iPod My iPod Story: The Final Chapter of Vol. 1

[EJBasile]

As some of you know my luck with iPods has been far from excellent. I thought my iPod was dead a few days ago. It turned on today so I plugged her in via FW and restored the software. I was so happy.

I opened iTunes to upload my music, and it starts uploading my songs onto my iPod.

I was using safari and then all of a sudden I hear "click click click CLICK CRRRRUUNNCHH CRUNNNCHHH CRUNNNCHHH CLICK CLICK". I switched back to iTunes, and only 1/2 of my songs have updated. The "do not disconnect" symbol diseappered too.

I used disk utility and it said there was a problem and I was able to repair it. Everytime the HD spins up on my it makes that loud click and crunching noise. And if I try to continue updating my iPod, it does a few songs and then freezes.

I did the "secret" hardware test and it says on the iPod Screen

HDD Scan
HDD Fail
0x00000069
Seek Fail


This is my 3rd replacement iPod. Today, August 27, 2005 is 1 year, 1 month, and 1 day after I recieved this iPod.

I am thinking of packaging everything that came with my iPod- everything and sending to the office of steve jobs with a little note in it saying "This my 3rd iPod, the previous ones were replaced by Apple. My first one lasted 1 day, my second one lasted 8 monthes, my third one included here lasted 11 months and one day exactly. Also included is a CD documenting all of these problems with videos.)


Shoot me if I ever buy a new iPod. I just bought my girl friend a 6gb Pink mini, I feel stupid.

So this is the ending of Volume 1 of my iPod story.

Edit: I restarted it and now it is stuck on the Apple Symbol

 

[Demon Hunter]

Sorry about your misfortune... but hey, it was covered by the warranty each time, right? So this basically guarantees you another iPod for a year. I bet they'll even give you a new one, with the color screen. It's inconvenient, yes.

Also, your problems sound like hard-drive failures? DAPs are either flash or hard-drive based. Every hard-drive player is prone to these same failures. So how's Apple to blame for hard-drives they don't make?

 

[katie ta achoo]

Every hard-drive player is prone to these same failures. So how's Apple to blame for hard-drives they don't make?

I hear that!!

I never really understand why people act like "OMGZZRORZ!11! your perfect iPod is dead. LOLZ!!1!@!~~oneoneeleven!" it's a HD. Not made by apple. They have no control over it (well, to a large extent: picking like.. samsung over WalMart brand HDs).

So, when people bring up that my beautiful powerbook died (it was a HD thing-- it happened a month and 28 days after I won it), I give them the whole "hardware issue" speech. That's a fun one.

 

[EJBasile]

Addition:
I understand they do not make the hard drives, but it is still their product. Say if your car's radio dies. Would you be mad at the car company or the company that made the radio? Who would you go to to get the problem fixed.

 

[Flowbee]

I made a similar reply in another thread... My iPod has worked beautifully for nearly three years; My wife's is over 2 years old with no problems.

I'm sorry to hear about your problems, but I think it's pretty rare for people to have as much trouble as you've had.

 

[OryHara]

I bet they'll even give you a new one, with the color screen.

no they won't. the'll do what they did for me. he'll get another referbished ipod that is likely to have problems like this others.

 

[ph0rce]

Thats so poop mate My iPod is a year and a half old and i havent really had many problems with it. Mine was sent back to apple care at 9 months due to a hard drive problem... got it back and it was fine and still is.

 

[the_freddinator]

no they won't. the'll do what they did for me. he'll get another referbished ipod that is likely to have problems like this others.

You can't say that...If it's his third, he might get a new iPod w/ color screen. I went from 40 gig to 60color after 3 40s of my broke. Call up apple and yell at them until they give you a color.

 

[mkrishnan]

I never really understand why people act like "OMGZZRORZ!11! your perfect iPod is dead. LOLZ!!1!@!~~oneoneeleven!" it's a HD. Not made by apple. They have no control over it (well, to a large extent: picking like.. samsung over WalMart brand HDs).

Well...doesn't Apple do burn-in testing of assembled units, as part of end-of-line quality testing, at their manufacturing plant? This is pretty standard practice for most other devices with hard disks. If the failure rate actually is high (which I've never seen evidence for...it sounds more like poor Eric is a multiple-lightning-strikes victim ) then they need to seriously consider a more robust EOL test at their plants.

Secondly, they are *the* major customer for this kind of drive (unlike in the desktop/laptop drive market). They have the power to push along hard drive manufacturers in terms of understanding and eliminating drive failure modes. They still have bottom line responsibility for the whole assembly, regardless of *why* it fails.

