Apple responds to iPod nano screen complaints

It's taken them a few days, but Apple is finally responding to the growing chorus of complaints about the fragility of the iPod nano's LCD screen. Seems that more than a few people have pulled a nano with a busted screen out of their bag or pocket, and an Apple rep admitted to Macworld UK that while there is a "minor issue" with the screen related to a "vendor quality problem in a small number of units", that there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the design of the nano itself. Oh, and if you're not happy about how scratched up your nano has gotten, you're out of luck. The rep says that only a small, yet vocal, minority has complained about this and that the nano is just as resistant (or susceptible) to scratches as a 4G iPod (i.e. not very). They recommend that you buy a protective case.

[Thanks, mhz, Via iLounge]

[Edwin Avalos @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Seems like the early adopters just got b**** slapped sucks to be those with out cases my sock has kept my mini scracth free since christmas but i got a huge scratch a few days after oct something lol evil evil!

[Grandpa @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Yay Apple! Drink that Koolaid. What's good for Apple is good for the customer.

[Wayne @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

It seems that Apple has a short-term memory when it comes to flaws in their products. One memory that immediately comes to mind is the class action suit for faulty batteries that Apple would eventually lose. Apple should just bite the bullet on this one and just honor the warranties for people who are unfortunate enough to have messed their screens up. If a minority can be so loud, what would a majority sound like when clamoring for accountability?

[ian @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

get a tough skin (i think thats what its called)look at the post from the last screen cracking thread that has a link to a good ipod skin

[Alexander Micek @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

To everyone with a screen problem: I hear you, my screen is scratched, too. But it's been said before:

_the iPod is intentionally scratchable_

"Protection" is the byword for all case makers.

[Jordan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Yeah, for real. It sucks, but oh well. I have a Nano. I saw the demo units all scratched up, I'm not that dense. I knew that it would get scratched. I bought the white one instead of the black one just so that they wouldn't show up as much. And they don't, except on the screen, which is pretty annoying. I wanted the Nano NOW, and I didn't want to wait for a case, and that's the price I paid. 4G iPods ARE the same way. I know this too. So what? It's like complaining because your glasses are all scratched up, no crap, glasses do that. Gey a case! iPods scratch! People are so whiny!

Now, for the people who actually have a BAD screen, i.e. broken, that is a completely different issue. I really hope that Apple takes good care of you guys and does not insist abuse, because it is definitely their problem.

[Rishard Chapoteau @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Who the hell is putting there ipods in there pockets without a case! I agree with ipod, your asking for it if you just pop it in your past.

[Erik Cohen @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

They can't argue busted LCDs when the glass on top isn't cracked...this is a no brainer...and no company will warranty their product against scratches unless stated as scratch proof (not resistant, there is a difference). At least those with busted screens get new units, it's only fair.

[leo @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

maybe they intentionaly make it scratchable... that way every nano is unique.... now the guy next to you in the bus won't have the same Ipod as yours.... hey at least the scratch pattern is different!!!! and his screen is not cracked in half too!!!




:D :D :D :D

[Jordan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

But Steve has special micro-fiber jeans.

[iomatic @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Jesus Feckin' Christ, did every dropout decide to post with their poor grammar, bad spelling, and useless content? Oh, I guess that includes me :)

...

The gist of most of the posts are right though: oh well. Nothing is indestructible. Too f'n bad.

...

[L.J. Kappas @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

yeah...

one of those complaints would DEFINITELY be me...

i didn't even do anything bad to the screen!
it was sitting on my coffeee table all night...and when i picked it up in the morning... half the screen was blank...


APPLE YOU SON OF A BITCH

[Boynamedsue @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

wow. ipods scratch. welcome to 3 or 4 years ago.

[green @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

how can apple be so arrogant?
that means i'm not buying an ipod after seeing those scratched nanos and hearing those words..

