Some new iPod nanos afflicted with tilted screens
By Conrad Quilty-Harper 
posted September 16th 2007 8:17PM
posted September 16th 2007 8:17PM
The new iPod nanos are exhibiting screen problems for a small subset of owners, whereby the screen doesn't appear to be completely level within the casing. More than a dozen people have reported the issue on Apple's Support forums, with most reports saying video appears tilted slightly to the left. Apple is replacing units that exhibit the problem, although judging by some anecdotal reports, entire batches at certain stores have the problem, making replacement a far from adequate solution. Fortunately, it appears as if it's possible to notice the issue with the nano inside the box. At least now we'll know what the problem is if we run into any gadget fans with crooked necks.
With all these problems, Apple will probably only sell about 14.9 million iPods for the Christmas holidays instead of the usual 15 million. Bummer.
Now introducing the "iPod tilt." It's replacing the most popular mp3 player in the world, the iPod nano. We know you're going to love it. Look at the fresh new colors. Look how tiny it is.
[specially invited press members cheer]
Now I'm having second thoughts.
I had a perfect nano, but I swapped it for a defective iPod touch... And then I hear there are faulty nanos too?!?!
Is it just me, or does it seem like Apple's Shanghai manufacturing factories are dropping the ball lately? I love my Apple products, but there definitely seems to be a lot of goofs in early batches of new products. Do they not do test runs of the manufacturing process?
This is what happens when you outsource to China, people. Apple-- Bring the manufacturing back to the western hemisphere. China is getting sloppy.
Would you like fries with your $300 4gb Nano then?
I just had to add this: Apple fanbois complain all of a sudden at the over emphasis of Apple faults on Engadget. Maybe this is in direct corolation to the 'over' reporting of Apple on Engadget and this is just fair.
Second you complain about the Media. The iPhone and Apple was hyped in the Media. Funny thing about the Media: They love to bring you up and LOVE to tear you down. Either have NO coverage or have GOOD AND BAD coverage!
Oh.. My.. God.. A slightly tilted screen! Apple sux! You feel 'betrayed'! Puh-lease....
1) Yeah, qc should have been better. Let them fix it and have yours replaced. It's as simple as that.
2) If you're not satisfied as a consumer, remember you have the right to buy yourself this flawless top-notch hardware/software product called the Zune.
So, would it be 1) or 2)?
'nuff said..
Regarding the 160GB Classic and 40,000 songs ... well that's good marketing, but remember there's another way. I put some tracks on my existing 80GB iPod in Apple Lossless format, so all the data is there and the sound is amazing. But that takes up more space on the HD of course.
With 160GB I'll be able to put all kinds of stuff on the iPod without compression and still have plenty of space left over. Sounds good to me.
As to the size of the new Nano compared to the old...
OK, it's a bit wider and a bit shorter, the same thickness, with a nicely edged design. I have had mine for a few days and it is a major improvement over the old Nano. The interface is fantastic, the screen is excellent, watching videos on the thing is quite pleasant, nice audio quality...in a device that hardly seems to be there at all. It's a definite keeper. The old Nano is going to my mom, who has never had an mp3 player but wants one.
Engadget actually is helping the consumer by alerting them to product flaws. However, their favorite target is Apple. Go to http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/microsoft/ is see their homage to M$. At least we can thank them for helping improve the Apple experience by getting word out to fix even the most minor flaw, like a screen tilted 1/1000th of a micron.
Well, there is an iPod nano firmware update this morning. Could they be tilting the screen one pixel for those affected? hmmmmm.
So I just went to my local Apple store, and EVERY nano they had on display plus a couple that I asked to look at from the "back room" had the tilted screens. Of course the employees deny knowing about this and they said that they couldn't see the problem...but I returned it and broke down and got a 16G Touch...I'm so ashamed of myself.
Give it time. I harbor no ill-will towards Microsoft despite the fact I'm now on my third (and hopefully last) Xbox 360. Even when they sent me a defective refurbished unit that quit as soon as I got it out the box. They've addressed the situation and spent a billion plus to do so. If it happens again they said we could "work something out." I'm sure Apple will do likewise.
I just got back from our local Target store after trying out 4 different 3G NANOs..all with the tilt problem. After we tried the 4th one, the store manager appearantly asked his electronics guy to just take out their remaining supply and to be mark them defective. So it seems to me that this is a widespread issue and is not just affecting a small portion of the newly released 3G. Apple, if you're reading this..try doing a better job at your quality checks.
I visited my local Target and Best Buy too. Most nanos had tilted screen, and a small percentage of them were level. You can actually see the problem without turning it on or opening the package, just by looking at the amount of black frame on the left, which is way less than on the right. Most black silver nanos had tilted screens, and some green and blue ones were normal. It wasn't just me. I had a few people at Target look at them and they could see what I was talking about.
The thing is, once the problem is there, it should not be ignored. It depends on whether you can live with it or not. I am almost certain the next evolution of nanos will be just like the 2G nanos with aluminum backs. The scratchy back just looks very ugly very quickly, which is one reason I don't go for the iPod touch either. The tilted screen was less of an issue for me, but one more reason for me not to go for them at this time.
I think iPhone is the only product that hit the spot among all these new Apple products recently.