Macrumors iPod reliability thread! How long did/does it last?

[student_trap]

Hi guys,

after reading this thread (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=204494) I thought it might be useful for all of us to say how long our ipods have lasted, in order to gauge which models have been the most reliable and which the least reliable.

I have...

3G 20gig, works fine but with low battery (is about 2 years old now)
another 3G 20gig, works fine but with low battery (is about 3 years old now)
4G 20gig Colour, works fine (about 5 months old)
512 shuffle, works fine (about a year old)

[liketom]

1st gen 5gb iPod = 3 months ( sold it )
ipod 3rd Gen = 6 Months (sold it)
ipod mini silver = 5 months (sold it)
ipod mini pink = bought april 2005 still have it (mrs ipod)
ipod Shuffle = 4 months (lost this one in New Zealand)
ipod Nano 2gb black = 1 month (LOST this one as well)
ipod 5G 30gb =5 months (currently not lost :D )


all times are off the top off my head guesses ;)

so the ipod mini looks to be the best pod out there for me so far anyway

[dcv]

4th Gen iPod 40GB (click-wheel model) - bought Oct 2004, broke after 5 months and replaced under warranty. Replacement works fine but I don't carry it around anymore; it lives inside my Altec Lansing iM7.

iPod Shuffle 1GB, only about 4 months old, no problems whatsoever.

[fatties]

5g 20gig black. 6months doing really well so far. no need to reset blah blah yeh. perfect, battery lasts about... 7/8 hours? but i do skip songs a lot and use eq which apparently saps battery like there is no tomorrow.

ipod mini 1g green- urm since about 3 months after it came out of the shops. long time then eh? works like a dream. dropped it a zillion times, top white bit is now warped and threatening to come out, btu still plays perfecty. battery life is a bit ~ only 2 1/2 hours i think. has been relegated to the 'gymming' pod coz i like the belt clip for weights and x trainer and i keep dropping the big one when its propped up on the xtrainer ledge.

pretty robust.

however, my black screen saver is getting a little scratched and is peeling off so i might have to replace that. othewise 2 perfect ipods (hope neither of tehm die on me now!)

[floriflee]

3G 20GB iPod (white). I've had it for less than two years. I keep it plugged in pretty much all the time between the car system we have and the home system. Not sure if that's what's contributed to its recent need to be reset about once a week. That started a couple of months ago. Eh. That's annoying, but as long as it still works for a while longer it'll be an inconvenience I can live with for now.

Got a 1GB shuffle a few months ago. Absolutely no battery life problems and still works like a dream.

[BlizzardBomb]

4th Gen - Died at 18 months old
Nano - 9 months and still going

[dmw007]

All of my iPods are working fine- :)

60GB iPod 5G- ~3 months
4GB iPod Mini Rev B- ~1.4 years
1GB iPod Nano- ~3 months

[sunfast]

40GB 3G literally just died after nearly 2 years. Not happy about that - I spent over £300 on it.

[2ndPath]

My iPod, which I think is a 4th Generation (grey click wheel, but no color display), broke after 11 month and I got it replace under warrenty. The new one is still working after another 9 months.

[sebisworld]

iPod 2nd Generation (10 GB), died one week after the warranty ended.
iPod 4th Generation (20 GB), stolen after 1 1/2 years.
iPod 5th Generation, still working fine.

[paddy]

iPod mini. That thing is built like a tank even if the battery is dodgy. I had to replace it once myself as it was out of warranty. :mad:

[mkrishnan]

This has been done so many times, but why not? ;)

3G iPod 15GB, 27-28 months or so, works fine, excellent cosmetic shape, battery starting to get a little old, headphones beginning to wear out.

[Chundles]

3G 15GB iPod - Still works fine, battery life about 6 or 7 hours if I leave it alone. Not bad cosmetically but could do with a good Brasso workover.

512MB Shuffle - Works fine. Got some dings in it and it's cracking a bit on either side. I think it was on the first shipment into Canada in 2005.

2G 4GB mini - Works fine. Bit dinged and scratched but then my Dad found it when he was out walking one morning, I was amazed it lasted the night out in the open. Got it back from the cops 2 months later and it worked perfectly once charged back to full. I use it more than any of the others now.