[embassy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

man im glad i waited to see the aftermath of this crap...apple is ho-ing all of yall who bought that shit..they dont care about a friggin screen..u put 200 bucks blindly on a product and are now facing the fire...they used cheap ass materials to make that and refuse to give a dam...and for people sayin it needs a screen...bump that..ive had my cheap ass FREE-with plan cellphone for 6 months and its fine..ive had the SAME watch on for ever and no scratches..theres no excuse why this thing scratches so easily so stop that bull..especially when other mp3 players have seemed to go without this problem for YEARS...wat they NEED to do is have it come with a dam case if its obviously made of cheese...bump apple..they continuously fart in thier consumers faces...

[Angus @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

I've personally owed a nano for over a week now and obviously I don't own a case since none are on the market. I use mine, right away after getting up, putting it unprotected in my jeans change pocket (as Steve Jobs did). I take my nano, on the subway to University and back again. Not one stratch. None. Front or Back on my still Shiny Black Nano. So Apple could be right. It's happenned before I'm sure.

[Dale Woodson @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Look, you know how to not get scratched up screens on your iPod??? Don't buy a freaking iPod... If you want something comparable, get a Zen Micro which looks cooler, works better, has more featuers, and isn't scratched by putting it in your pocket. Besides that one, there's tons of other MP3 players on the market, most of them better and cheaper than the Nano anyway... I think Apple should learn how to make a decent scratch-resistant product, every other electronics maker seems to know how...

[Elias G. @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

So are they gonna replace the broken ones or what?

-- Elias

[Scoobydoo @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Damn it Apple... If only it was POSSIBLE to get a case, all they sell is the silly armband, their "tubes" have been on "6-7 weeks" since day one.

Perhaps next time they can sync their case manufacturing with their device manufacturing?

[mike @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Apple has a bad memory?? You dimwits ever heard of the PSP (that low marketshare overpriced battery killer)

-screen defects
-smudge/scratch like crazy

hmmm.. and it's black too..

all together now...


DUH!!!!!!

[Derendi @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

The nano was going to be the first Apple product I was going to buy. Im glad i didn't if this is what I'd have to look forward to. For the price point, it turns there are better values (and support) out there.

[Greg H. @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

What concerns and disappoints me more than a few scratches is how Apple can put the Nano (and associated iTunes software) out to market and not have fully tested the Outlook Contact Sync function. It doesn't work properly and I've seen posts of this issue by many users! The Apple Quality Assurance VP should be fired, then shot, then gutted like a deer. How did he/she get that job? By sleeping with Steve Jobs?

[Shade @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Lesson #1: Never buy first generation Apple hardware.

Apple is a bastard of a company. When I took my PowerBook (which was defective out of the box) to the Apple store, the genius proceeded to inform me that it was I who had broken it. I had to prove myself by showing that 30 - 40 other PowerBook owners had similarly defective notebooks. Apple finally replaced my computer only because my school helped me deal with them. I found it amusing when Apple rushed to my aid when my school (and the enormous amount of business it does with Apple) intervened.

It's too bad that this many people had to learn about first generation Apple hardware this way. I'd return the nano if this happened to me.

[Greg H. @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

If you're looking for a Nano case, check out this. go to www.zcover.com. You get a lanyard and sheath case with each order. The price is better than you'll find at Apple! I just ordered mine, so I can't give this case a full recommendation, other than to say that the searched the Web for many Nano cases and this looks like a good product. Good hunting!

[Ben brenker @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

You know, I can't believe that nobody's figured out yet that if your nano is all scratched up, and Apple's replacing broken lcds, just bend the damn thing until you break your lcd, supposedly that's all it takes. A little flex here, a little new nano there...

[Black Dog @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

* * * * * * * *
Where do I call Apple to register my complaint? I am currently part of the silent majority of ticked off, scratched up, hardly used, White 4G Nanos. If they think the problem is limited to a "small but vocal group" then *WE* need some contact info so *WE* can make that a "large vocal group" and get this problem fixed.
* * * * * * * *

[Jeff @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

"wow. ipods scratch. welcome to 3 or 4 years ago."

Unless you have a mini. Welcome to three weeks ago.

Is it too much to ask that a company actually improve their products over time, rather than the opposite?

[Boynamedsue @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

"Unless you have a mini. Welcome to three weeks ago"

actually the minis have been out for much longer.

