Limited-time offer: Apple to replace 5G iPods for (almost) any reason

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.