[lynziwow]

3G 30 GB iPod bought in August 2003 right after they were released, it still works great and has taken a beating, but the battery is so much weaker than it was nearly 3 years ago. I'm contemplating doing the battery replacement program on this one. Has anyone else done that?

512 refurb shuffle, bought in March 2006. awesome, i love the shuffle. super long battery life, durable, portable, and certainly affordable. i have no fear of taking this little guy anywhere.

[Sugi]

My 3G 15GB ipod lasted from 8/03 until today. There was a picture with a folder and exclamation point. I've tried to restart by holding menu and play/pause button, and it still doesn't work. I tried this with having it directly plugged into the power outlet as well. Help.

As a side note, I just received my battery claim settlement paperwork 2 days ago. I can send it back in for a new battery and pay $29 for shipping. I wonder if I send it in, will apple fix the my new problem or even replace it, maybe with a refurb.

It's a sad day.

[katie ta achoo]

I have a 3G 15 gig, and she is still going strong. I think once I integrate my iPod + my car, she'll be the one living in the car. Yes, the battery is a little wonky, but she's also very old.

I have a 30 gig 4G photo. I keep trying to install linux on her, to no avail. I used the camera connector thingiee all through Europe. It was AWESOMEEEEeeEEe!!

I have a 512 meg shuffle. She is cute and slender. I take her everywhere. I only have to recharge about once every 2 to 3 weeks. She is a trooper.

all my 'pods have been perfect.
Yay!

[yippy]

I have a 20Gb 3G iPod that is about 2.5 years old and going strong. Never had a problem with it and I haven't noticed any significant digression of the battery life.

[realityisterror]

Assuming it still works :rolleyes: , my 3G 15GB still functions fine after 2 years.

But let's just say, I can use my 15" PowerBook with half brightness and wireless for longer...

[chairguru22]

3G 10gig, works fine but with low battery that lasts an hour or two, got it december 2003. i got a 5G ipod so my old one is strictly for car use now where its plugged in.

[pianoman]

bought 3G iPod 20GB in October 2003... still works (surprisingly)
bought 4G iPod 20GB (color) in July 2005... still works
bought 1G iPod nano 4GB in November 2005... still works and is my favorite

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

1G mini bought February 2004 (from CompUSA), still going strong.

Hopefully it works until Apple brings back some new and improved minis: The regular iPods never really impressed me and the Nanos just seem too fragile (and the Shuffles doesn't even set the last played date).

[SC68Cal]

Ipod Nano 4g Black = Scuffed a bit, battery holds charge, no complaints

[Jaffa Cake]

My 3G 20Gigger still works perfectly after two-and-a-quarter years of regular use. Cosmetically it's in excellent shape – I put it in a skin as soon as I got it, which has kept it safe. I haven't really noticed any major drop in how long the battery lasts, either.

[seenew]

3G 10GB iPod, worked for a year, sold it, no idea if it died or not
4G 20GB iPod (B&W) worked for a year, it got stolen
5G 30GB iPod suffered severe dent after 3 months, died, was replaced free by Apple, replacement has worked perfectly since I got it in February.

[mad jew]

Only problem was a 4G with a failed hard drive that was replaced under warranty. It has since performed flawlessly, as has my surrogate nano. :)

[Kernow]

2G 20GB is still going strong after 3-4 years. The battery life is down a bit, but otherwise is in good condition

5G 60GB which I got for Christmas is working brilliantly so far. The battery life is excellent, and even though I haven't put a skin on it, it has very little scratching.

[tk421]

I've had my 3G 15GB for almost three years. It works fine, no problem, except the battery getting shorter. I'm thinking about replacing the battery and using it another couple of years.

[Unorthodox]

My 4G 20GB iPod lasted only one year and 4 months. :(

[Over Achiever]

60 GB iPod photo ... lasted me since November 2004. I still have over 10 hours per charge which is great ... no problems here.

[WildCowboy]

Two 1 GB iPod shuffles in our house...one purchased January 2005 and one in October 2005. Both ticking along fine without a hitch...

[Sirus The Virus]

3rd Generation - 2 1/2 years and still going strong
5th Generation - 6 months and still going strong

My favorite iPod is my 3rd Generation, better design, cooler buttons, easier to use, plus you get cool orange light up buttons.