[Juaquin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Zcover is a good company from what I hear. I just bought a case for my Cowon X5 from them after reading really good things about them. By the way, the X5's case is metal with a coating on it. It would take something really sharp with a lot of force to even begin to scratch it. I've had it in my backpack for weeks and not a hint of a scratch. The only reason I'm getting a case is because I'm paranoid about the screen getting scratched after all of these horror stories about other devices, even though it seems to be impervious so far.

Companies can easily make their gadgets scratch-proof. But why bother? It's not their problem after you've paid up. Heck, they'll make more money when you go to buy a new one because your old one is too scratched to make out what you're listening to.

[Tim @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

for #20 who said the psp had
- screen defects
- smudge/scratch like crazy

screen defects = dead pixel problem which occurs in *ALL* LCD screens

-smudge/scratch like crazy
Smudging yes, so does the nano. Scratch? HA! The screen has a coating similar to that of their monitors that prevents it from scratching, unless you decide to intentionally scrape it on ground.

[embassy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

not tru..one of the key selling factors for many devices is its durability...if that were the case..everything wud be made of clay...and apple still has no excuse..if they can coat CDs for protection..they can coat a friggin $200 mp3 player...

[Crazyglues @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

http://www.speckproducts.com/for-nano.html

[corbetti @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

>

yeah, stick a CD in your jeans pocket and see if it stays scratch free.

give me a break. bunch of bitchy whiners who don't have the sense to pour piss out of a boot, much less take basic care of their iPod. I've had 4 iPods, and other than scratching up the screen on my first one (the original) because i never bothered to get a case, they all look just fine.

[IK @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

The iPod nano DOES HAVE a problem with scratching, and with the screen snapping in half.

Hopefully, they will resolve this problem and it's scratch and durability factor will be at least at par with the 4G iPod.

[embassy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

corbetti

a cd isnt meant to go in your pocket..an mp3 palyer is...and it seems APPLE is only company with this problem..so its not being " bitchy" to ask that your device withstand MINIMAL resistance...but then again..apple consumers dont seem to care about being ripped off...as long as they look "coo" and " in" with thier fancy new half assed gadgets...

[Rev. Nathan Speer @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

As a former moderator of DAPreview, I knew this would come. All the big ones have a major flaw when they come out; headphone jacks (Apple, Rio), Dead Pixels (Sony), Buggy firmware (Ugh... Creative, Dell, iRiver, and so on), dead accessories (iAudio, iRiver, Dell)... it always happens.

Lesson to learn; wait for the problem, then see if the problem will persist. Which, unfortunately with the nano, seems like it will happen.

[Jeff @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

"actually the minis have been out for much longer."

Duh. They were no longer on sale as of the nano launch. That was my point. Apple was selling a better-built, scratch-proof model until the nano's release, and you'd have to have a pretty short memory not to remember that. You can't make a blanket statement that "all ipods scratch" because the fact is only *this* design does. They threw away a better design that didn't.

[xVariable @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

But what happens when the "protective" case itsself scratches the your DAP? You up shit creek, dog...

I dunno. I haven't really followed this story very closely. It occurs to me, however, that Apple might want to be VERY careful about how equivocal they are here, for their reputation hangs in the balance.

[Chad @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Bought the Nano. one week later returned the Nano. Scratches. Not buying another till they come up with a product that doesn't look like crap after 5 days.

[Rick @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

I don't know if someone already posted about this before, but, it simply shocks me to see how many companies are coming out with products that are supposed to be 'the next big thing' and tiny little annoyances (that escalate into large annoyances most of the time) plague the experience one gets from said product. When I ordered my first Powerbook, the base was wobbly, the 2nd one had 6 dead pixels, and the third one just had one dead pixel so I said "Whatever, I'll take it" because I was so fed up with Apple's "quality" control (and consequently, sending the defective ones back each time).

It also amazes me, obviously, how companies can be so arrogant in that they think that these "minor" annoyances are just a small inconvenience, and that they shouldn't interfere with anything, and also, that people just ignore them, and that maybe, the machine fairy will come and simply make the problems (cough cough 'dead pixels' cough cough) vanish! Seriously, some higher standards need to be set here!

