Let me start by saying that I'm not a big fan of iPods, and that the exorbitant price charged for what is, sadly, an unreliable piece of junk, has sorely tested my longstanding (1987) to Apple Computer and all that it stands for.
That being said, yes, I own one, and yes, I do find it useful and enjoyable, though not to the extent that many people do. I never, for example, listened to it on public transport in London because that's just begging for a mugging, and anyway, I'm not the kind of person who needs to have music blasting in my ears constantly. So I probably only listen to the thing a few hours a week, which probably explains why my $420 piece of high-techness lasted a whole two years before crapping out. Apparently this is an unusually long life for an iPod, with Apple seemingly expecting you to lay out that kind of money on an annual basis for a new one.
And to be fair, I did drop mine once, slightly cracking the screen, and eventually I could barely read the screen at all, but it kept on playing anyway until one day it didn't. I took it to the Apple shop, fully expecting (because this is apparently standard operating procedure) to be told, "It's not worth fixing, you might as well buy a new one." What I heard was only a slight variation: "The hard drive's shot; we don't even try to fix them once the hard drive's gone."
Back home, I disconsolately dumped the thing into the dustbin, then, struck with a bout of conscience about putting all those toxic materials into the landfill, fished it out again. Was there a place where this piece of crap could be recycled, I wondered? As I wondered, I slapped the thing against the table a few times, whether taking out my frustration or trying to get its attention, I don't know. Then, in a fit of exasperation, I threw it at the floor as hard as I could, enough so that it bounced about a foot (I should note that the floor, while thickly carpeted, is made of solid concrete).
Result: well, you guessed it. The little Apple logo lit up, it started whirring and humming or whatever those things do to show they're breathing, and it's been working ever since. Still can barely see anything on the screen, but since I only ever use the shuffle function anyway, that's no problem. It's been about a week now; I'll keep you posted on how things go. In the meantime, if you're tempted to try the same sort of therapy on your own overpriced piece of junk, erm, iPod, please note that (just like the Apple Corporation!) take no responsibility for the outcome.
That being said, yes, I own one, and yes, I do find it useful and enjoyable, though not to the extent that many people do. I never, for example, listened to it on public transport in London because that's just begging for a mugging, and anyway, I'm not the kind of person who needs to have music blasting in my ears constantly. So I probably only listen to the thing a few hours a week, which probably explains why my $420 piece of high-techness lasted a whole two years before crapping out. Apparently this is an unusually long life for an iPod, with Apple seemingly expecting you to lay out that kind of money on an annual basis for a new one.
And to be fair, I did drop mine once, slightly cracking the screen, and eventually I could barely read the screen at all, but it kept on playing anyway until one day it didn't. I took it to the Apple shop, fully expecting (because this is apparently standard operating procedure) to be told, "It's not worth fixing, you might as well buy a new one." What I heard was only a slight variation: "The hard drive's shot; we don't even try to fix them once the hard drive's gone."
Back home, I disconsolately dumped the thing into the dustbin, then, struck with a bout of conscience about putting all those toxic materials into the landfill, fished it out again. Was there a place where this piece of crap could be recycled, I wondered? As I wondered, I slapped the thing against the table a few times, whether taking out my frustration or trying to get its attention, I don't know. Then, in a fit of exasperation, I threw it at the floor as hard as I could, enough so that it bounced about a foot (I should note that the floor, while thickly carpeted, is made of solid concrete).
Result: well, you guessed it. The little Apple logo lit up, it started whirring and humming or whatever those things do to show they're breathing, and it's been working ever since. Still can barely see anything on the screen, but since I only ever use the shuffle function anyway, that's no problem. It's been about a week now; I'll keep you posted on how things go. In the meantime, if you're tempted to try the same sort of therapy on your own overpriced piece of junk, erm, iPod, please note that (just like the Apple Corporation!) take no responsibility for the outcome.
1 comment:
I had a dell jukebox once. When the hard drive crashed (3 days after the warranty expired), tech support told me to bang the unit on the edge of a table with considerable force (in an attempt to loosen the hard drive. It didn't work.
We have Detroit, Ypsilanti and Oakland in common. I love all three in equal ways.
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