iPod What is a 4th gen IPOD photo worth?

[jimmychoi]

I was hoping that you guys would be willing to give me an idea. I have been holding off for the 6th gens, but in the meantime, a friend of mine has an ipod photo in very good condition for sale. It's a 40gb model. Thanks
James

 

[Copland]

Depends on how much he's charging, and what you need. Check the Apple Special Deals page for some iPod refurbs, and make sure you're getting a lower price than those!

Or, you might consider the monochrome screened 4G, which you can also get refurbished. If he's offering lower than that, definately purchase it!

 

[jimmychoi]

I think I can get it for between 150 and 175. The 20gb photo refurb goes for 199 and the 40gb monochrome is the same on apple's refurb list. Does 150 sound fair?

 

[Johnny Rico]

Pretty fair, but it depends on its age. You said it was in good condition, but the older the ipod is, the more wear and tear it'll have had on the battery. The refurbs on apple.com will be at the beginning of their warranty cycle and have the option for applecare.

 

[jimmychoi]

I know he hasn't used it since the he bought a fifth generation when they came out. It was bought toward the end of the 4th gen, so how old would that make it?

 

[Johnny Rico]

The 40 gb photo ipods were discontinued in february 2005, so it's out of warranty unless there's some unknown applecare coverage (unlikely?). I personally doubt that this ipod has battery issues based on your description and its probable age; I don't know what sitting around doing nothing does to a battery's lifespan. However there are websites that will sell you ipod batteries on the cheap (<$40) if you're willing to replace the battery yourself.. don't worry, it's pretty easy but they will do it for you for a fee. I'd say $150 for this ipod would be a fine deal considering you could pick up this ipod and a replacement battery for less than a refurb monochrome from apple. The only reason I'm going on about the battery is that it is (likely) the only problem this ipod will have in the near future, and when your ipod is out of warranty it's pretty much CYOA in regards to that sort of thing.

 

[jimmychoi]

Thanks Rico. That was helpful. I think I'll probably end up going for it at around that price. I read that 4th gens were problematic. Has this been your experience?

 

[Johnny Rico]

Don't actually know.. I personally went from a 3rd gen 40 gb to the 60 gb video. Haven't heard any stories about 4th gen having more problems than other generations but stuff does sometimes happen that I don't know about, so it could be.

Various infos about the ipod in question
wikipedia ipod section
wikipedia ipod photo section
and, if you don't have it already, mactracker, a sweet little freeware app that contains like all the hardware info on apple products.

 

[applemacdude]

buy a refurbed on from apple taht included the one year warranty