 

[PaRaGoNViCtiM]

I feel for you dude. I had hard drive problems on my 4G Non-Color 40GB iPod. Then I got a 60GB Photo, and it has been fantastic..no problems at all.
Oh, and Apple does have to take some blame if the HD's in the iPods go bad, and they know that, otherwise they would have a clause that states they are not responsible for hard drive failure. I understand what you guys are saying though, about Apple not manufacturing the HD's. I don't know what I would do without my iPod, so I really feel for you. Good Luck on getting a color screen.

 

[EJBasile]

It is out of warranty, so I don't know if they'll do anything. But I must say, not of my replacement iPods have lasted a year.

 

[Zman5225]

If it's out of warranty I would just take it in. If it were me i'd go in, ask straight up for a manager. Remain calm when your talking to him/her and try as hard as you can to hide any anger/frustration/built up tension or any of that sort. Calmly explain what you've been through and what you would like for them to do for you (i'm assuming you'd like a new one and not a refurb again.) Show proof of replacements if you still have that all. Here's why....

When I was a retail manager for a certain computer store, and a customer came up to, got in my face, or started getting a little loud (you know what I mean), had attitude in their voice or whatnot, it was automatic human nature inside me to want them to get away from me. I was very much less tempted to even want to help them. Then again when someone came up to me, and was nice and friendly, I was more often tempted to help them. I think it'll be in your delivery and approach. Sorta like a date!

The above is in reference to a situation like yours where the product is out of warranty and what not, not the product being in warranty and the customer was owed anything, i'm referring to your situation as it happens everyday in the computer store world, trust me.

 

[EJBasile]

Does anyone kow how much a hard drive replacement would cost from from apple.

I'm going to the store tomorrow morning.

 

[EJBasile]

If it's out of warranty I would just take it in. If it were me i'd go in, ask straight up for a manager. Remain calm when your talking to him/her and try as hard as you can to hide any anger/frustration/built up tension or any of that sort. Calmly explain what you've been through and what you would like for them to do for you (i'm assuming you'd like a new one and not a refurb again.) Show proof of replacements if you still have that all. Here's why....

When I was a retail manager for a certain computer store, and a customer came up to, got in my face, or started getting a little loud (you know what I mean), had attitude in their voice or whatnot, it was automatic human nature inside me to want them to get away from me. I was very much less tempted to even want to help them. Then again when someone came up to me, and was nice and friendly, I was more often tempted to help them. I think it'll be in your delivery and approach. Sorta like a date!

The above is in reference to a situation like yours where the product is out of warranty and what not, not the product being in warranty and the customer was owed anything, i'm referring to your situation as it happens everyday in the computer store world, trust me.

Thanks for your reply. I'm going to go tomorrow morning at have a calm talk but yet sharing my honest feelings. I feel really upset about this.

I really hope they do something for me, I mean, they better. iPods are probably the most expensive MP3 players on the market, I expect good quality out of them.

I think the manager of the Apple Store where I go to is this Austrailian guy who was really nice to me. I walked in (when my 2nd iPod broke), he came up to me and he welcomed me and asked what I needed help with. I told him my iPod was broken and he made me an appointment with a genious and took my iPod from me and carried it over to the genious for me.

 

[Demon Hunter]

Does anyone kow how much a hard drive replacement would cost from from apple.

I'm going to the store tomorrow morning.

I could be wrong, but I don't think it's that much less than a new iPod. And installing it would be a nightmare, unless you're good at that sort of thing.

Best of luck tomorrow, keep us updated.

 

[EJBasile]

I went to the apple store today. Because the genius was not there ( ), they couldn't really help me. The sales guy said I could:

- Sign up for a genius appointment online tomorrow
- Sign up for ProCare
- Send in iPod to Apple for $31.75
- If iPod is dead, replacement is $249 (I pointed out a new one is $299 and a refurb 3rd gen 20gb is 199 from Apple's refurb store)
- I could buy a new iPod and recycle my dead one and get 10%

I told him how frustrated I was about my iPod's issues and all he said was "I have had an iPod for one and a half years and I have had no problems"

I'm going back tomorrow when I make an appointment to have my iPod be prenounced dead (reminds me of how only a doctor can pernounce someone dead).

So if it is dead, I might buy a new one, but I'm not quite sure yet.

 

[zap2]

BUY BUY BUY, or wait for paris expo, if you can, becouse if a new iPod comes out you will kick your selve but if not o well.

 

[zelmo]

Eric, I went through a similar nightmare with Palm PDA's for a couple of years. My Palm IIIe died after 3 months, and they replaced under warranty with a refurbed Palm IIIe. That Palm IIIe died just after my 1 year warranty expired. I bought a new Palm M515. The M515 died twice in first 90 days, and was replaced with refurb both times. The 3rd M515 lasted until after the warranty expired. I was seriously thinking that I was cursed to never have a PDA.
I tortured myself about a new Tungsten T3...decided to buy. Been using it for 18 months, no issues at all <knock>.

Stick with it.