[Jonathan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Got my 4Gb Black Nano.. noticed that it would in all chances it would get smuged/srcatched so I went to the local office store picked up some overpriced clear lcd protectors for digital camera LCD's
problem solved, & I am still loving this thing dispite not having video output/firewire sync...

[Dino @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Thanks, for the info guys. I cancelled my order before it was too late.
Polycarbonate scratches very easily without a hard coat, like those used on glasses. Sounds like they didn't use a coating. I'll buy my 1st ipod when they address this issue.

[Steve M @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

My 4G iPod lives a very protected life inside a waterproof/shock-proof Otterbox (www.otterbox.com).

The $50 I spent on my Otterbox has saved my $300 iPod from certain destruction no less than three times -- once from a watery grave, once from a bouncing crash on concrete after 15-foot flight across the room.

As for the iPod, the product is as it is. I don't recall ever seeing Apple say an unprotected iPod is bulletproof.

It is up to the owner to take due care. But then again, iPods are made by Apple. Heh.

[Alcaron @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

I'd gladly buy an MF'ing case if YOU HAD ANY IN STOCK.

I broke with tradition and bought an iPod....NEVER AGAIN.

Turns out all those years of not liking apple was FOR A REASON.

My nano sits in a velvet bag, it comes out and gets laid on top of the same velvet bag. I've wiped it a couple times with my microfiber cloth.

Yet it looks like I used it as a sled down a gravel road.

Never. Again.

P.S.: Why would you release a sleek black MP3 player and then force me to wrap it in pastel f**king silicone....? I am still trying to figure that one out.

[Dave @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Why doesn't it glow eternal like the blazing Sun in whose flames it was wrought?

[Dave @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Why doesn't it glow eternal like the blazing Sun in whose flames it was wrought?

[Anawrahta @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

All you whiny bitches can send your scratched up nanos to me if you don't want them. Then you can return to sucking on your mamma's teets as per your regular schedule.

[Bose @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Granted, the nano may be more susceptible to scratching that other Mp3 players, or even other Ipod models, but when it comes down to it, you should be smart enough to wait a few weeks, if not a few months, to get some feedback on the quality of the item you plan on purchasing, especially if it costs more than $50. Would you buy a brand new car the day your dealership gets it in? Not if you are a smart consumer, you wait to make sure there's not some missed defect like poor brake lines that go out after you use them a few times. I waited to buy an Ipod until the 4th Generation came out, and even then i waited until it had been out for a while before buying it.

The PSP issue is NOT an inherent problem with LCDs, how often do you buy anything (excluding PSPs) that has a dead pixel out of the box? I work at a big box electronics retail store and we had almost 50% of our PSPs brought back for exchanges and returns due to a dead pixel in the LCD screen. Some people would say whoop-de-doo, its one pixel, but when you pay $250 for it and there's a flaw, you want a functional one or your money back.

Back on the nanos, there are techniques that supposedly remove scratches on the full size ipods, never personally tried one myself but a lot of people rave about them. It would be financial suicide for apple to just say oh yeah you scratched your nano? here's a new one. The actual breaking of the screen is understandable to expect a replacement, but it's a simple fact of life, water is wet, the sky is blue, and ipods scratch...get used to it

[GeSchmidtt @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

And the point of the Nano...

To be small, ad a case, not so small any more. The smart entrepeneur would build a non scratchable hard case to replace the case of the Nano.

[Mark Nutter @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

I think the big reason there have been so many more complaints about the nano than there have been in the past with the previous white ipods is because they released a black one (without a dorky looking red clickwheel) simultaneously. I bought my white nano the day it was released, and when I went back to buy the armband I looked at the demo model and was relieved I didn't buy the black nano. The scratches on it really did detract from the product significantly. The white one however, although scratched to hell as well, didn't look bad at all.

I haven't bothered trying to protect my nano at all. It's scratched like crazy, but the more scratches there are, the less noticeable they are, as strange as that sounds. When you reflect light off the surface of a completely scratched up surface, you see a circular pattern of scratches that is more akin to brushed metal than scuffmarks. It still looks great in my hand, and I never see the scratches unless I hold it up to the light just right.