[jimmychoi]

It seems like there are a lot of dead 4G'S. Was the 4th gen a bad model?

[thejadedmonkey]

I don't think generation has anyting to do with it. It's more the luck of the draw... I've had iPods that work fine after being thrown out of my pocket while I was riding a bike, and I've had the same iPod dye on my after falling a foot, but it was the cable, not the drive...
But to answer your question..

1G that got dropped into a sink...it obviously died a wet death after a year of use.
3G that's had a replaced hard drive cable after 3 years of use.

[thejadedmonkey]

It seems like there are a lot of dead 4G'S. Was the 4th gen a bad model?
I think that's just when iPods got popular and people bought so many more of the 4G's then the 1,2, or 3G's. Once the 6G's have been around for a while, you'll see a lot of dead 5G's too.

[robPOD]

My 1g green mini is 18months old and still goin strong

[petej]

2G 10GB touchwheel still going strong. Original Battery may be a little down on the original capactity but not so that I notice. Used practically every day and charged when it needs it. Purchased just after they were released so that makes it a few years old now.
Tips. Turn off the backlight, turn off alarms, use the hold switch and charge via the power adaptor.
Only time I use the backlight is when I need a torch in an emergency.

[Veldek]

2G 10GB - almost 4 years old and and still works well (about 7-8 hours of battery life).

[Passante]

My 20 gig touch wheel (2nd generation) from April 2003 is still going strong. Still get more than 4 hours of battery life.

The mini is my wife's. I only see it when it needs to be charged. Guess its doing fine.

My shuffle is less than 4 months old.

[Killyp]

My iPod mini is really having some problems. It keeps on crashing all the time, and randomly losing it's charge over the course of around 15 mins while off (when it has been working fine earlier). The touch wheel is also very glitchy and sometimes goes backwards when I want it to go forwards (????).

It's already been back to Apple for servicing, which had no effect. Now I want to trade it in for a 5g iPod, as 4 of my friends at school have the same problems with their minis, but nobody with a different iPod has any of these problems. Anybody know of a way I could get money for it?

[U2Rules!]

My mini is 2 1/2 years old and going strong.

My Nano is 9 months old and flawless.

[Obsidian6]

ive been through numerous ipods already, but it has all been by choice. not once has any iPod of mine ever failed on me.

2G - 10GB - ~8-10mo.
upgraded to
3G - 15GB - a little over a year
upgraded to
4G - 40GB - ~2 years now, still have it, but it is currently for sale.
upgraded to
5G - 60GB - 2 weeks so far :)
i also have a 4Gb Nano that i've had since they were released. no problems but its scratched to hell :)

[Macmaniac]

iPod 4G 40gb, no issues, 2 years old
iPod 3g 10gb 3.5 years old, replaced once, some touch pad issues
iPod Mini Green 1 year no issues

[m-dogg]

2nd Gen 20 GB - December 2002 until August 2003. I was still on Windows at the time, and was one of the rare few that used MusicMatch Jukebox to sync my iPod before Windows iTunes came out. The headphone jack was shorting out and I brought it back to Best Buy where it was purchased and traded it in for a new...

3rd Gen 30 GB - August 2003 to Today. Still going strong with good battery life, though I mostly use it connected to a charger in my car or connected to a charger on my home stereo. The best iPod design ever in my opinion. I've put off upgrading to a larger capacity simply becasue I love this style.

1st Gen Mini - March 2004 to Today. A pink, for my girl's birthday. Man was this hard to find, the pink ones were popular. Lucked out at CompUSA because they happened to get a shipment with one pink one at the time I was in the store inquiring. Still works great because it never really gets used at all.

512 Shuffle - April 2005 to Today. Works great - Only gets used for exercise.

The Future? Unless my 30GB breaks, I do not plan to buy a new iPod until capacity hits at least 80GB (preferably 100GB).

[Crikey]

I bought a first-gen 5GB iPod in 2002; it worked flawlessly until it got soaked when water began pouring down the inside wall of a nightclub (and this wasn't even in New Orleans) in fall 2005.

I bought a (4G?) color 60GB iPod in fall 2005 and it's still working fine, despite having been dropped and banged around a distressing amount. I carry it around in a sock -- not an "iPod Sock (TM)", just a white athletic sock.


Crikey