frustration" of getting a replacement on to consumers." (ipodnn.com).


Some web-research has found that: "...while the screen may be the same material, there is a protective layer of resin on top to protect against scratches. This was much thinner in the Nano than with previous models, which explains why the screen scratches so easily.". Additionally, the Wall Street Journal found that: "...no other media player had ever become so scratched so quickly.".


In relation to my recent purchase of the 5th Gen. (video) ipod, I can certainly tell that attitudes have changed at Apple. Please see this first:

"AppleInsider is reporting that Apple has instructed its authorized service providers to replace any 5G iPods that exhibit “any type of hardware failure [including] those that would normally be classified as abuse,” in a message to its channel partners. This limited-time policy is being seen as a preemptive customer relations booster, and not (yet) as a sign that the new ‘Pods with video have some unannounced inherent defect. The announcement comes at a time when Apple is under fire for the scratchability of the nano, having recently been hit with a class action lawsuit."

Anyway, my 5th gen ipod got scratched within a couple of days (I had been very careful, and used the provided case), in fact I hadn't even touched the screen with my fingers, yet it still had some scratches. I called Apple. Surprisingly I noted that they now (as opposed to 1 1/2 weeks ago) have an option in their menu for "...exchanging or returning ipod 5th gen...". As soon as I got through to the tech support and mentioned scratching, he immediately said that I was amongst many others with this issue, and he asked me whether I'd like a refund or a replacement. I was then patched through to sales, who gave me a tracking number and told me that my replacement ipod was on top priority (this was yesterday, and today I called again and they told me it had shipped and would be with me by the end of the week). Great customer service, but also seems to tell me that Apple is trying to avoid another Nano scandal.


Posted by Gigs
Surprised someone hadn't mentioned it before me to be honest.


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