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

student_trap

student_trap

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Mar 14, 2005
1,879
0
'Ol Smokey, UK
Hi guys,

after reading this thread (https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/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)
 
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
 
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.
 
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!)
 
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.
 
40GB 3G literally just died after nearly 2 years. Not happy about that - I spent over £300 on it.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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:
 
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.
 
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.
 
myPods

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.
 
3G 15GB Died today

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.
 
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!
 
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.
 
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...
 
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.
 
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
 
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).
 
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.
 
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.
 
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